Milena Berks
Key expertise
Disarmament, Demobilisation, and Reintegration (DDR) processes, community violence reduction (CVR) initiatives, Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) control, conflict prevention concepts, conflict sensitive analysis.
(Academic) education / CV:
Before joining BICC’s project team to support the Revision and Dissemination of the United Nations Integrated Disarmament, Demobilisation, and Reintegration Standards (IDDRS), Milena worked at the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) in the conventional arms branch. She helped implement small arms control initiatives in Africa with national and regional partners, including the African Union and the Regional Centre on Small Arms (RECSA). Before that, Milena was an Advisor on SALW control at BICC, engaging in regional small arms control initiatives in Africa, notably Physical Security and Stockpile Management (PSSM) and Weapons and Ammunition Management (WAM). Milena also worked as a DDR Officer for the UN Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) and the Belgian Development Cooperation in Niger.
She holds a B.A. Degree in Political Science from the Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Germany, and an M.A. Degree in International Relations from the UCLouvain in Belgium. She is currently pursuing her Ph.D. at the UCLouvain on socio-economic reintegration of ex-combatants in Niger and the Central African Republic.
Important Publications:
- Berks, M., Breitung, C., Richards, J., & Tonn, A. (2021). The evolving nature of DDR. Study on engaging armed groups across the peace continuum: UN Office of Rule of Law and Security Institutions (OROLSI) & BICC.
- Berks, M., Aoun, E., & Liégeois, M. (2018). The United Nations in the 21st Century: Highlights on Peacekeeping Issues and Power Shifts, Coll. Scène internationale, PUL, Louvain-la-Neuve.
Recent Publications:
- Berks, M., Breitung, C., Haidara, B., & Oginni, O. S. (2023). Coup in Niger: Why Military Intervention is Doomed to Fail (BICC Policy Brief series No. 1/2023). Bonn: BICC.
- Berks, M., Breitung, C., Engelberth, S., & Richards, J. (2022). Between concepts and reality: How to deal with armed groups in transition phases of violent conflict? (BICC Knowledge Notes series No. 01/2022/2022). Bonn: BICC.
- Berks, M., Breitung, C., Richards, J., & Tonn, A. (2021). The evolving nature of DDR. Study on engaging armed groups across the peace continuum: UN Office of Rule of Law and Security Institutions (OROLSI) & BICC.
- Berks, M., Aoun, E., & Liégeois, M. (2018). The United Nations in the 21st Century: Highlights on Peacekeeping Issues and Power Shifts, Coll. Scène internationale, PUL, Louvain-la-Neuve.
Projects:
- Support to the Revision and Dissemination of the United Nations Integrated Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration Standards
- Support to the Research and Knowledge Transfer Office Security Sector Reform (SSR Hub) of the Institute for Peace Research and Security Policy Hamburg
- Supporting small arms and light weapons (SALW) control in Africa
