Dr Asli Ozcelik Olcay
Senior Lecturer in International Law
Asli Ozcelik Olcay is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Law at the University of Glasgow. Her research focuses on international peace and security, with particular emphasis on armed conflict and peacemaking.
More specifically, her past and ongoing work examines: (i) the role of international law in peacemaking; (ii) the application of international humanitarian law in protracted armed conflicts, including issues relating to humanitarian assistance and healthcare in conflict; and (iii) youth, peace, and conflict.
At the University of Glasgow, Asli directs the Erasmus Mundus Master in International Law of Global Security, Peace and Development, and co-leads the College of Social Sciences’ interdisciplinary research theme, ‘Peaceful, Secure, and Empowered Societies’. She previously served as Academic Coordinator of the Glasgow Centre for International Law and Security, where she was also a postdoctoral research fellow.
Asli advises states, international organisations, non-governmental organisations, and civil society actors within her areas of expertise, particularly on matters relating to peacemaking, transitional justice, constitutional reform within peace processes, human rights and armed conflict, and youth and peace. She holds degrees from the University of Glasgow (PhD), the University of Cambridge (LLM), and Bilkent University in Turkey (LLB).
Below is a list of key publications. For a full list please click on the following links:
International arbitration of violent territorial disputes: what role for equity in achieving peaceful settlement?
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Journal of International Dispute Settlement (doi: 10.1093/jnlids/idaf022)
From emergency relief to development holds: the developmental shift in the ICRC’s humanitarian assistance in protracted conflict
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Journal of Conflict and Security Law, (doi: 10.1093/jcsl/kraf017)
Europe
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In: Geiss, R. and Melzer, N. (eds.) Oxford Handbook on the International Law of Global Security. Oxford University Press.
References to Youth in Peace Agreements, 1990-2022: Introducing a new dataset
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The aim of this report is to introduce the novel Dataset of References to Youth in Peace Agreements, 1990-2022 (YPAD). YPAD contains 208 peace agreements that refer to youth, young people, or similar, concluded between the years of 1990-2022 to bring an end to conflicts of inter-state, intra-state, or local nature. The dataset codes references to youth in peace agreements according to eight main themes and 53 sub-themes, in addition to including information on the respective agreement, conflict, and peace process, among others. The report explores the characteristics of peace agreements that refer to youth and offers a thematic analysis of the references to youth in the texts of these agreements.
A Dataset of References to Youth in Peace Agreements (YPAD), 1990-2022
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The dataset (YPAD) compiles 208 peace agreements which were concluded in the period of 1990-2022 and make an express textual reference to youth, young people, and similar. These represent approximately 12% of all peace agreements concluded in this period. The agreements in YPAD address inter-state, intra-state, or local level armed conflicts, relating to 70 peace processes from across the world. YPAD offers a thematic categorisation of the references to youth in peace agreements under eight main themes and 53 sub-themes. (2023-07-27)
Youth-led peace: The role of youth in peace processes
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More than 600 million young people live in fragile and conflict-affected contexts. Despite being deeply affected by violence in a myriad of ways, young people’s voices are not heard, nor included in the processes of conflict resolution and peacebuilding. The ‘youth bulge’ is seen as a driver of instability, and young people are typically portrayed as perpetrators of violence or potential ‘spoilers’ who should be protected from radicalisation and extremism. The active role young people play as peacemakers, mediators and peacebuilders at grassroots and local levels are under-acknowledged and they are often not included in official peace processes. Beyond peacebuilding, young people display ownership, agency and leadership in diverse areas that are of significance to local, regional, national and international peace and security, ranging from climate change to tackling inequalities. Yet, the achievements of young people are hindered due to the absence of adequate recognition, protection, funding and meaningful partnerships. This report explores the diverse contributions of youth to peace processes and discusses the challenges and barriers young peacebuilders face while working towards peace, based on findings of a consultation with youth-led peacebuilding organisations and a workshop that brought together key actors in the field of Youth, Peace and Security. We then explore the multiple dimensions of inclusion in peace processes and chart potential avenues for future research, policy and practice in light of lessons learned from youth-led peace initiatives.