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Dear reader, |
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2024 is dominated by landmark elections around the world. The German state elections in Saxony, Thuringia and Brandenburg are just around the corner. The results of the European elections are still being discussed, while the US elections are already on the horizon. There is a growing trend towards populist parties in many countries and regions. At the Bonn Symposium 2024, we are analysing what this means for international cooperation in an online series with a concluding evening event.
Since the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, the issue of energy security has been at the center of the debate. European countries are increasingly looking towards Africa to build partnerships for a sustainable energy supply. This harbours opportunities for economic development on the continent, which is lacking energy access, while also suffering the most from global warming. At the Potsdam Africa Dialogues 2024, we will therefore discuss the opportunities that a just energy transformation offers for Africa.
At an evening event in Berlin, we will look at the potentials and challenges of diaspora communities. At the Berlin Summer Dialogue 2024, we will ask what influence diaspora organisations have on peace processes and what this might mean for German development cooperation.
As you can see, this autumn will be exciting - at the ballot box, at the negotiating table and at our events! As always, you will find more information, including recent publications, in this newsletter. Enjoy reading!
Kind regards, Carolin Rosenberg,
Institute for Development and Peace (INEF) |
| Ingo Nordmann-Mohn,
Development and Peace Foundation (sef:) | | | | |
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UPCOMING EVENTS
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 © istock/Frazao Studio Latino |
Berlin Summer Dialogue 2024
18 September 2024, 16:30 hrs, Berlin Global Village
Achieving lasting peace requires more than the absence of violence and war, and diaspora communities can make a significant contribution towards it. As agents of peace, they engage in mediation, offer support in reconstruction and participate in transitional justice or truth commissions.
At this year’s Berlin Summer Dialogue, we will examine how diaspora organisations influence peace processes and identify concrete actions that German development cooperation should take to strengthen the impact of diaspora engagement for peace.
Please register here for the Berlin Summer Dialogue. |
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 © sef: |
Bonn Symposium 2024
25 September, 09 October, 30 October 2024, 14:15 hrs (online series)
29 November 2024, 18:00 hrs (evening event in Bonn)
The super election year of 2024 presents a serious test for liberal democracy. Nearly half of the world's population will be or has already been called to the polls in 2024: From the European elections to the elections in the United States, India and other countries, to three state elections in Germany. Significant gains in votes or even victories for populist parties are expected or have already occurred.
In a three-part online series followed by an in-person evening event and reception at the Old Town Hall, the Bonn Symposium 2024 will therefore focus on how the worldwide rise of populism is affecting international cooperation.
Register now for all or individual parts of the event! The full programme is available on our website. |
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 © shutterstock/Rawpixel |
Brandenburg Dialogue “Learning with Africa” 2024
23 October 2024, 18:00 hrs, NH Hotel Potsdam, German/English (simultaneous interpretation)
Within the context of the global energy transformation, the debate on the expansion of decentralised energy is gaining momentum. Tomorrow’s energy should be reliable, sustainable, affordable, and accessible – universally. Yet, the global community still has long way to go to achieve this goal.
At the fourth Brandenburg Dialogue, we will discuss opportunities and obstacles to the expansion of a decentralised energy supply. Is decentralisation the solution to our problems regarding climate change and energy security? What is needed to increase acceptance and demand for decentralised solutions? What can community energy projects in Africa and Germany learn from each other?
Please register here! |
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 © Siemens AG |
Potsdam Africa Dialogues 2024
24 – 25 October 2024, NH Hotel Potsdam, German/English (simultaneous interpretation)
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has propelled the issue of energy security to the top of the international political agenda and drastically increased the pressure for a global energy transformation.
Given its unparalleled potential for renewable energy, Africa could become a game changer on the road to a global transformation. The continent boasts the most favourable solar energy locations in the world and could be able to cover the entire global energy demand with green hydrogen. Despite these sunny prospects, millions of people in Africa are affected by acute energy poverty. Many African countries are heavily dependent on fossil fuels, an issue compounded by insufficient investments.
At this year’s Potsdam Africa Dialogues, we will be discussing how a just energy transformation can succeed in Africa and what hurdles need to be overcome. Join the discussion: Register here! |
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 © Thomas Richter |  Save the Date: Europe and Africa’s Shared Path to Climate-neutral Energy
Policy Lunch 2024
14 November 2024, 12:00 hrs, Representation of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia in Brussels
The European Green Deal aims to make Europe climate-neutral by 2050. To achieve this, the continent needs to rapidly transition to sustainable, climate-neutral energy. Africa holds enormous potential for renewable energy production and could benefit from European investment in the energy sector. How can a just energy partnership between Africa and Europe be achieved in practice? How can the necessary mutual trust be built? This is what we will discuss with international experts at the Policy Lunch 2024 in Brussels.
Mark 14 November 2024 in your diary now! |
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PUBLICATIONS
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 © sef: |
Global Governance Spotlight 1|2024
After years of discussion, the EU has adopted a directive regulating human rights and sustainability in global supply chains. In their Global Governance Spotlight, Christian Scheper and Anne Engelhardt identify the improvements resulting from the directive, but also analyse its limitations and weaknesses. Based on their analysis, they provide suggestions for implementing the directive in order to improve its effectiveness and enforceability. |
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 © Peace Review |
New Special Issue in “Peace Review”
The latest Peace Review special issue guest-edited by INEF member Leonardo Bandarra and Patrícia Martuscelli (University of Sheffield) addresses which and how regional factors and politics may enable or hinder a global ban on nuclear weapons. The insights of 17 contributions offer a nuanced and diverse account of the landscape of nuclear disarmament, deterrence, non-proliferation, and arms control, arguing that understanding the diversity of regional perspectives, lenses, and approaches is crucial for advancing global peace and security. |
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 © Karin Gaesing |
AVE Study 38b
Based on the results of six field studies in Benin, Cambodia and Uzbekistan, among others, a new AVE study provides a summary analysis of different approaches to promoting agricultural financing for smallholder farmers. Based on this, recommendations for German development cooperation are derived for the implementation of agricultural financing projects. Using good practice examples, the study shows how the formulated goals can be put into practice in different contexts.
The publication is part of the INEF project “Ways out of Poverty, Vulnerability and Food Insecurity“ (AVE), which is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). |
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RESULTS AND REPORTS
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 © College for Social Sciences and Humanities |
More than a dozen countries worldwide have adopted a feminist foreign policy to date, although some of them, such as Sweden, later renounced it. In an insightful and lively panel discussion on 25 June 2024, hosted by the College for Social Sciences and Humanities and the Institute for Development and Peace (INEF), experts from government and academia exchanged views and elucidated various facets of feminist foreign and development policies. The recent developments in Germany, in contrast to other countries such as Canada, were at the centre of the discussion.
Read the complete review with photos here. |
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 © istock/Arkadiusz Wargula |
sef: Session at the DW Global Media Forum
This year, sef: once again hosted a session at the Deutsche Welle Global Media Forum. The Global Media Forum gathers journalists and media professionals from around the world, this time under the theme "Sharing Solutions". In line with this topic, we discussed innovative Eastern European projects and approaches in the field of media literacy and their transferability.
The conference report is now available on our website.
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SEF:/INEF INSIDE
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 © sef: |
On 22 August, the newly appointed Board of Trustees of the sef: held its first meeting at the State Chancellery of North Rhine-Westphalia. Under the chairmanship of Minister-President Hendrik Wüst, the new members for the other committees - the Executive Committee and the Advisory Board - were appointed and the course for the future was set.
We would like to thank all departing committee members for their valuable support and the time spent together.
We look forward with great pleasure to the next five years in which the Board of Trustees and the Advisory Board will support the sef:. The Executive Committee was appointed for four years. You will soon find the current members of our boards on our website. We would like to congratulate all the appointed committee members and look forward to working together on the exciting projects that lie ahead!
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The Development and Peace Foundation (sef:) was founded in 1986 on the initiative of Willy Brandt. It is a cross-party and non-profitmaking
organisation. sef: provides an international high-level forum for shared thinking on the complex challenges of globalisation. It is linked to the
Institute for Development and Peace (INEF) by a cooperation agreement. The aim of INEF’s application-oriented research is to build bridges
between theory and practice.
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