‘Preventing Crises, Resolving Conflicts, Building Peace’ are key challenges for Germany’s and Europe’s evolving international role. Berlin is investing in the field, both financially and conceptually. Between 2016 and June 2021, we discussed how to target these investments towards better crisis prevention, conflict management and peacebuilding on this blog. Many contributions are in German, but occasionally international experts shared their views in this English-language section. Editorial responsibility for this blog was with the Global Public Policy Institute (GPPi) in Berlin until June 2021. The German Federal Foreign Office plans to continue the PeaceLab platform and will inform you in due course.
Artikel A Double-Edged Sword: Targeted Sanctions as a Crisis Prevention Tool Targeted sanctions can be an effective instrument in crisis prevention particularly when combined with mediation efforts but they need to be used with great caution. Germany should push for significant reforms of the UN and EU sanctions regimes in order to increase their effectiveness, avoid adverse humanitarian impact and human rights violations, and to ensure coherence between multiple sanctions regimes. Marcos Tourinho • 19 October 2016
Artikel How Can International Actors Support Transitional Justice Processes? On 27 September 2016, the FriEnt workshop Pathways to just and sustainable peace: How can international actors support transitional justice processes? brought together representatives from civil society, academia, and government ministries at the Federal Foreign Office in Berlin. FriEnt, PeaceLab2016 editorial team • 19 October 2016
Artikel Towards An Integrated Approach to Conflicts and Crises: Germany's Central Role in European Conflict Prevention, Stabilization and Peacebuilding There are three priorities for the future of conflict prevention, stabilization and peacebuilding that Germany and the EU have in common: First, to invest early in prevention. Second, to pursue a political approach to stabilization with the long-term objectives in mind and third, to invest in multi-layered and multi-dimensional peace processes that build on mutual comparative advantages, and reach all parts of conflict-affected societies. Helga Maria Schmid • 11 October 2016
Artikel A New Agenda for Peace: Start with a Look in the Mirror In his speech at FriEnts 15th anniversary on 14 September 2016, Jonathan Cohen asked: How can we make peacebuilding more effective? His answer: Involve locals, broaden peace negotiations, make interventions less securitized and more political and be aware of power relations. Above all, peacebuilders should recognize the political impact of their own actions. Jonathan Cohen • 06 October 2016
Veranstaltungsbericht The 'Technocracy Trap' of State-Building How to Improve the Effectiveness and Legitimacy of Security and Justice Sector Reforms On 14 September 2016, 60 experts from civil society, academia, international organisations and German ministries gathered at the German Federal Foreign Office to discuss Germanys engagement in supporting justice and security sector reforms (JSSR). SFB700 • 06 October 2016
Artikel 10 Tips for Increasing Political Engagement for SSR In a recent post on the ISSAT blog, Thammy Evans explains what a more political approach to security sector reform requires. The problem is not a lack of political will in Host Nations per se, she writes. It is much more a matter of where existing political will is directed, and how it can be incentivized to enable effective and accountable reform of the security sector. Thammy Evans • 29 September 2016
Artikel Tough but Essential: Germany's Political Engagement with Crisis Prevention in Africa In recent years, Germany has stepped up its engagement in Africa, notably in Mali. But there is room for improvement: In concert with the EU, UN and regional partners, Germany should lead the way to a more strategic political engagement with crisis prevention on the continent. Comfort Ero • 22 September 2016
Artikel Relationship Advice for Crisis Managers When a crisis looms, relationships with political leaders in countries at risk can tip the scales for or against violence. Germany needs to get better at analyzing what drives decision-makers and urge its diplomats, NGOs and political foundations to build trust and lasting relationships with political leaders in fragile states. Richard Gowan • 15 September 2016
Artikel Paris to Berlin: Just Do It! France appreciates Germanys willingness to engage in Africa, and to send not just cash but also military assets. As Berlin rethinks its stabilisation doctrine, the key lesson from Paris is not to shy away from the core political and security issuesand to take necessary risks, including military ones. Manuel Lafont Rapnouil • 25 August 2016
Artikel Creating Fit-for-Purpose Peacebuilding Evaluation: Three Key Investments Monitoring and evaluation (M&E) processes for conflict prevention programs need to be adapted to their unstable and fluid contexts. Donors should build closer partnerships with implementers, provide adequate resources for (shared) data collection, and develop indicators to make credible long-term claims. Andrew Blum • 18 August 2016
Artikel Germany Should Prioritize Mass Atrocity Prevention More resources and diplomatic imagination are needed to achieve an equilibrium shift away from crisis response and towards conflict prevention. Berlin should use its flexible and well-regarded diplomacy to strengthen the global commitment to the Responsibility to Protect and focus on the practical means to prevent mass atrocities. Simon Adams • 11 August 2016
Artikel Trusted in the East, Germany Should Lead More in the South Instead of hunkering down behind fences, Europe needs to engage with the huge challenges and opportunities of Africa. Germany is uniquely positioned to reconcile such a focus with a continuing commitment to the Eastern neighborhood, and thus mobilize the whole of Europe for conflict prevention. Jean-Marie Guéhenno • 21 July 2016
Veranstaltungsbericht Implementing the SDGs in Fragile Countries On 8 July, the Civil Society Platform for Peacebuilding and Statebuilding (CSPPS) and FriEnt jointly organized an international expert discussion Implementing the SDGs in Fragile Countries: What lessons for Germanys new guidelines on crisis prevention and peace support? PeaceLab2016 editorial team • 08 July 2016
Artikel What Values Guide Us? Current experiences such as in Libya or Mali show that German engagement in crises has become indispensable. But it is still important to take a step back from our daily work and ask: are we always doing the right thing, and if so, are we doing it with the right tools? Frank-Walter Steinmeier • 05 July 2016