“Security is more than just military strength”: Catholic Responses to Armament and Crisis
FriEnt: In your opinion, which debates on peace and security policy had the greatest impact on the Catholic Day? Dorothee Klüppel: What I observed in Würzburg was a shared understanding that peace can no longer be viewed as the antithesis of security, but that the two must be considered together – though not solely in […]
The Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus at a Turning Point
Ten years after the World Humanitarian Summit, the Humanitarian-Development-Peace (HDP) nexus faces its greatest test yet: as global crises intensify and worldwide humanitarian needs reach record highs, the conditions necessary for its effective implementation are coming under increasing pressure. The New Way of Working, agreed upon at the 2016 World Humanitarian Summit, provided political momentum […]
From Ambition to Inaction: Climate Talks Struggle to Deliver Implementation
An assessment of the Bonn climate negotiations from FriEnt’s perspective From June 8th to 18th, policymakers, negotiators and representatives of civil society gathered in Bonn for the 64th sessions (SB64) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Subsidiary Bodies. The meetings, organised by the UN Climate Secretariat, served to prepare for the […]
Building Peace in a Changing Climate: An Indigenous Perspective from Bangladesh
FriEnt: You are a member of the Bangladesh Indigenous Peoples Network on Climate Change and Biodiversity (BIPNet) and the steering committee of the Eastern Himalayan Network on Climate Change (EHNCC). How are the daily lives of Indigenous communities impacted by climate pressures? Mrinal Kanti Tripura: The Chittagong Hill Tracts, where I come from, are the […]
Building Peace Together: FriEnt and WANEP Strengthen Their Partnership in Ghana
On 14 and 15 July 2026, representatives of the Working Group on Peace and Development (FriEnt) and the West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP) met in Accra, Ghana, for a joint workshop that marked the next step in their growing partnership, established in 2025. Strengthening Partnerships for Peace Beyond 2030 The workshop brought together over […]
Peace needs a vision: FriEnt provides impulses for the implementation of the BMZ reform
Conflict sensitivity, local partnerships and civilian peacebuilding must be guiding principles of the reform In January 2026, the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) presented its reform and strategy plan, “Shaping the Future Together Globally”, which aims to realign German development cooperation in terms of structure, funding and content by summer 2027. In […]
Mona Hein joins FriEnt team with a focus on feminist peacebuilding
Prior to this, she worked at the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) since 2022, where she advised the BMZ on issues at the intersection of religion, peace, and security. Her work combines religion- and culture-sensitive approaches to peacebuilding with applied conflict transformation practice. “Amid global crises, we need spaces where people can learn from […]
FriEnt Peacebuilding Forum 2026: The Focus on the Future of Peacebuilding
Hosted by FriEnt (Working Group on Peace and Development), the biennial forum convenes stakeholders from government, civil society, and international organisations across the so-called Global South and North. As a multi-actor network, FriEnt connects perspectives from policymakers, practitioners, and civil society, fostering dialogue across sectors and regions. The seventh edition of the FriEnt Peacebuilding Forum – The Future of Peacebuilding: Pathways for a Changing World – takes place from 15 to 17 September 2026 in […]
„Wo Zivilgesellschaft geschwächt wird, wachsen Autoritarismus und Gewalt“
Herr Ellermann, weltweit werden zivilgesellschaftliche Handlungsräume zunehmend eingeschränkt. Beobachten Sie diesen Trend – und was bedeutet er für die Friedensarbeit heute? Ja, und das betrifft nicht nur autoritäre Staaten. Der CIVICUS-Monitor hat 2025 auch Deutschland als zivilgesellschaftlichen Raum erneut herabgestuft – ein Zeichen dafür, dass selbst etablierte Demokratien zivilgesellschaftliche Räume einschränken. Der Trend ist global. […]
FriEnt trauert um Jochen Steinhilber
Die Arbeitsgemeinschaft Frieden und Entwicklung (FriEnt) nimmt mit tiefer Trauer Abschied von Jochen Steinhilber, der am 21. März 2026 im Alter von 55 Jahren verstorben ist. Der Tod von Jochen Steinhilber hinterlässt eine große Lücke in der Welt der internationalen Zusammenarbeit und Krisenprävention. Als außergewöhnlicher Mitstreiter, Vordenker und früheres Mitglied im Lenkungsausschuss von FriEnt prägte […]