Institute for Global Sustainable Development » IGSD News

New publication coming soon!

Mon, 26 Oct 2026 14:05:22 GMT

Happy to report that my article on 'Transformative futures: how to become-othersiwe, and makes sense of the broken worlds' as part of the celebratory 20-year-anniversary Special Forum of the Journal of Intervention and Statebuilding, has been accepted for publication!

It discusses the 'negatives' of the broken world - notably, the #polycrisis and #precarity (with reference to Albena Azmanova & my Special Issue in Contemporary Security Policy Journal 47(4)) - and ways to overcome them - inter alia, by learning from the 'apart-other' (e.g. refugees!) how they can survive and thrive beyond their broken worlds. Thank you to the Journal's editors for accepting my article, and I look forward to reading the volume in its entirety!

Special Forum on Precarity, Democracy and War is now out, with the Contemporary Security Policy!

Tue, 20 Oct 2026 08:22:46 GMT

Very happy to report that our Special Forum on Precarity, Democracy and War, is finally out with Contemporary Security Policy journal Vol.47(4)! It addresses some truly critical issues pertaining to unfolding crises and war, which induce precarity and diminish our agency, thus affecting democracy and our capacity to alter the status-quo. In this forum we argue that transformative resilience, with its emancipatory kennel and focus on agency, may become an important antidote to the current epidemic of precarity and crisis.

I thank all my colleagues for their insightful contributions, and my co-editor, Professor Albena Azmanova, for introducing precarity to my own work! hope you will find the issue of interest!

Prof. Nathalie Tocci
Prof. Michelle Pace & Dr Christian Achrainer

Prof. Dr. Chiara von Hollen-Pierobon
Dr Katsiaryna Lozka, PhD
Dr Bidzina Lebanidze & Dr Veronika Pfeilschifter
Prof. Timur DADABAEV & Dr Akram Umarov

Prof. Korosteleva gave a talk on Resilience and Complexity in the Anthrpocene, 14 oct 2026

Tue, 20 Oct 2026 07:58:37 GMT

Professor Korosteleva was invited to open the PAIS seminar series for 2026/27 with her talk on Complexity and Resilience in the Anthropocene. She based on keynote on her late book 'Complexity and Community in IR: nurturing resilience in Central Eurasia', Oxford University Press 2025, and her subsequent work on precarity and the polycrisis as the key concepts that define our turbulent times today. The talk was well attended by staff and PG and UG students, and Elena was grateful to both Mat Warson and Stuart Elden for inviting and organising her talk.

New partnership HoPE with ADA University

Sun, 30 Aug 2026 13:28:00 GMT

We have been awarded a British Council #TNE #Exploratory grant 'HoPE - a HUB of Planetary Ecologies - for sustainability through research, education and societal impact', to build a new partnership with @ADA University in Azerbaijan. Looking forward to renewing our successful relations with Nargiz Ismayilova, Dr. Fariz Ismailzade and their colleagues! And to growing our CPD offerings on Sustainability, further research funding opportunities, and developing a platform for a dual PGR degree.

CENSE-Warwick Sustainability Training School, 26-31 July 2026

Tue, 04 Aug 2026 14:50:00 GMT

We have now completed our first international CENSE NOVA (Portugal)-Warwick (UK) Sustainability Training Academy (STA), which brought together 25 participants from 16 countries. The STA was held in ARRABIDA National Park of Portugal and the focus was on human-nature connectedness.
My own takeaway was the community that has emerged as a result of our many learnings, outings and discussions: we all tuned in to each other and the Park around us.
In all this endeavour I'm exceptionally grateful to our hosts at CENSE & NOVA University - Fransisco, Nuno, Yorgos and Sofia- and to the Warwick team - Dr Harriet Richmond , Dr Jane Webb, Dr Adela Glyn-Davies, Dr Lory Barile, Dr Mélina Delmas and EUTOPIA Connected Communities for contributions and financial support! We are also indebted to Prof. Harini Nagendra, and Prof. Chris Ives from Nottingham University for your keynotes which enticed our participants for more in-depth thinking, and, of course, to all the participants who made the community so easy-going and possible!
Have a great summer, and connect with Nature!!

IGSD professor joins Executive Council of leading global commons organisation

Sat, 25 Jul 2026 09:05:00 GMT

Dr Hita Unnikrishnan, an assistant professor at the Institute for Global Sustainable Development, has been appointed to the Executive Council of the International Association for the Study of the Commons (IASC). The appointment follows the unexpected and tragic loss of previous council member Raul Pacheco-Vega, prompting the organisation to invite new academic perspectives to help steer its mission.

The IASC is a globally recognised professional body dedicated to improving the governance, management, and long‑term sustainability of shared resources — from forests and fisheries to digital commons and urban spaces. It brings together researchers, practitioners, and policymakers from multiple disciplines to advance understanding and develop solutions for commons and common‑pool resource challenges.

Founded in part by Elinor Ostrom - the 2009 Nobel Laureate in Economics whose groundbreaking work reshaped global thinking on collective resource management - the organisation continues to play a central role in shaping policy and research worldwide.

Dr Unnikrishnan’s appointment places her among an international group of experts guiding the strategic direction of the association. The current list of council members can be viewed on the IASC website: IASC Council.

Warwick Sustainability Forum: 2 July 2026

Thu, 09 Jul 2026 12:05:00 GMT

The annual Warwick Sustainability Forum in its third iteration took place on 2 July, bringing a community of researchers, practitioners and policy-makers together at Warwick. It broke its record again(!) in terms of number :) having attracted nearly 70 participants from across the University and beyond!

For the first time, the WSF connected to the Spotlight's Sustainability Training School (STA), which was held in March 2026: the participants learned about the results of three fantastic group projects - on sustainable heritage; student retention, and green composting in the area led by the ECRs - and the support they received from Coventry City Council (Giuliana Famiglietti and her team in particular). The forum also brought three established thematic networks with their champions - Circular Economy; Sustainable Food/Agritech; RIFT - to hear about their work and plans for the future. There was an opportunity thereafter to hear new voices and submit thematic ideas/champion names for the next year. The Forum concluded with the stakeholder round-table, involving the Provost's keynote, and members of the House of Lords and local council, SOS UK, VUB HOST and experts from EU-US and UK consultancy companies.

IGSD was prominently represented there, building on the opportunities the Spotlight offers, and the expertise it connects.

IGSD away day: 1 July 2026

Thu, 09 Jul 2026 11:47:00 GMT

The IGSD team met up in Scarman to exchange news regarding their research and funding activities; discuss how best to support the School's research environment and thematic clusters building; and to consider CPD opportunities for external partnerships.

IGSD team members have been successful in a series of funding opportunities, including British Academy, EU Horizon, and UKRI (1-stage applications). IGSD team also noted a growing success of their partnerships with the Sustainability Spotlight - a research network of 1000+ across Warwick - and external partners including with China and India HEIs, EUTOPIA HEIs, and more.

Joint Conference: Disastrous pasts and Sustainable Futures, 29-30 June 2026

Tue, 30 Jun 2026 15:59:23 GMT

The conference 'Disastrous Pasts and Sustainable Futures' organised by the Global History and Culture Centre (GHCC) with the support from IGSD and the Sustainability Spotlight, brought together a truly interdisciplinary cohort of scholars and practitioners, ranging from historians, architects, political and social scientists to life sciences and disaster studies.

Led by Dr Pierre Purseigle (GHCC) and IGSD/SCFS colleagues (Vangelis Pitidis, Camila Audia, and Marta Guerriero) the conference focused on the experience of devastated communities, and the process of urban recovery and on the manifold legacies of disaster, with a view for more sustainable futures. Speakers came from a range of UK HEIs (Loghbourgh; Oxford and Kings College London), Europe (Copenhagen, Torino, Fribourg, Tartu, Athens )and beyond (Columbia; Ghana, KwaZulu-Natal and Dakar).

We hope this important thematic initiative will continue to grow and result in relevant publications, and funding initiatives!

Parliamentary Round-table on Supporting Ukrainian refugees: disability, welfare, employment and settlement

Mon, 29 Jun 2026 13:06:14 GMT

Delighted to have been invited by Professor Robin Goodwin to be part of the parliamentary roundtable: Supporting disabled Ukrainians in the UK. The panel is sponsored by Matt Western MP and focuses on the key challenges that the Ukrainians face in times of war, including disability, housing, welfare & employment, mental health, and settlement. Both Robin and Olena Orlova reported on the results of their project (policy brief) and discussed future plans.

While being closely involved in research and support of Ukrainians and Belarusians, my heart always bleeds every time when I hear about the pain and problems these courageous and tenacious peoples face. At the same time, I know that justice will prevail, although pain and trauma will linger for decades on, and that's why we need to be ready to offer even more help and support as Prof Robin Goodwin reports.

#Ukrainians #war #trauma #Disability #militaryveterans #community #Support