Bridges Over Troubled Waters: Harnessing the Power of Water Diplomacy in Africa

Potsdam Africa Dialogues
26-27 June 2025, Mercure Hotel Potsdam City, Germany 

Water is essential to life – yet it is also becoming one of the most contested resources of our time. On the African continent, uneven distribution, climate stress, and weak governance are contributing to tensions around rivers, lakes and groundwater basins. At the same time, shared water management offers real opportunities for cooperation and peace.

The Potsdam Africa Dialogues address these pressing issues, exploring water both as a catalyst for conflict and a driver of peace and cooperation on the African continent.

Join the discussion and register now!

Pressured and Silenced: Self-Censorship in Autocracies and Democracies

sef: Session at the DW Global Media Forum
7 July 2025, 14:15 hrs, Bundeskunsthalle/Kunstmuseum Bonn, Germany 

In autocratic regimes, media professionals have long had to filter their output due to government control and political pressure. However, in recent years, self-censorship has also become a pressing issue in Western democracies. We are discussing potential consequences of self-censorship in both autocratic and democratic contexts at the sef: session at the Deutsche Welle Global Media Forum. The programme is now available on our website. Registration is possible via Deutsche Welle.

Save-the-Date: Between Power and Principle: Europe‘s Responsibility in the New Global (Dis)Order

Bonn Symposium 2025
Online Sessions on 1 Oct, 15 Oct, and 29 Oct 2025
Evening event in Bonn on 20 Nov 2025

In three online sessions, we will explore the current military and political situations in Ukraine, Syria, and Eastern Congo, aiming to shed light on the potential future roles of Germany and Europe in global politics. At a concluding evening event in Bonn, we will take a closer look at Germany’s role in peace processes worldwide. Mark your calendars now!

The Struggle to Save Peace

2025 Peace Report

Russia’s war in Ukraine, the war in Gaza, and the humanitarian crisis in Sudan – peace is under growing threat. At the same time, the Trump administration is undermining the rules-based multilateral security order and embracing the law of the strongest. The 2025 Peace Report, jointly published by Germany’s leading peace research institutes BICC, IFSH, PRIF, and INEF, warns: Europe must ensure its own security and defence – and at the same time strengthen international organizations and pave the way for arms control.

The chapter on “Sustainable Peace”, coordinated by INEF, warns of the erosion of minimum humanitarian standards. In an increasing number of conflicts, core norms of international law and fundamental human rights are being violated. International courts therefore have a key role to play – they must be safeguarded from political influence and their independence maintained in the face of narrow-minded national interest politics.

Contestation in Prism

New Edited Volume

A new edited volume, “Contestation in Prism. The Evolution of Norms and Norm Clusters in Contemporary Global Politics”, co-edited by INEF staff member Carmen Wunderlich, offers a nuanced exploration of international norm contestation. The book examines the complex interplay between different types of contestation, norm robustness, and norm cluster resilience. Featuring in-depth analyses of norms related to regional organizations, nuclear non-proliferation, atrocity prevention, artificial intelligence, gender equality and international criminal law, this volume provides a comprehensive understanding of the multifaceted processes that shape global norms.

Party Competition and Collective Jihadist Radicalization in Sub-Saharan Africa

DSF Research Report

The research report “Party competition and collective jihadist radicalisation in sub-Saharan Africa” presents the results of an INEF research project of the same name, which was funded by the German Foundation for Peace Research (DSF) between 2020 and 2023. In the report, Jannis Saalfeld draws attention to the finding that the dynamics of jihadist radicalisation in sub-Saharan Africa have been decisively shaped by “deep” historical path dependencies resilient to short-term policy interventions.

Gender-Transformative Effects of Landtitles for Couples in Ethiopia

AVE Good Practice 31b

A new AVE Good Practice study highlights the effects of land title registration in Ethiopia. In the case of married couples, land titles are issued jointly to the husband and wife instead of the previous practice of seeing land ownership as relating only to the husband. In the event of divorce or the death of the husband, the wife receives half of the land and can farm it independently. This leads to more economic independence for women and to more partnership-based behaviour and a say within the family.

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).

From Conflicts to Cooperation: The Resource Nexus as a Pathway to Peace and Prosperity in Africa

Dresden International Forum 

The event took place on 8 April in the Frauenkirche. The high-level panel discussed how the distribution of scarce natural resources can lead to conflicts and what approaches are available to prevent such conflicts. Cooperation partners of the sef: for this year's event were UNU FLORES (UNU Institute for Integrated Management of Material Fluxes and of Resources), the Center for International Studies at TU Dresden and the Frauenkirche Dresden Foundation.

You can now watch the discussion on Youtube.

Meeting of the sef: Advisory Board

The first meeting of the sef: Advisory Board, which was newly formed in 2024, took place at the German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS) on 14 May. The advisory board, consisting of representatives from academia, civil society, government development cooperation and international organisations, discussed how sef: should strategically align itself against the backdrop of the current challenging global political situation. The important and forward-looking suggestions from the Advisory Board will be incorporated into sef:'s strategy process, which will be finalised by the end of this year. Many thanks to our Advisory Board members for the rich discussions and your commitment to sef:!

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.