In this episode, Robert Watkins sits down with Andrew Gilmour, Executive Director of the Berghof Foundation and former UN Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights. They explore the critical intersections of environmental crises and global instability. Plus, in an excerpt from Field Notes Live, Bilal Salayme shares reflections from his recent return to Damascus, offering a firsthand account of the city's evolving landscape amid Syria’s ongoing transformation.
In this episode of the CCDP Spotlight, Research Associate Robert Watkins speaks with Andrew Gilmour, Executive Director of the Berghof Foundation, former UN Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights, and author of The Burning Question: Climate and Conflict – Why Does It Matter? (Published March 2024).
Building on Gilmour’s decades of experience in human rights, mediation, and peacebuilding, this discussion examines the climate–conflict nexus, exploring how climate change exacerbates existing tensions, fuels instability, and impacts global peace efforts. Gilmour and Watkins discuss some of the political and practical dimensions of this challenge, emphasizing the need for integrated strategies to address both climate vulnerabilities and conflict prevention.
Field Notes Live – Mid-Episode Feature (S2, E2)
In this excerpt from Field Notes Live, Bilal Salayme reflects on his recent return to Damascus, where he witnessed both continuity and change in the wake of Syria’s ongoing transformation. Speaking with Jennifer Thornquest, Bilal discusses the fall of the Assad regime, the shifting political and social identities of Syrians, and the monopolization of violence—a key theme in his previous research. His insights provide a deeply personal and analytical perspective on the resilience of Syrian communities and the uncertain political landscape shaping the country’s future.
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About the People
Andrew Gilmour, Executive Director at Berghof Foundation (til January 2025)
A British national, Andrew Gilmour recently stepped down from the United Nations after a 30-year career in international diplomacy and human rights and serves as the Executive Director of the Berghof Foundation. He is the author of the recently published book, THE BURNING QUESTION: Climate and Conflict - why does it matter? (Published March 2024. From 2016 to 2019, he served as the UN Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights, following his role as Political Director in the office of the UN Secretary-General. Gilmour has held senior positions in numerous conflict zones, including Iraq, South Sudan, the Middle East, the Balkans, Afghanistan, and West Africa, working at the intersection of human rights, mediation, and peacebuilding.
Robert Watkins, Research Associate, CCDP
Robert Watkins joined the CCDP after a 35-year career working for international organisations in political, humanitarian, development and post-conflict recovery areas in some 13 different countries, principally in the Middle East, Central, and South Asia. He served for the United Nations as Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary General in Lebanon (2011-2014) and Afghanistan (2009-2011) at the level of Assistant Secretary General, as well as UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Bangladesh (2015-17), Djibouti (2014), and Georgia (2006-2009). Since retiring from the UN at the end of 2017, he has taught as a Practitioner at the Graduate Institute and at the Geneva Centre for Security Policy, and presented papers on Conflict Prevention at AUB, Lebanon, and the University of Tianjin, China.
Bilal Salayme, Postdoctoral Researcher, CCDP
Bilal Salayme is a Postdoctoral Researcher on the project "State-Building and the Global Practices of Security Sector Reform" at the Centre on Conflict, Development, and Peacebuilding at the Graduate Institute, Geneva. His research focuses on state-building, security sector reform, and UN peace missions in an emerging multipolar world, with a particular emphasis on the monopolization of violence and the evolving social and political order in conflict-affected regions.
Jennifer Thornquest, Researcher, CCDP
Jennifer (Gigi) Thornquest is a social science researcher and graduate student at the Graduate Institute in Geneva. Her current research focuses on participatory arts and peacebuilding at the intersection of migration and education. With a background in communication, she also explores the role of language and storytelling in shaping public discourse in her approach to producing this podcast. Jennifer is a research assistant at the CCDP.
Production Credits
The CCDP Spotlight Podcast is produced by the Geneva Graduate Institute’s Centre on Conflict, Development and Peacebuilding (CCDP).