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Glossary

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Aid or overseas development assistance: Financial, technical or other assistance provided for a socio-economic purpose, and often flowing from developed to developing countries. It can come in the form of grants or concessional loans (loans with a low-interest rate and/or long repayment period). It can be given from government to government (bilateral aid); from multilateral institution (such as the World Bank) to governments (multilateral aid); or from private actors such as private foundations companies, charities and other non-governmental organisations.
Altruism: Unselfish concern for the welfare of others.
American civil war: The American civil war lasted from 1861 to 1865 and was fought between the northern, more industrialised states of the United States of America and the southern, more rural states. One of the issues fought over was the abolition of slavery. With the victory of the northern states, led by President Abraham Lincoln, slavery, at least officially and judicially, ceased to exist.
Armed conflict: Similar to violent conflict, but denoting conflicts where parties on both sides resort to the use of physical violence and weapons.
Assets: Tangible and intangible goods, states of being and relationships on which people depend for survival.
Asylum seeker (See: Refugee): An asylum seeker is an individual seeking international protection under the 1951 refugee convention.
Authoritarian rule: Form of government characterised by strong state control over the population and an absence of free and fair elections etc.

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Biological weapon: A biological weapon uses living organisms to cause disease or death in large numbers of people, animals or plants. It is intended that these organisms should live and multiply in the target, and for infection to take hold and spread to others. As well as disease agents, poisons that are made by living things, such as toxins from plants or animals, can also be included in the term.

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Capability approach: The capability approach to poverty was first outlined by the economist Amartya Sen. It focuses on whether people have the capability to "live valuable and valued lives". Core capabilities would include the ability to have a long life, to be educated or to have political freedom. It goes beyond income/consumption approaches to poverty by emphasising these "non-material" factors which enrich people's lives.
Chemical weapon: A chemical weapon is defined as being any chemical which through its chemical action on life processes can cause death, temporary incapacitation or permanent harm to humans or animals.
Child mortality rate or under-five mortality rate (U5MR): The child mortality rate measures the number of child deaths per 1000 live births in a given year.
Civil society: The United Nations defines civil society as "associations of citizens (outside their families, friends and businesses) entered into voluntarily to advance their interests, ideas and ideologies. The term does not include profit-making activity (the private sector) or governing (the public sector)".

Civil society might therefore include labour unions, faith-based groups, business and professional associations, academic and research institutions, human rights networks, consumer rights coalitions, social movements, social and sports clubs, philanthropic foundations, and other forms of 'associational life'.
Cluster bomb: Cluster bombs are intended for attacking large-scale enemy troop formations. They come apart in the air before making contact, dispersing between 200 and 400 small bomblets that can saturate a radius of 250 yards.
Codes of conduct: The moral principles that are implicit or explicit in (inter-) national codes and which reflect good clinical practice.
Collective violence: Violence committed by larger groups of individuals or by states.
Colonialism / Colonisation / Colonial rule: According to Bromley colonialism is "in general, the policy and practice of establishing colonies, that is the settlement of people in new lands who retain some forms of allegiance to their country of origin. Most European colonialism was also a form of imperialism, that is extension of power through conquest so as to create empires".
Communicable disease: A communicable disease is an infectious disease which is transmittable between humans or species through a variety of pathways. Examples include cholera or tuberculosis.
Community violence: Violence between individuals who are unrelated, and who may or may not know each other, generally taking place outside the home.
Conflict: Perception of incompatible goals in a goal-seeking system. Conflict is not necessarily violent. In fact, parties who have incompatible goals may deal with them in productive and non-violent ways.
Constructivist approach to ethnicity: Suggests that ethnic identities are actively constructed and fluid over time and space.
Contemporary conflict: The prevailing pattern of social and political conflicts at the beginning of the 21st century.
Convention against Torture (CAT): The UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment was adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1984 and entered into force in 1987.

Under the terms of the Convention, '"torture" means 'any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for such purposes as obtaining from him or a third person information or a confession, punishing him for an act he or a third person has committed or is suspected of having committed, or intimidating or coercing him or a third person, or for any reason based on discrimination of any kind, when such pain or suffering is inflicted by or at the instigation of or with the consent or acquiescence of a public official or other person acting in an official capacity. It does not include pain or suffering arising only from, inherent in or incidental to lawful sanctions' (Article 1.1).

The Convention outlines legislative, administrative, judicial and other measures to prevent torture. Its implementation is monitored by the Committee Against Torture, a body of independent experts.
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination: The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women was adopted in 1979 by the UN General Assembly and entered into force in 1981. Established an international bill of rights for women, and an agenda for action to promote enjoyment of those rights.
Convention on the Right of the Child (CRC): The Convention on the Right of the Child was adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1989 and entered into force in 1990. It recognised that children need special safeguards to guarantee their rights. Its implementation is monitored by the Committee on the Rights of the Child.
Convention relating to the Status of Refugees: The UN Convention on refugees was adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1950 and entered into force in 1954. It sets out the protection afforded to refugees under international human rights law.