Food insecurity and hunger continue to threaten the lives and livelihoods of millions of people. In the context of the United Nations Food Systems Summit 2021, BICC reseachers Birgit Kemmerling, Conrad Schetter and Lars Wirkus published a briefing paper that looks at the multiple dimensions between... more
Illicit Small Arms, Light Weapons (SALW) and their ammunition pose a serious global threat to the security of individuals, communities, and nation states. This SALW Identification Guide provides specialized agencies, security forces, and actors involved in regulating illegal trafficking of weapons... more
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Please find TRAFIG working paper no. 5 here. more
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To contribute to conflict prevention and peacebuilding, national governments and international organisations are working on improved SALW control around the world. This BICC photo publication gives the readers an insight into the work carried out by BICC and its partner organisations on the African... more
The virtual CoRE-NRW workshop "Vorsicht, Ansteckungsgefahr: Stigmatisierung, Vorurteil und Diskriminierung - Der Einfluss der Corona-Krise auf extremistische Radikalisierungsprozesse in Deutschland“ on 17 June 2020 focused on the possible interfaces between the pandemic state of emergency and... more
Week after week, Corona deniers take to the streets nationwide. Based on an extensive data collection, the CoRE-NRW Kurzgutachten 3 gives an overview of the protests in North Rhine-Westphalia and its administrative districts. The authors Fabian Virchow and Alexander Häusler, FORENA, University of... more
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The NRW Office for the Protection of the Constitution estimates that there are more than 4,000 right-wing extremists, almost half of whom are prepared to use violence, and the number is rising. Violent Islamism continues to pose a threat. This makes it all the more important to conduct research... more
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In the Western Balkans, the diversion of stateowned small arms and light weapons (SALW), and limited control over privately held SALW, are a main source of illicit arms trafficking. The HALO Trust has contributed to improving the control of SALW in BosniaHerzegovina (BiH) since 2017, when HALO... more
Over the past month the United States has experienced the greatest civil unrest since 1968. Demonstrations have occurred in more in 1700 towns and cities in all 50 states. Outrage over the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer, caught on video, drew people into the streets to... more
The German government always emphasises its "restrictive arms export policy". However, the states in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA region) are among the biggest customers of German arms producers. In their comments, Max Mutschler (BICC) and Simone Wisotzki (HSFK) criticise in... more
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In the coronavirus crisis, bottlenecks in urgently needed protective equipment are leading to the perception that the conversion of production sites is a “quick and pragmatic” solution. In his commentary, Professor Herbert Wulf, founding director of the peace and conflict research institute BICC... more
In light of the coronavirus-crisis, European refugee policy is currently receding into the background. But the situation of refugees at the EU's external borders, on the islands of the Aegean Sea and elsewhere on the periphery of Europe is deteriorating rapidly, aggravated by the global... more
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The technical possibilities of the cyber world have opened up completely new potentials for influencing political preferences in other countries. The formation of opinion in open societies is increasingly influenced by subversive measures of authoritarian regimes on the Internet, which severely... more
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On 26 June 2019, the German cabinet updated the "Political Principles for the Export of War Weapons and Other Military Equipment". Max Mutschler (BICC) and Simone Wisotzki (HSFK) welcome “some minor progress in German arms exports policy”. At the same time, the authors fear in their... more
Please find the full FrieEnt Study 07/2019 on "Land and Conflict Prevention" here. more
Please find the Working Paper here. TRAFIG aims to contribute to the development of alternative solutions to protracted displacement that are tailored to the needs and capacities of displaced persons. This working paper contains our central concepts and key terms. We make use of the concept of... more
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Energy transitions are more than just a process of replacing one type of electricity generation technology with another and eventually amending some market frameworks to support this switch economically. Energy transitions run deep in- to the fabric of social relations and require a... more
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The goal of this research was to understand the visions and views of different groups of stakeholders on different electricity-generation technologies currently considered in Jordan. A total of nine electricity-generation technologies were evaluated (concentrated solar power, large-scale PV,... more
Please find the Policy Brief here. A large-scale offensive by the Syrian regime and Russia on the governorate in North West Syria would have threatened the lives and livelihoods of close to 3 million persons. This Policy Brief by Dr. Esther Meininghaus (BICC) and Michael Kühn... more
Tunisia faces the challenge of meeting its increasing energy demand while at the same time responding to urgent developmental challenges in the midst of socio-political transformations. Achieving societal support for its energy policies is vital to a successful energy transition to sustainability.... more
Energy transition towards a more significant share of domestically generated resources will inevitably lead to a societal transformation in Jordan, which will affect interests of existing and emerging electricity-generation industries and other stakeholders. To be sustainable, such a transition... more
Please find the project page here. Within the framework of the research project MiddleEast North Africa Sustainable Electricity Trajectories (MENASELECT), a two-day workshop was conducted in the Hotel Africa in Tunis, Tunisia on 19 and 20 October 2017. Stakeholder representatives from different... more
Please find the policy brief here. This policy brief provides recommendations for international donors on providing support to and investing in strengthening the capacities of medium-sized enterprises in Afghanistan and other fragile contexts. With various regional economic projects currently... more
Larry Swatuk, Associate Researcher at BICC, comments on ongoing popular debates like #WaterWars, #DayZero. He argues for avoiding alarmism and hyperbole as tools of motivation for human action. Instead, Swatuk reflects on the challenge to ensure adequate amounts and qualities of water for the... more
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This Paper offers a comparative overview of innovation found (globally) specific to reintegration programming, and it reflects upon the utility of these innovative approaches in the socio-political context of South Sudan. It intends to facilitate discussion and development of a context-specific and... more
The Training Report documents the PSSM seminar on weapons management in Khartoum from 24 to 28 September 2017, organized by RECSA, SARCOM, BICC and German Cooperation. more
When companies operate in fragile and conflict-affected settings (FCAS), they encounter a range of particular problems. Many companies try to protect staff, premises and machinery by hiring security guards. Armed guards escort convoys of trucks. Expenditures for security measures can be quite... more
Please find the press release here. (pdf, in German) more
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In many cities in Germany, there have been conflicts around the reception, housing and integration of refugees. Local actors responsible for the housing of refugees have used various strategies to encounter this challenge. On 17 February, municipal actors (mayors, representatives from the... more
As electricity systems are not developed in isolation from society, but in a continuous interaction with social, economic, environmental, and political dimensions, this publication aims to develop a comprehensive database for the purpose of evaluating the complex trade-offs between different... more
This chapter describes the eight electricity generation technologies considered in this publication by illustrating the basic principles behind each form of electricity generation, the conventional sub-types for each technology, as well as their common application and specific technological... more
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Esther Meininghaus, researcher at BICC, comments on the World Humanitarian Summit, 23-24 May 2016 in Istanbul. She underlines that “we need to act, and we need to act fast” but also addresses mayor shifts in aid funding and the crisis of the UN. Last but not least she argues that the separation of... more
In collaboration with Sudan's National Focal Point on Small Arms Control, BICC has published the Civilian Arms Registration and Marking Handbook, available in both English and Arabic. This Handbook is a guide on arms registration and marking (ARM) for practitioners, government officials, and... more
Reader Sicherheitspolitik, 11/2015, pdf In: Bundesministerium für Verteidigung. 2015. Der Reader Sicherheitspolitik - Transformation im 21. Jahrhundert more
Elvan Isikozlu, researcher at BICC, comments on the aftermath of the Paris attacks. She argues that “the discourse following the attacks has been full of generalisations, oversimplifications and dichotomies, none of which help to better grasp who and what we in the West are dealing with.”She comes... more
The European Energy Union is a political strategy aimed at ensuring communitarian energy transition, security of supply, a fully integrated European energy market and increased energy efficiency. However, the origin and content of the strategy is simultaneously well rooted in the EU’s external... more
In their commentary on the return of the Taliban to Kunduz, Katja Mielke and Conrad Schetter, researchers at BICC, call for a critical analysis of the Bundeswehr deployment to Afghanistan. “The question isn’t whether or not more soldiers ought to be deployed to Afghanistan, but rather what has been... more
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Dr Andrea Licata, political scientist from Italy and Associate Researcher of BICC, comments on the Italian politics of base conversion. His criticism of only state budget driven approaches to bases closures is that they “disregard the potential of former military sites at the local level” and “deny... more
Conrad Schetter, Director for Research at BICC, maintains that the German government has a duty to implement its plea for a new responsibility at the upcoming G7 summit. "The G7 are well advised to discuss a way to a more peaceful and just world rather than about increased military armament,... more
Professor Larry Swatuk, University of Waterloo, Canada, is an expert on environmental security and natural resources governance. Commenting on the water crisis in California he argues: “In my view, this prolonged drought challenges not only Californians but every one of us to reconsider the ends to... more
In the “Report on the Work of the Arms Registration and Marking (ARM) Program and on Community Security and Arms Control (CSAC) in West Darfur (in Arabic)" Dr Sami Faltas presents the results of his field research in West Darfur, Sudan. The study was assigned by BICC and the Sudan DDR... more
In the “Report on the Work of the Arms Registration and Marking (ARM) Program and on Community Security and Arms Control (CSAC) in West Darfur” Dr Sami Faltas presents the results of his field research in West Darfur, Sudan. The study was assigned by BICC and the Sudan DDR Commission (SDDRC). The... more
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Dr. Marc von Boemcken comments on a possible new orientation in German arms export policy, initiated by Sigmar Gabriel, Germany’s Federal Minister for Economic Affairs. There is reason to hope that at least the export of land-based weapons systems to states that systematically violate human rights... more
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In the study “Auswärtige Kultur-und Bildungspolitik in Staaten im Umbruch am Beispiel Myanmars”, Anna Kaitinnis, visiting researcher at BICC in 2013, looks at the complicated process of democratization of Myanmar under its military dictatorship and the role German foreign cultural and education... more
The study “Compensation Matters Securing community interests in large-scale investments” provides analyses of contentious issues in compensation matters such as power relations in negotiations, entitlements for compensation and types of compensation. Furthermore, it offers practitioners tools and... more
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Only rarely does one experience such a unanimous and clear commitment to a new direction Germany’s foreign policy is taking as at the security conference late January in Munich. In unison, Federal President Joachim Gauck, Foreign Minister Walter Steinmeier and Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen... more
The new Demobilisation, Disarmament and Reintegration Programme (NDDRP) in the Republic of South Sudan was launched by the National Demobilisation, Disarmament and Reintegration Commission (NDDRC) on behalf of the South Sudanese government in 2012. A pilot program started in April 2013 and is due... more
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Update of the Global Militarization Index of BICC 2013 more
Paper prepared for the Annual Middle East Association (MESA) Convention October 10–13 2013. New Orleans, USA. more
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A new study commissioned by the German church aid organizations MISEREOR and Brot für die Welt calls for more involvement of the Bundestag in and improved oversight mechanisms for arms exports. The study „Parlamentarische Kontrolle und Transparenz von Rüstungsexporten“ (in German) by the Bonn... more
The study analyzes the current trends on the international arms market and the role EU Member States play as well as the adherence to the Criteria of the EU Common Position. It also takes a closer look at the effects of austerity measures on the European defense industry and the shift towards... more
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This report is based on research conducted in Juba, Torit, and Kapoeta during August and September 2012. The research provides an initial examination on the underdocumented issue of mining in South Sudan and seeks to provide the government of South Sudan with evidence-based... more
This Guide addresses countries that wish to start improving their approaches to and practices of arms and ammunition management and are at relatively early stages of improvement. The current version of the Starter Guide will be developed further this year. The “Starter Guide towards strong Arms... more
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On 3 May the Farewell Celebration of BICC Director Peter Croll took place in Museum Koenig, Bonn. The Festschrift documents the speeches held on the event. Among the speakers was Helmut Dockter, State Secretary at the Ministry of Innovation, Science and Research of the Land of North... more
E-Discussion Report Participation of Diaspora In Peacebuilding and Development Stabilization & Peacebuilding Community of Practice, September 9th – October 24th 2011 more
Documentation of an expert meeting on artisanal miners, Bonn (29 February 2012). more
The COIN strategy of the US Military was conceived as a response to the lack of strategy in the intervention in Afghanistan. An analysis of the core elements and a presentation of the major political connections of the intervention suggest that on this basis they cannot provide an answer for the... more
Update of the Global Militarization Index (GMI) of BICC 2012 more
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Lecture on behalf of the Stuttgart expert meeting on migrants in human rights activities (9 December 2011). more
“Wartime rape-A Typology” aims at developing a typology of wartime rape as a first step toward understanding the different consequences of this form of violence in war. This typology is based on the examination of wartime rape in Bosnia and Herzegovina and El Salvador as well on a review of the... more
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Please find the commentary here. more
Documentation of the international Symposium “Peace on earth? Initiatives for disarmament, non-violence and dialogue” in Bonn, discussing the topics: On the way to Global Zero nuclear armament—Where are we now?Ethnic conflicts—Solutions from theory and practical experienceVictims of war—A... more
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Paper presented at the Bonn Climate Talks, 01-12 June 2010 more
This paper analyzes the likely intersections between climate change, migration and conflict. The paper identifies some of the most relevant factors that might turn environmentally induced migration into a source of conflict and hold major implications for receiving areas. more
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Paper presented at the International Conference on Climate Change, Social Stress and Violent Conflict, Hamburg 19–20 November 2009. more
Institutional Capacity Development in Transboundary Water Management. The United Nations World Water Assessment Programme, Side Publication Series “Insights”. UNESCO, Paris. more
Newsletter of the South Sudan Action Network on Small Arms (SSANSA) more
Paper presented at the conference: Privatisierung im Sicherheitssektor. Neue sicherheitspolitische Risiken – Neue Synergien, Bundesakademie für Sicherheitspolitik (BakS), Potsdam, 20–21 February. more
The purpose of this manual is to help strengthen the capacity of the West African community to deal with the devastating consequences of the uncontrolled proliferation of small arms and light weapons (SALW). It is intended as a primer for those with little or no experience in SALW... more
The purpose of this Manual is to help strengthen the capacity of the West African community to deal with the devastating consequences of the uncontrolled proliferation of small arms and light weapons (SALW). It is intended as a primer for those with little or no experience in SALW action, and as an... more
Plea for an integrative German security strategy. Why the German federal government should become more visible in the European context emphasizing the civil component with regard to the security strategy. more
The role of external economic actors in war economies and their importance for strategies to end wars in Sub-Saharan Africa. more
This paper is to investigate in how far the EU Central Asia Strategy, while particularly taking into account the nexus between development and security, is consistent with the requirements of conflict prevention. Which links do already existing variants of cross-border cooperation in the region... more
This paper intends to discuss the question of congruence and matching European Council and Commission SSR measures with respect to European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP) SSR missions. Main objectives are firstly to identify deficits regarding the connection between ESDP SSR missions with... more
BICC was commissioned to undertake a study on issues relating to Return and Reintegration (RR) of actors displaced by the fighting in Sudan and to provide action-oriented data on issues relating to RR as a basis for suggestions to improve the RR program in Southern Sudan. Data from the study was... more
This training module is intended for national, regional and international government officials, legislators, administrators and other stakeholders involved in SALW control, and therefore already have a general understanding of SALW issues. However, it is anticipated that these participants will have... more
By reading this booklet you are taking an interest in creating a community safe from small arms. Small arms and light weapons (SALW) are a great threat to communities all over the world. Be it a large war or a village argument, the presence of SALW will make the situation worse and lead to more... more
Overview about conflict resources in Africa. more
The interplay between military, humanitarian and development policy actors in war and post-war situation is currently subject of lively discussions. To enable the interested public to gain an insight into the issue, the following compilation offers a brief overview over six selected topics, which... more
Despite manifold efforts both on the demand and on the supply side, there is still no integrated European defence market. Even though hardly any European state is still able to afford to finance and sustain a full spectrum of defence-technological and -industrial capabilities, there are strict... more
This report is a SALW Survey of the Republic of Croatia. It was conducted between January and June 2006 in accordance with a set of guidelines developed by the South Eastern and Eastern Europe Clearinghouse for the Control of SALW (SEESAC), in co-operation with a non-governmental research... more
The militarization of refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs), especially in Africa, is causing growing alarm within the humanitarian and development commonities. The planned and spontaneous arming of refugees and IDPs threatens access to asylum as well as protection. But while the policy... more
This booklet explains the main issues of SALW. As small arms affect many different areas of life, the range of topics that are explored here are also varied. There are notes on practical issues of identifying SALW and their control, collection and destruction. Information about what you can do to... more
In this timely work, the author analyzes the use of private military firms and international interventions of the military. Outsourcing to the private sector takes missions away from the military, but the shift towards international intervention adds new, wider functions to the traditional role of... more
Speeches on the occasion of the festive celebration of BICC’s 10th anniversary at the Haus der Geschichte in Bonn, 2 April 2004 held by• Johannes Rau, Federal President of Germany• Hannelore Kraft, State Minister for Science and Research, North Rhine-Westphalia• Bärbel Dieckmann, Mayoress of the... more
This study provides an assessment of small arms availability, distribution, circulation, impact and control in the Republic of Macedonia. Since the close of the crisis in the fall of 2001, the country has continued to struggle with tensions between ethnic Albanians and Macedonians, a depressed... more
Recent efforts by the OSCE in developing their ‘Best Practice Guides’, and SEESAC in the development of Regional Micro-Disarmament Standards (RMDS), now means that national governments and international organisations have both strategic guidelines and operational procedures available to them for... more
This paper aims to clarify some of the aspects of the discussion on security sectorreform, its origins, strengths and weaknesses. The emphasis is on the concept of security sector reform, the ideas behind it, and its links to other discourses. Security sector reform has its roots in the development... more
Not every weapon system, soldier or piece of military real estate left from the cold war is dysfunctional or useless today: but bad planning, neglect, ignorance and lack of resources have left Europe burdened with large relict capacities suited neither to the spirit nor the practical needs of the... more
The report seeks to explore the prospects for weapons collection programmes and the introduction of effective gun control measures in the current security environment in Macedonia.With the government weapons amnesty due to start on 1 November 2003, the report takes a timely look at its chances for... more
The Small Arms and Light Weapons Control (SALWC) project was undertaken in 2002-2003 by UNDP in co-operation with the Albanian government, at a programme cost to the international community of US$ 3.4 million. Its objectives were to help remove illegally held weapons and explosives from the... more
Based on field research and consultation conducted over the course of 2002 and early 2003, this research report aims to fill a gap in the existing literature on the region by focusing on the situation of the Serbs in Kosovo since the international intervention began in 1999. It is hoped that it... more
Seeking to remedy this fundamental flaw in security sector reform, nearly seven years since the signing of the Dayton Accords, the international community is now intensifying its engagement to streamline security institutions and reduce personnel numbers to affordable levels. Thus far, public... more
By citing four countries as examples, this brochure provides information about the small arms issue and its effects and illustrates scope for and targets of political lobbying on the national and international level. It also refers to the comments of the expert group of the Joint Conference Church... more
The aim of this paper is to provide a general picture of recent demobilisations worldwide and to indicate the countries in which assistance might be required and/or requested for the demobilisation and reintegration of ex-combattants in the foreseeable future and what form this might take. more
The current international debate and recommendations for Development Cooperation, in particular Technical Cooperation more
This booklet sets out model Security council resolutions. It also includes a commentary compilde by government experts, members of the academic community, non-governmental organizations and other independent specialists. more
Recycled from earlier conflicts or newly imported, small arms are tools of power and violence which can cause social strife to turn into far more destructive conflict. Most of the work of the Bonn International Center for Conversion (BICC) is connected to small arms in some way or other, but BICC... more
This Conversion Report IV follows up its predecessor from the year 1997: In its introduction, it describes the current situation of troop reduction and base conversion in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and sketches the short-to medium term developments to be expected. In this, especially the results... more
The present paper emphasises the breadth of the approach to security-sector reform, pointing out that there is still no generally acknowledged and accepted strategy (see chapter 2.1 and chapter 2.2 in this connection). The analysis focuses on addressing the potentials (and constraints) for external... more
A Practical Guide for Collection and Destruction more
In the early and mid-1990s, several African countries demobilized part of their armed forces. This book analyses, in the light of Africa's large development challenges and continuing wars and insecurity, the questions: to what extent and how demobilizations have contributed to peace and human... more
This bibliography is a collaborative project between International Peace Research Institute, Oslo (PRIO), Bonn International Center for Conversion (BICC) and Copenhagen Peace Research Institute (COPRI). A publication from COST A10 Defence Restructuring and Conversion Publication more
Germany and the United States are currently conducting a NATO-CCMS pilot study on the "Re-use of Contaminated Former Military Lands". Phase I of this study has been completed, and logistical issues as well as scientific and technological concerns have been evaluated. Phase II of the study... more
Handbook for communitiesThe handbook has not been updated since July 2000; therefore most of the information provided is obsolete or no longer valid! more
The main part of the Conversion Report III—seven years troop reduction and conversion in North Rhine-Westphalia consists of a detailed description of eleven exemplary conversion projects in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW). What is so special about this? Besides the financial support und advice from... more
