‘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.
Artikel Girls, Peace and Security – The Key for Sustainable Change The next German National Action Plan on the Women, Peace and Security agenda should put a strong emphasis on the needs and rights of girls and young women. The German government could invest more in their education, scale up investments in their meaningful inclusion in peacebuilding, and promote a systematic integration of a gender and child rights perspective into programming. Regev Ben Jacob, Michiko Fukase, Susanne Hassel, Daniel Ziegler • 15 July 2020
Artikel Statement on the COVID-19 Pandemic by the Advisory Board to the Federal Government for Civilian Crisis Prevention and Peacebuilding In a statement on the COVID-19 pandemic and its impacts on crisis prevention and peacebuilding, the Advisory Board to the Federal Government for Civilian Crisis Prevention and Peacebuilding identifies the pandemic as a threat multiplier. It also formulates recommendations for the German government on how it can respond to worsening inequalities and political repression. Advisory Board to the Federal Government for Civilian Crisis Prevention and Peacebuilding • 14 July 2020
Artikel Want to Implement the Women, Peace and Security Agenda? Engage With Civil Society! Civil society plays an indispensable role for the Women, Peace, and Security agenda, yet the degree of its cooperation with governments strongly varies among countries. In its upcoming third National Action Plan, the German government should strengthen and better institutionalise the involvement of civil society, in particular from conflict-affected regions. Nina Bernarding, Kristina Lunz • 13 July 2020
Artikel Warning About Conflicts and Pandemics: How to Get Heard by Decision-Makers As is often the case with warnings about conflict, there was a costly lack of timely responses to early warnings about the COVID-19 pandemic. Such delays are not necessarily just the fault of decision-makers. Expert warners can also do better. To be heard, they need to understand the world of policymakers, take risks and spell out expected consequences and actionable recommendations. Christoph Meyer • 24 June 2020
Artikel Making Women’s Participation Meaningful: A Call for Flexible Funding and Political Space Capacity building initiatives are insufficient to ensure women’s participation in formal peace processes. UN Women’s discussions with women peace actors and lessons from around the world show that to address the resistance to inclusivity, the new German National Action Plan should ensure long-term, flexible funding and create political space for women civil society organizations. Aneesa Walji • 23 June 2020
Artikel More Than Money: How to Address COVID-19 in Conflict Zones in Africa Germany and other EU countries need to address COVID-19 in Africa’s conflict zones with more than just financial support. To approach the situation strategically, they must support regional response and local solutions, promote sustainable ceasefire negotiations, and continue to address underlying causes of conflict. To do this, fostering regional technology-based solutions is key. Oheneba Boateng • 22 June 2020
Artikel Reform Is Never Easy: What the Women, Peace and Security Agenda Can Learn From Security Sector Governance Many of the barriers to effective security sector governance also apply to the implementation of the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda. In its new National Action Plan, Germany should draw from its approach to security sector reform and strengthen institutional oversight, commit to long-term funding, and put the goals of the WPS agenda at the centre of diplomatic dialogue. Megan Bastick • 18 June 2020
Interview #RealityCheck 4: Providing Support to Human Rights Defenders in Mexico Stefania Grasso, Advocacy Officer at “Aluna,” explains how COVID-19 impacts the provision of psychosocial support to human rights defenders in Mexico. As the pandemic particularly threatens marginalized communities and people fighting for their rights, external actors should ensure financial stability for civil society organizations and continue monitoring human rights. Stefania Grasso • 17 June 2020
Artikel Developing Peace: Impulses for German and International Development Cooperation Development cooperation is increasingly expected to contribute to the transformation of violent conflict. A new study shows: It’s not the knowledge about what is needed for development cooperation to contribute to peace that is missing. Rather, there is a lack of implementation – especially as regards the primacy of prevention and the question of policy coherence. PRIF Authors • 25 May 2020
Artikel A Polish Perspective on Women, Peace and Security: No Progress Without Reproductive Rights Reproductive rights in Poland are facing renewed attacks and old problems: a draft bill wants to tighten abortion regulation; doctors are denying care. Measures for fighting the backlash include pushing for comprehensive sex education, providing contraception, and integrating reproductive care into public health services. There will be no gender equality without reproductive rights. Antonina Lewandowska • 20 May 2020
Artikel It’s Not Just About Health: Four Lessons From Ebola for the COVID-19 Response in Conflict-Affected Countries COVID-19 is not the first health crisis to hit conflict-affected countries: Germany can learn valuable lessons from Search for Common Ground’s response to Ebola epidemics. Berlin should support civil society in violence prevention and trust-building measures, provide adequate training for security actors, and ensure the meaningful inclusion of local communities. Charline Burton, Eoin O’Leary • 19 May 2020
Interview #RealityCheck 1: Peacebuilding Efforts by Never Again Rwanda In a new series on the PeaceLab blog, we publish brief interviews with peacebuilding practitioners about how COVID-19 has affected their work. In this first interview, Dr. Joseph Ryarasa Nkurunziza, Executive Director of the non-governmental organization “Never Again Rwanda” (NAR) describes their work, how they had to adapt to the pandemic and what kind of support is needed from external actors. Joseph Ryarasa Nkurunziza • 11 May 2020
Artikel COVID-19 in Libya: Germany Should Engage, Not Retreat Despite diplomatic efforts at the Berlin Conference, the security situation in Libya is deteriorating, providing ideal conditions for COVID-19 to spread unnoticed. Germany should revitalize dialogue formats established in Berlin to leverage technical support by all actors involved, and upgrade bilateral aid to support coordinated measures to contain the virus. Thomas Claes, Jannis Grimm • 07 May 2020
Artikel The Impact of COVID-19 on Transitional Elections and Peacebuilding COVID-19 has delayed elections worldwide at an unprecedented rate, which will affect peacebuilding efforts. Germany should support national institutions in developing consultation mechanisms between electoral management bodies, public health authorities and other relevant actors and assist in crisis communication to create spaces for dialogue and to counter disinformation. Sead Alihodzic, Ingrid Bicu • 05 May 2020
Artikel European Vision and Ambition Needed: Italy and Germany Must Promote a Global EU Response to COVID-19 How the EU of today deals with the COVID-19 crisis will determine the Union of tomorrow. The EU should invest in the resilience of fragile states in its neighborhood, strengthen multilateral institutions and reflect the necessary external solidarity in its Multi Annual Financial Framework. The fundamental principles of the European Union are at stake. Tobias Bunde, Ferdinando Nelli Feroci, Boris Ruge, Nathalie Tocci • 29 April 2020
Artikel COVID-19 Is a Window of Opportunity For Peacebuilding – Use It! In the past, shocks comparable to COVID-19 have created windows of opportunity for local and international stakeholders. The German government should seize this chance by investing in online communication for ongoing peace negotiations, increasing incentives for inclusive politics, supporting information campaigns on the virus, and dedicating funding to women entrepreneurs. Nadine Ansorg, Julia Strasheim • 29 April 2020
Artikel Women in Ukraine’s Military: An Opportunity for Change Since 2014, the number of women in the Ukrainian military has drastically increased. Local civil society has been promoting gender equality in Ukraine’s security sector from the bottom up. International actors should do the same: Germany needs to support the promotion of women to higher ranks as well as gender-sensitive programs for demobilization and reintegration. Hanna Hrytsenko • 28 April 2020
Artikel Atrocity Prevention and COVID-19 The COVID-19 pandemic will lead to an increase in identity-based violence around the world. States such as the UK and Germany should integrate prevention analysis into COVID-19 policies and decision-making, leverage existing identity-based violence and atrocity prevention mechanisms, and support new means of convening and holding virtual dialogue. Kate Ferguson • 24 April 2020
Artikel COVID-19 in the Sahel: Berlin Should Use This Moment for a Reset The countries of the Sahel now face a triple threat: the pandemic, climate change, and conflict. German policymakers should urgently increase humanitarian funding. But Berlin should also look beyond the pandemic and use this moment to re-evaluate a European policy approach that has failed to stabilize the region. Nadia Ahidjo, Bram Dijkstra, Delina Goxho • 23 April 2020
Artikel More Women, More Peace: Opportunities at the EU Level The upcoming German EU Council presidency provides the opportunity to advance the women, peace, and security agenda at the EU level. The German government should seize this chance by advocating for formal Council conclusions, setting up a dedicated Council Working Group, and organizing a High Level Ministerial Conference on women, peace, and security. Hannah Neumann • 22 April 2020
Artikel A Comprehensive Understanding of Security Sector Governance Makes for More Effective Reform Germany has shown an increasing interest in and support for security sector reform (SSR) in recent years. It should use its leadership role in the EU’s civilian Common Security and Defense Policy, the fields of Disaster Risk Reduction, and mediation to include them into its programming, thereby promoting a comprehensive approach to security sector governance. Viola Csordas, Camilla Arvastson • 21 April 2020
