Tunisian President Kais Saied speaks at the opening ceremony of Libyan peace talks in Tunis, November 2020. A network of disinformation circulated by fake social media accounts attempted to undermine the talks. (AP Photo / Slim Abid)

📱Why peace talks need ‘digital ceasefires’. Social media is being used as a tool to undermine peace processes, stoking division and making an already difficult task much harder. With stakes so high, mediators are calling for big tech companies to take responsibility for what’s happening on their platforms, and work with peacekeepers to reach “digital ceasefires”.

✅ More ticking of boxes won’t make aid more accountable. Recipients of relief aid have little say over what they get, while remote aid agency headquarters have a lot more clout. New UN proposals to this met a lukewarm reaction.

🎓 Aid’s slow pace of change. The humanitarian community is continually trying to adapt and improve. Five timelines track reforms in critical areas of the sector over the last 25 years. A reference guide.

Palestinians run away from tear gas at the Al Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem's Old City Monday, May 10, 2021. (AP Photo / Mahmoud Illean)

Tensions are high in Jerusalem and violence is escalating as Israel’s Supreme Court postponed a decision on whether to evict Palestinian families from homes in the Sheikh Jarrah and Silwan neighbourhoods, part of occupied Palestinian territory, according to the UN. The proposed evictions have sparked protests and become a flashpoint issue, with a standoff between Palestinians and Israeli police at the Al-Aqsa mosque. Over 200 Palestinians were injured during the clashes with Israeli police. The police said 21 officers and seven Israeli civilians were hurt.

Image: Indigenous people take part in a demonstration in Cali, Colombia, 9 May 2021. (EPA / Pablo Rodriguez)

Thousands of people have been protesting across the country for nearly two weeks against a government they feel has long ignored their needs, allowed corruption to run rampant and even proposed tax increases during the Covid-19 pandemic. Although protesters turned out peacefully, there have been 26 deaths and more than 800 people injured.

📍19 May | Advancing justice for children. A launch event for a new report looking at innovations to strengthen accountability and justice for children affected by conflict, with a keynote address from UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet.

📍19 May | West Africa: is democracy in retreat? According to the Freedom House ‘Freedom in the World Report 2021’, of the 12 countries with the most significant decline in democracy year-on-year, five were in West Africa.