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In early March, the government of Kuwait was taking some positive steps. All stateless bidoun who had been arrested during and after December 2011/January 2012 gatherings were released on bond, while members of parliament were interrogating the prime minister over long-time ill treatment of the bidoun community. It also seemed that the government would finally provide nationality documents to 34,000 bidoun and begin adjudicating at least 80,000 other applications before the parliament’s Bidoun Committee.

Stability in Libya depends on the ability of the National Transitional Council (NTC) and its international partners to effectively demobilize thousands of young men and women who participated in the armed revolution.

Disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration (DDR) processes are one of the earliest and most important steps in any successful transition towards peace. But such processes have to be inclusive, bringing together not only men but also female fighters and women who helped combatants in the field.

Yesterday, the UN Security Council issued a press statement about the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Syria and the need for humanitarian access to desperate civilians. The statement read:

"Only God knows how we are surviving," said 16-year-old Ahmed, as he looked up at me from his creaky hospital bed.

We met Ahmed on the outskirts of the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli, in a hospital set up to treat wounded Syrian refugees. He is one of the many hundreds of Syrians who fled to Tripoli to escape the ongoing violence across the border.

Before they first took to the streets, the stateless bidoun community in Kuwait thought extensively about how best to claim their rights to identity, education, and health care (among other concerns). They had studied campaigns from other countries and other periods of history.

Inspired by the U.S. civil rights movement led by Martin Luther King, Jr., they decided to take a peaceful and non-confrontational approach.

I am listening to the call to morning prayer in Kuwait City. It is beautiful, and one example of the widespread expression of faith in Kuwait. Yet despite the kind and generous gestures of the people I've met here, the bidoun, a stateless population in Kuwait, are afforded no hospitality.

Yesterday, RI warned that stateless protesters in Kuwait faced a renewed threat of violence from the country's security forces. In our statement, we explained that:

For the last two weeks, my colleagues have reflected on global efforts to combat violence against women and girls, as part of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence. Today, I want to examine a vital and practical solution to the problem of gender violence: the engagement of men and boys. 

Much has transpired in Libya since I left the country several weeks ago. On October 31, Libya’s de facto government, the National Transitional Council (NTC), appointed an interim prime minister, Abdurrahim el-Keib. Keib, a Libyan-American, will be responsible for leading the country for the next seven months, until elections for a national congress are held.