Security needs peace policy
Global challenges require global cooperation, even beyond political conflict lines between autocracies and democracies. However, this does not make human rights and freedoms negotiable. They must remain the guiding principle for all political action, regardless of state goals and interests. In order for global risks and challenges to peace and security to be dealt with jointly, structures and processes for equal cooperation and dialogue are needed – especially in cooperation with partners in the so-called Global South. The core of development cooperation is not purely financial contributions, but support for structural, political and social changes for good governance and cooperation with civilian forces.
All dimensions of human security must be treated equally. Human security does not only mean protection against physical violence, but also against other threats to people's livelihoods, e.g. through environmental degradation, disease or economic hardship. For this reason, there is no priority for military security. In crisis regions securing livelihoods is decisive for risks and prospects in the long term.
Compared to other instruments, contributions from development cooperation have a lasting effect on peace and security. Civil conflict transformation and peacebuilding strengthen long-term processes of change. This includes a conflict-sensitive approach and the inclusive involvement of various groups in planning and decision-making. Human security and good governance are not possible without active contributions from civil society. Direct support for local peace actors is indispensable. This should be linked to a feminist peace and development policy in order to provide targeted support for women and disadvantaged groups.
Background
Not least since Russia's attack on Ukraine in violation of international law, the geopolitical fragmentation of the international landscape has intensified – with increasingly escalating conflict dynamics from Ukraine to the Horn of Africa, from the Middle East to the South China Sea and their interconnections with global crises. The latest developments in the Sahel region have also shown that the environment for global cooperation efforts is changing considerably. In response to the global developments of the last decade, it is not only the European Union (EU) that has continuously raised its profile as a security provider in regions that are increasingly characterised by power politics. Germany also declared a "turning point" ("Zeitenwende") with the start of the Ukraine-Russia war.
In this changing context, the limits and possibilities of international peacebuilding and conflict resolution are constantly called into question. The risks and threats to peace and human security do not stop at national borders and require a comprehensive commitment on the part of both the German government and the EU to actively shape the proclaimed "Zeitenwende". This commitment also manifests itself in the support of the United Nations, which has provided a framework for crisis and conflict management for decades. However, this framework is currently being put to the test on a massive scale. How can peace and security be promoted through multilateral cooperation in the future? As one of the largest donors for crisis prevention and peacebuilding, Germany should act as a reliable partner for global peace and security policy.