Dr Govinda Clayton, a mediation support manager at the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD) where he leads a team providing technical guidance to peace processes around the world, will give CARC’s flagship annual John Burton Lecture. Dr Clayton currently supports peace processes in contexts including, Yemen, Ethiopia and Myanmar.
Clayton, a University of Kent alumni will discuss the process of stopping violence in civil conflict, specifically the role that ceasefires play in peace processes. Drawing on a new dataset on ceasefires, and case examples including Colombia, to the Philippines and Northern Ireland, Dr Clayton will offer a unique insight into how peace processes work and why finding agreements is becoming increasingly difficult.
As a researcher, Clayton has previously published widely on topics including mediation process design, ceasefires and security arrangements, negotiation, and conflict dynamics. He is the leader of the Ceasefire Project a collaboration with researchers and practitioners seeking to improve mediation practice relating to the integration of security arrangements within mediation processes.
The John Burton Lecture Series is the flagship event of the Conflict Analysis Research Centre (CARC) at the University of Kent. The annual lecture commemorates the late John Burton, a former member of CARC who played a pivotal role in the development of peace and conflict studies in the UK. The lecture series aims to engage a wide audience with a major theme in conflict analysis through inviting leading global figures in the field of conflict analysis including academics, practitioners, and journalists to speak about their work.
The 2024 John Burton Lecture will take place on 8 February (3-4pm) in the Templeman Library Lecture Theatre.
A Q&A and discussion around ongoing conflicts and peace processes will follow.