Suchergebnisse

BICC partnered with Germany's international broadcaster Deutsche Welle and hosted a session at the Global Media Forum 2018 "Global Inequalities" in Bonn, Germany. BICC's session "Global inequalities in the academic world: Researchers under threat" took place on 12 June 2018. The session first drew attention to the challenges faced by academics in some extremely disabling and threatening environments. Hafiz Boboyorov (Tajikistan) and Cuneyt Gurer (Turkey) shared their experiences after deciding to leave for Germany, knowing they might not be able to return. Then, Marc von Boemcken (Germany) described the challenges of the field research project "Forms of local security in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan - The emergence of securityscapes" where he, together with Hafiz Boboyorov, had to learn how to "work under the radar" but not compromising research. Last but not least, the session explored ways and means of how to help researchers at risk to continue pursuing their scientific careers. Barbara Sheldon of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation underlined that the experiences of von Boemcken and Boboyorov as part of the research team on the ground were an ideal prerequisite for successfully applying for a Philip Schwartz fellowship. The role of Philip Schwartz Initiative is to enable German institutions - be it universities, universities of applied science, and independent research institutions - to support researchers under threat not only immediately after having fled from their home countries. The biggest challenge is to support these researchers so that they can take the next steps in the transition process of becoming part of the German research community.

Am 19. Mai 2016 organisierte das BICC den eintägigen, internationalen Expertenworkshop "Ehemalige militärische Liegenschaften im urbanen Raum - Konversion für die Zukunftsstadt?" in Bonn. Der Workshop war der übergeordneten Fragestellung gewidmet, welche Impulse von der Umwandlung ehemals militärisch genutzter Gebäude für die zukünftige Stadtentwicklung ausgehen können. So hat zum einen das Thema Liegenschaftskonversion durch den gewachsenen Bedarf an urbanem Wohnraum auch durch Geflüchtete neue Aktualität erfahren. Dies beschäftigt nicht nur die politischen Planungsebenen und die Stadtentwicklung, sondern auch die Flucht- sowie die Friedens- und Konfliktforschung. Zum anderen liegt es im Forschungsinteresse des BICC, den Erinnerungs- und Denkmalwert ehemaliger militärischer Liegenschaften auf friedenswissenschaftliche Ansatzpunkte zu untersuchen. Transdisziplinär diskutierten Vertreterinnen und Vertreter der Forschungsbereiche Denkmalpflege, Geographie, Stadtentwicklungsforschung sowie Politik- und Geschichtswissenschaften mit Expertinnen und Experten aus der Landes-, Bundes- und kommunalen Ebene sowie der Zivilgesellschaft über die "Konversion für die Zukunftsstadt". Die Einbeziehung internationaler Beispiele aus Italien und dem Vereinigten Königreich vertiefte die Einsicht, dass Konversion mehr denn je einen wichtigen Baustein der dynamischen Stadt- und Quartiersentwicklung darstellt.

Anlässlich seines zwanzigjährigen Bestehens veranstaltete das BICC am 10. April 2014 den Expertenworkshop "Konversionsforschung im Praxistest - Liegenschaftskonversion in Deutschland und Westeuropa". 25 Vertreterinnen und Vertreter aus Ministerien und der Staatskanzlei des Landes Nordrhein- Westfalen (NRW), aus Forschung und Praxis sowie der Zivilgesellschaft gingen zunächst der Frage nach, welchem Wandel der Begriff Konversion im Verlauf der Zeit unterlag. Der Workshop versuchte auch anhand von praktischen Beispielen eine aktuelle Bestandsaufnahme insbesondere mit Bezug zum Bundesland NRW und gab darüber hinaus einen beispielhaften Einblick in Liegenschaftskonversion im europäischen Kontext. Ziel des Expertentreffens war, zukunftsweisende Fragen der Konversionsforschung zu identifizieren.

On 19 October 2017, BICC hosted its annual International Academic Conference on the topic of "'Dirty Peace?' The Political Economy of Peacebuilding" in Bonn. The conference brought together over 100 academics and practitioners from around the world to exchange concepts, empirical observations and lessons learned on the prerequisites, patterns and consequences of peace negotiations. In her welcome address, Beate Wieland, Head of Department for Research at the Ministry of Culture and Science of the German State of North RhineWestphalia, underlined the importance of ensuring a lasting peace to prevent violent conflict in the future. She opined that a lasting peace comes from improving peoples' living conditions in conflict regions. The first panel examined some of the conditions for successful mediation in peacebuilding negotiations, while the second panel focussed on the consequences inclusivity or exclusivity have on the success of these negotiations. The third panel discussed lessons learned from practical experience and engagement in negotiations and peacebuilding processes in Afghanistan and South Sudan. A concluding roundtable highlighted several takeaways from the conference, including the added value of a political economy perspective, the critical need for capacity and local leadership of peacebuilding initiatives and the need to unpack the various agendas and interests that, left unexamined, make the peace process seem 'dirty' as opposed to what it really is: complex. The conference was generously funded by the Foundation for International Dialogue of the Savings Bank in Bonn and the US Consulate General in Düsseldorf.

On 3 November 2016, BICC hosted its annual International Academic Conference, focussing this year on the pressing global issue of internal displacement and refugee movements. Almost 65 million people are currently displaced worldwide, most of whom have been displaced for more than five years. Entitled "Fleeing Conflict - Trajectories of Displaced Persons", the conference brought together academics from around the world to present and discuss conceptual and empirical research on the causes, consequences of and solutions for forced migration in current conflicts and displacement settings. In his welcome address, Thomas Grünewald, State Secretary at the Ministry for Innovation, Science and Research of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia stressed the importance of innovative research on displacement and integration. Unlike some of the discourse in this field, the conference focussed on the issue of displacement from the perspective of the displaced themselves, highlighting their agency in the sometimes cyclical and often interrupted processes of departure, transit and arrival. Three consecutive panels were convened, beginning with scholarly presentations on the "Causes and Conditions of Displacement", "(Interrupted) Transit and Forced Immobility" and finally, "Durable Solutions for Protracted Displacement". A concluding panel summarized some of the key points of the day, including the need for more political solutions that target the root causes, and not only the consequences, of protracted displacement. The conference was generously funded by the Foundation for International Dialogue of the Savings Bank in Bonn and the US Consulate General in Düsseldorf.

On 28 October 2015, BICC hosted its annual international conference entitled "Networks of Organized Violence". This topic was chosen because of a perceived shift from the primacy of the state to the importance of networks in perpetrating organized violence. The aim the conference was to view networks of organized violence from different academic angles and to discuss various methodological approaches to understanding the role of networks. The first panel illustrated the relevance of exploring local dynamics of violent conflicts, including the behaviour of groups and the networks in which they are embedded. The second panel looked at the interconnectedness of structures, systems and people involved in the procurement and application of military technology, using a more classical understanding of networks. The final panel discussed the use of network analysis as a tool for understanding armed actor groups. The conference concluded that while understanding networks of organized violence is critical to limiting its destructive effects, networks should also be examined for their potential to build peace and reduce organized violence.

On the occasion of its 20th anniversary, the Bonn International Center for Conversion (BICC) hosted a two-day international academic conference on "Facing Organised Violence: Research Agendas and Conversion Potentials" from 27 to 28 October 2014 in Bonn. The aim of the conference was to approach current dynamics of organised violence from a critical angle. Speakers and panellists focussed on concepts, means, and practices of organised violence. "Concepts" were reflected as discourses that legitimise the use of violence, such as security policies or military strategies. The panels about "means" referred to the tools and material infrastructure of organised violence, such as the arms industry and conventional weapons (in particular small arms and light weapons - SALW). Visible patterns of behaviour such as rules, norms, and types of actors were investigated in the "practices" section. Building on these three dimensions, the conference discussed "natural resources" and "migration" as two intersecting themes touching organised violence in societal contexts.

"This training has been a real eye-opener for those of us in charge of arms depots", writes one participant at our PSSM training. Training courses on the physical security and stockpile management (PSSM) of small arms and ammunition are just one aspect of the multi-faceted activities that we undertake in the area of small arms control. Globally, small arms and light weapons (SALW) are one of the biggest sources of danger to social coexistence. They are not only used in civil wars, but in many countries around the world, inadequate SALW control also constitutes a major threat to civilian life. Poorly managed SALW depots pose a significant risk to the surrounding neighbourhoods. Time and again, there are explosions at ammunition stockpiles with many casualties. Moreover, weapons and ammunition can be stolen from insufficiently secured depots or misappropriated by corrupt security forces and then illegally circulated. The underlying causes of armed conflicts are often structural. However, their violent escalation is frequently driven by the availability of weapons and ammunition. Even after conflicts have been settled, it is not uncommon for stocks of small arms to be retained by all parties or - far too often illegally - sold on, bringing them back into circulation. There must be a significant reduction of all the negative effects of SALW on human security. To contribute to conflict prevention and peacebuilding, national governments and international organisations are working on improved SALW control around the world. This is where BICC comes in. Financially supported by the German Federal Foreign Office, we advise regional and international organisations in Africa and their member states on how to achieve this goal. Together we further develop technical and institutional capacities in this area. At the heart of all these efforts lies the desire to improve the protection of civilians in the long run. ... With this publication, we would like to promote interest in the all-important field of small arms control and offer a glimpse into our work. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our partners whose long-standing trust has made excellent cooperation possible in recent years and which we would like to continue in the future. Our special thanks go to the German Federal Foreign Office for its trust and generous financial support, without which this cooperation would not have been possible. All photographs in this publication are the work of Nikhil Acharya, Senior Regional Advisor, Arms/Ammunition Control based in Nairobi, Kenya.

Die Zunahme rechtextremistisch motivierter Straftaten in polizeilichen Kriminalstatistiken schlägt sich in den konkreten, alltäglichen Erfahrungen der Beratungsstellen gegen Rechtsextremismus nieder. Beraterinnen und Berater können die hohe Nachfrage nach Unterstützung kaum bewältigen. Das Land Nordrhein-Westfalen (NRW) muss für die Beratungsarbeit im Problemfeld Rechtsextremismus zusätzliche personelle und materielle Kapazitäten zur Verfügung stellen. Wichtig ist hierbei, Regelstrukturen den Vorrang zu geben, statt auf zeitlich befristete Projekte zu setzen. Menschen, die sich am Anfang eines Hinwendungsprozesses zu rechtsextremen Ideologien und/oder Szenestrukturen befinden, stehen bisher nicht im Fokus der Präventionsarbeit in NRW. Gerade in dieser frühen Phase stehen die Chancen jedoch mutmaßlich gut, einer Radikalisierung erfolgreich entgegenwirken zu können. Das Land sollte zusätzliche finanzielle Mittel bereitstellen, um eine intensive und beratende Fallarbeit mit radikalisierungsgefährdeten Personen zu ermöglichen. Beratungsstellen sollten auf das Problemfeld Rechtsextremismus konzentriert, lokal verankert und vernetzt sein. Das Land sowie die Kreise und kreisfreien Städte in NRW haben zu prüfen, welche bestehenden Strukturen eine Grundlage für den Aufbau einer solchen fallbezogenen Präventionsarbeit bieten können. Dabei können sie ggf. aus den Erfahrungen mit lokalen Beratungsstellen in der Arbeit gegen Islamismus lernen.