The most-read PRIO policy briefs of 2025 reveal a world where conflict pressures are rising. Based on PRIO research, the briefs highlight the moral dilemmas shaping peace negotiations, the long-term challenges facing children born of war in Ukraine, and the impacts of water scarcity in conflict-affected regions. From Gaza’s humanitarian crisis to the increase in women’s exposure to armed violence, the briefs show how today’s conflicts are affecting diverse and vulnerable populations.
1. The UNRWA ban and Gaza’s breaking point
Humanitarian operations in Gaza will lose their operational backbone, making aid distribution extremely difficult also for other humanitarian agencies.
This year’s most-read policy brief showed what was at stake when UNRWA was banned from 28 January 2025: Gaza lost its primary lifeline just as a fragile ceasefire opened space for aid. With core services gone, Jørgen Jensehaugen, Kjersti G. Berg and Lex Takkenberg warned of a potential humanitarian collapse.
Read the policy brief: 'Consequences of the Israeli UNRWA Ban'
2. Record number of women living in conflict in 2024
In 2024, over 676 million women were living in close proximity to a deadly conflict event – the highest figure recorded since the end of the Cold War.
A record 676 million women lived near deadly conflict in 2024. This number represents nearly 17% of the global female population. In the brief, Siri Aas Rustad warns that such exposure deepens gender inequalities, threatening women’s safety, health, education and livelihoods.
Read the policy brief: 'Women exposed to armed conflict, 1990–2024'
3. Ethics in peace negotiations
In political life, we encounter ideas of entitlement, moral idealism, personal sacrifice, friendships and compassion, and peace negotiations are no exception.
Peace deals aren’t just about power and interests, they’re moral paths charted under pressure. In this brief, Kristoffer Lidén, Lea Kirsten Matthaei and Henrik Syse unpack four crucial ethical questions every peace process should ask: What kind of peace do the parties want? Who gets a seat? How should mediators behave? And how should talks be run?
Read the policy brief: 'Ethical Questions in Peace Negotiations: A Guide'
4. Children born of war in Ukraine
A crucial yet often overlooked group is children born of war (CBOW), whose parents are from opposing sides and who are often conceived through conflict-related sexual violence. These children could be seen as symbols of the ‘enemy’ in a post-conflict landscape, potentially making them more vulnerable.
The war in Ukraine has had severe consequences for children. Children born of war are at risk of being stigmatized in a post-conflict environment. In this brief, Andrea Cocciarelli, Olesia Fesenko, Johanne Rokke Elvebakken, Inger Skjelsbæk, Lina Stotz, Torunn L. Tryggestad and Ingvill Constanze Ødegaard call for robust documentation, legal reform and funding for civil-society support.
Read the policy brief: 'Children born of war in Ukraine: Policy considerations for a future peace'
5. Bridging gaps in water governance
Environmental stressors and political instability create feedback loops where water scarcity both results from and worsens insecurity.
Despite warnings of ‘water wars’, water conflicts rarely turn violent. But the gap between national water diplomacy and local water disputes is a key governance challenge. The brief explores how post-conflict regions are now battling water crises worsened by climate change. In the brief, Stefan Döring argues for the need for urgent reforms to manage water fairly, or risk fuelling future unrest.
