This page will be updated as event details are confirmed. 

In 2025, geopolitical competition, climate change, and economic instability, along with shifts in foreign and aid policy, pose major risks to international peace and stability. These global developments have serious consequences for conflict-affected regions, especially where fragmented state borders intersect with persistent state fragility, regional political interests, and entrenched communal tensions. Progress towards greater aid localisation and inclusion are threatened by global reductions in development funding, posing an array of complex challenges for policymakers and practitioners to navigate.

This conference will feature presentations and discussions with local and international experts and policymakers, exploring evolving regional and subnational conflicts across borderlands in Middle East, Africa and Asia, and avenues for more effective responses.

Key themes and questions:

  • Coping with complex, interconnected crises. How do multiple global crises – political, humanitarian, economic, climactic – intersect to drive conflict? How will declining aid budgets and an increased focus on national security impact conflict management and regional stability?
  • Navigating rising geopolitical competition. What are the effects of increased geopolitical competition on political violence and state fragmentation? How do these dynamics reshape political, economic, and security landscapes across borders?
  • Reimagining cross-border economies. How do licit and illicit activities intersect and what are the local, national and transnational impacts? How can trade, economies and governance across and in borderlands be reimagined to create sustainable solutions for communities and advance broader economic interests?
  • Climate security and cross-border competition. How is climate change driven resource competition reshaping conflict and cooperation within and across borders? How can national and regional policies better respond to the challenges of transboundary resource management?
  • Trauma, memory, values and conflict resolution. How does conflict exposure shape behaviour and the tendency toward violence or peace? What social and psychological factors are key to moving conflict actors toward agreement and supporting recovery?

If you have any questions or would like to find out more, please contact [email protected] 

Please note that this event is separate from the Chatham House-XCEPT event: navigating protracted conflicts in a multi-aligned world taking place on 12 June 2025