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/Deutsche Welle, 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 of our session is now available on our website. Secure your place now for this year's Global Media Forum.

The Women, Peace and Security Agenda in a Changed Conflict Context

INEF Lecture Series 
15 July 2025, 16:15 hrs, Duisburg

Despite decades of efforts, women's participation in peace processes and their protection in conflict (and non-conflict situations) remain inadequate. In the upcoming INEF Lecture, Prof. Cheryl Hendricks, Director of the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation in Cape Town/South Africa, will examine the development of the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Agenda since the adoption of UN Resolution 1325. She will outline its strengths and weaknesses and reflect on the challenges arising from a changing conflict context increasingly characterized by exclusion, unconventional warfare, and toxic masculinity.

You will find further information here.

Save-the-date: Inclusive Peace: Resisting the Backlash, Strengthening Participation

Berlin Summer Dialogue 2025
16 September 2025, 16:30 hrs, Berlin Global Village 

Inclusive participation is a key factor for sustainable peace – yet it continues to face structural barriers and growing political resistance. The Berlin Summer Dialogue 2025 will focus on the practical and political challenges of inclusive peace processes and explore strategies to address the global backlash against equality and participation.

The event will provide space for open dialogue, critical reflection, and the development of concrete approaches to support inclusive peacebuilding in today’s complex contexts.

Further details and the official invitation will follow soon.
Please save the date.

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 Complexity of Nuclear (Dis)Ordering

Special Issue in Cambridge Review of International Affairs

The history of humanity's engagement with nuclear energy is a complex and multifaceted story of political ordering and disordering. From the discovery of radioactivity to the present day, the development of nuclear energy has been influenced by a variety of actors, rules, and levels, becoming increasingly complex over time. This special issue of “Cambridge Review of International Affairs” explores the characteristics and consequences of this complexity for nuclear (dis)ordering. In the introduction, Martin Senn (University of Innsbruck) and INEF staff member Carmen Wunderlich introduce a conceptual framework through which to make sense of the complexity of nuclear ordering and lay out a future research agenda. The individual contributions take a variety of theoretical lenses and methodologies to approach the issue. 

Conceptualisation and Implementation of Gender-Transformative Approaches in Development Cooperation

AVE Study 40b

A new AVE study summarizes and analyzes the current practice of feminist development policy and the implementation of gender-transformative objectives, measures, and impacts to date in German and international development cooperation. The study focuses on the fields of rural development, agriculture, and food security. Based on their findings, the authors Karin Gaesing, Carolin Rosenberg, and Frank Bliss draw conclusions and make recommendations for German governmental development cooperation.

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).

Gender-Transformative Effects through the Implementation of Land Rights for Women in Malawi

AVE Good Practice 32b

In the patriarchal societies of Northern Malawi usually women do not own land, although the modern land law provides for that. A new AVE Good Practice study examines a project implemented by the German NGO Misereor that informs the people in Northern Malawi about land rights and supports especially single, divorced and widowed women in claiming their rights. With the help of agroecological farming methods, women farmers can obtain good harvests from their land and thus provide for themselves and their children independently.

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).

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.