‘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. On this blog, we discuss how to target these investments towards better crisis prevention, conflict management and peacebuilding. Most contributions are in German, but we occasionally ask international experts for their views. This section collects contributions in English. You are warmly invited to join the discussion: Subscribe to our weekly email-updates (in German), share and comment on posts on social media (@PeaceLabBlog, #PeaceLab), read our summary of the preceding “PeaceLab2016” debate or send us an email at peacelab@gppi.net.
Veranstaltungsbericht Early Warning/Early Action Lessons from Burundi and South Sudan On 26 October 2016, Foresight Intelligence, the Global Public Policy Institute (GPPi) and the German Federal Foreign Office hosted an expert workshop on early warning and early action in the recent cases of conflict in Burundi and South Sudan. The event was held in Berlin. PeaceLab2016 editorial team • 14. Dezember 2016
Veranstaltungsbericht Stabilization Instruments Revisited: Increasing the Likelihood of Positive Impact On 19 October 2016, the Center for International Peace Operations (ZIF) organized a workshop on stabilization instruments to offer a forum for an open exchange and a fresh look at approaches to stabilization, with a view to making policy recommendations for the Government Guidelines for Crisis Engagement and Peacebuilding. The workshop was held in Berlin. Center for International Peace Operations (ZIF) • 23. November 2016
Veranstaltungsbericht Preventing Crises, Preventing Atrocities On October 20, the Global Public Policy Institute (GPPi), the US Holocaust Memorial Museum and Genocide Alert organized a roundtable on Preventing Crises, Preventing Atrocities: Lessons and Opportunities for Transatlantic Cooperation. The event was held at the BMW Foundation Herbert Quandt in Berlin. Global Public Policy Institute (GPPi) • 10. November 2016
Veranstaltungsbericht Youth in Conflict On 6 October 2016, Polis180 organized a workshop bringing together 35 students and young professionals from different countries to discuss the role of youth in conflict and to develop recommendations for the German governments new guidelines on crisis prevention, stabilization and peacebuilding. Polis180 • 26. Oktober 2016
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. Oktober 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. Oktober 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. Oktober 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. Oktober 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. Oktober 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. Juli 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. Juli 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. Juli 2016
