DCAF - Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance

✨ Excited to share our new paper 'Building on What Exists: Demystifying National Prevention Strategies' ✨   The recent #PactfortheFuture calls for the development, implementation, and support of national prevention strategies. However, it raises critical questions about their practical application, particularly amidst a growing number of national planning frameworks. It has been a pleasure to collaborate with Céline Monnier of NYU Center on International Cooperation (CIC) on this policy brief, which explores what national prevention strategies can look like in practice in an effort to reduce violence and foster sustainable peace.    💡 The key takeaway? Designing a national prevention strategy doesn’t mean starting from scratch. Instead, it’s an opportunity for countries to evaluate and strengthen their current approaches to managing risk and protective factors against all forms of violence.   🛠️ To conceptualize a national prevention strategy, it is crucial to: 1️⃣ Identify risk and protective factors that contribute to all forms of violence within a country; 2️⃣ Map existing prevention plans and initiatives, assess their capacity to address these risk and protective factors, and pinpoint the gaps which need to be filled; and 3️⃣ Connect the different pieces of the puzzle to ensure that all relevant sectors and stakeholders are aligned and working towards common goals.   🔍 This paper draws on insights from Security Sector Governance and Reform (SSG/R) to illustrate the importance of connecting and aligning national prevention efforts. While the security sector’s role may vary across contexts, assessing it remains essential in any comprehensive prevention strategy. The insights presented in this paper extend beyond SSG/R, offering valuable perspectives for any strategy aimed at reducing violence and addressing its root causes.   🔗 Download here: http://lnkd.in/eJzgcmp8 #NationalPreventionStrategies #ViolencePrevention #SSGR #Peacebuilding #PactForTheFuture #DCAF

Last Friday, DCAF joined with the Missions of #Germany, #Switzerland and #India and United Nations Peacekeeping to launch the newly published report “Towards Equal Opportunity for Women in the Defence Sector”. This is the first-ever global, evidence-based analysis of the participation of women in national #defence institutions. ➡️ The President of the Swiss Confederation, Viola Amherd, encouraged male military leaders, to support their female colleagues and facilitate equal access to jobs. ➡️ Liberian Minister of Defense Brigadier General Geraldine Janet George described how the Liberian Armed Forces had changed the narrative and the operational environment to attract female recruits. ➡️ Major General Cheryl Pearce AM CSC, the UN’s second-most senior Blue Beret, underscored that empowering women in defence is a necessity for our collective #security. ➡️ Gesa Bräutigam, Germany’s Special Ambassador for Feminist Foreign Policy framed gender equality in defence as an aspect of achieving the #PactfortheFuture. DCAF's Director, Nathalie Chuard, moderated the discussion with the Liberian Minister of Defense and senior military officers from #Germany, #Hungary, #India and #Nigeria. The discussion welcomed the report as a baseline for countries to compare their progress and practices. Panelists highlighted the importance of gathering data on barriers, refreshing outreach and recruitment processes to inspire women to apply, family support and ― cutting across all measures ― addressing gender-biased attitudes and building a culture of respect for all. Recruiting and retaining women was identified as key to armed forces’ level of public trust, and to their ability to compete with the private sector for expert personnel. DCAF thanks all who participated in this event and is proud to have been the UN’s research partner in the development of this report. Read the report here: https://lnkd.in/dGPrndTW Photo: UN SSR #Servingforequality #WomenPeaceSecurity *** Cristina Finch Megan Bastick

Representatives from the Western Balkans Computer Security Incident Response Teams (CERTs) attended the Hack.lu conference in Luxembourg. Organized by CIRCL (Computer Incident Response Center Luxembourg), Hack.lu is a key event for discussing #cybersecurity, #privacy, and the societal impact of #technology, providing a great opportunity for knowledge exchange. Participation in this event is part of the “WB6-EU Cooperation for Improving Cybersecurity in the Western Balkans” project, funded by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH and the Auswärtiges Amt (Federal Foreign Office) Germany, which aims to enhance cybersecurity capacities through collaboration with EU CERTs. A big thanks to GIZ and the German Federal Foreign Office for their support, and to CIRCL for excellent cooperation! *** Lilian Georgieva-Weiche Franziska Klopfer Lazar Lunic Sophia Klumpp

Recently, we convened our first policy-practice dialogue to identify the challenges and opportunities for better linking Security Sector Reform (SSR) with development goals. This dialogue is part of a broader effort to address the gaps that exist between #security and #development initiatives and ensure SSR supports sustainable progress. In the coming months, we will be conducting a series of dialogues to bring together technical experts at national and international levels. Our aim is to explore how SSR can contribute to the security-development nexus, build better evidence, and enhance the alignment of SSR with development objectives, especially at the local level. This initiative holds the potential to unlock new avenues for the security and development sectors to work together towards the common goals of sustainable #peace and development. A warm thank you to the Ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken for their contribution and continued support to DCAF particularly on this project! *** OECD - OCDE Expertise France Norman Sempijja Niloy Biswas UNDP

🌟 Our latest #PolicyBrief by NYU Center on International Cooperation (CIC)’s Céline Monnier and DCAF - Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance’s Vincenza Scherrer is out now! 📝 This policy brief unpacks how national #prevention strategies may look like in practice and how they can build on what exists—using examples from security sector governance and reform (#SSGR). 💭 To conceptualize a national prevention strategy, it is key to: 1️⃣ Identify risk and protective factors for violence. 2️⃣ Map existing prevention plans and initiatives, assess their capacity to address these risk and protective factors, and pinpoint the gaps that need to be filled. 3️⃣ Connect the different pieces of the puzzle to ensure that all relevant sectors and stakeholders are aligned and working towards common goals. 🌍 These lessons can also be applied to connect national prevention strategies to other plans, such as Women, Peace, and Security and small arms national action plans. 📥 Download now ⬇️ https://lnkd.in/eJzgcmp8 #NYUCIC #Peacebuilding #SSGR #ViolencePrevention #GlobalPeace

DCAF spoke at the “Environmental, Social and Governance Global Leaders Conference” in Shanghai. It is one of the largest sustainability conferences in China, hosting some 800 participants from businesses, industry associations, think tanks, government agencies and the wider international community. On behalf of the DCAF-International Committee of the Red Cross - ICRC partnership, we explained how responsible management of company security arrangements and impacts is a key part of “Environmental, Social and Governance” requirements, particularly in complex environments. In Africa alone, some 10’000 Chinese-owned businesses are driving a significant percentage of the continent’s infrastructure initiatives and extractive projects. DCAF and ICRC are committed to enabling Chinese companies to implement responsible security management practices and to join multistakeholder efforts to address security challenges. We shared best practices during the event: - Companies must take steps to implement conflict sensitivity into their corporate culture and processes. - Particular attention needs to be given to ensuring transparent arrangements with host states, to mitigating risks around public and private security, as well as proactively engaging with affected communities. - All these efforts should be reported to Environmental, Social and Governance standards, regulations and benchmarks. Are you interested in learning more about DCAF-ICRC’s work in China or on sustainability reporting? Check out our project highlight here: https://lnkd.in/dDUFasUF #bizhumanrights #securityhumanrights *** Federal Department of Foreign Affairs FDFA Frederic Chenais

The UN report “Towards Equal Opportunity for Women in the Defence Sector” highlights the ongoing underrepresentation of women, particularly in leadership and combat roles, whilst also celebrating notable progress and innovative practices in various countries that are enhancing women's representation in the armed forces. Check out the video for an overview of the findings and download the full report here: https://lnkd.in/d9VQmmxP

The maritime domain impacts #security, #environment, #development, #humansecurity and state stability. However, the governance of this domain - strongly connected to the overall states' governance - is often overlooked. DCAF decided to bridge this gap and complement the many train & equip initiatives with a deliberate focus on governance issues. After a comprehensive study of maritime security #governance in the #GulfofGuinea carried out in 2022-2023, DCAF organised a first high-level seminar in #Abuja in May 2024. Recently, with the support of the Institut de Sécurité Maritime Interrégional - ISMI in #Abidjan and the Ministère des Affaires étrangères français and French Navy, DCAF shared its findings and recommendations with more than 40 naval, customs, police, gendarmerie, civil servants officers from 13 different Gulf of Guinea countries.

Recently, DCAF co-organized an online course on #securitysector governance and reform with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. It’s always a pleasure collaborating with our close partners from the UK, as well as participants from the OSCE, the European External Action Service, and other international organizations. Thank you to all partners, participants, and facilitators! The course provided a valuable platform to explore the role of security sector reform in #peace and #security, covering key topics such as the political aspects of SSG/R, security and #defence, civilian accountability, #gendermainstreaming in project design, and overcoming resistance to change. *** Shestin Thomson Eleonora Dan Marianne Ducasse-Rogier Shahrazad CHIDA Laylo Merali Grazvydas JASUTIS Helen Seese

Last week, DCAF, Geneva Centre for Security Policy, and Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD) came together to re-affirm our commitment to #genderequality through the signing of the Compact on Women, Peace and Security and Humanitarian Action (WPS-HA Compact). DCAF’s ambition is to develop the skills of #securitysector actors to address the intersectional nature of discrimination which puts women and girls in vulnerable situations. We especially commit to these Global Compact actions: 1. Develop research and policy recommendations on the impact of women’s meaningful participation to #peacebuilding effectiveness and sustainability 2. Expand the evidence base on the effectiveness of and growth in women-led governments, enterprises and businesses, and the intersectional dimensions of security risks Advancing the #WomenPeaceSecurity Agenda is at the heart of this vision and gender equality is integral to all of our work. Learn more about our work: https://lnkd.in/d99JWDxp *** Nathalie Chuard Thomas Greminger Tobias Privitelli