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News

Welcoming our 16 heads of field offices

Last week we had a full house at headquarters in Geneva with the arrival of all our heads of field offices for a week of knowledge sharing and discussion about applying SSG/R across the very different contexts in which we operate. A key topic in this year of elections around the world was how to support local partners to find effective entry points for good governance processes in fragile and conflict-affected places where the scope for democratic oversight has been severely compromised. They also met with representatives of DCAF’s governing Foundation Council to help provide first hand knowledge to bridge the gap between SSG/R policy at the international level, and practice on the ground.

01 Jul 2024

Welcoming the President of the Swiss Council of States

DCAF and our sister centres had the honor of welcoming Eva Herzog to the Maison de la Paix this week. DCAF, the Geneva Centre for Security Policy, and the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining are all Swiss foundations that work, in different ways, to advance the security of people and states around the world. We are thankful to Switzerland for its steadfast partnership in our work and for its global leadership in promoting peace and security.

26 Jun 2024

Sowing the seeds of good governance in military officers of the future

DCAF’s team in Skopje recently participated in the Military Summer Campus 2024 in North Macedonia. The Summer Campus is an annual military exercise organized by the North Macedonian army for officer cadets from 14 NATO and non-NATO countries. They have lectures on various topics related to defense and security and take part in a military exercise designed to test their skills and strategic knowledge. DCAF presented the principles and mechanisms of effective accountability of armed forces, and introduced our Intelligence and Security Sector Reform Programme in North Macedonia.

25 Jun 2024

Protecting the human rights of military conscripts

DCAF was in Bishkek recently to talk about the rights of conscripts with representatives from the Kyrgyzstan Ministries of Justice and Defence, the Military Prosecutor’s Office, Border Services, Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the Ministry of Emergency Situations. The National Centre for the Prevention of Torture presented findings from a DCAF-supported survey on conscripts' rights. All men in Kyrgyzstan between the ages of 18 and 27 are conscripted to serve in the military for 12 months; 9 months if they are in university. The study highlighted key challenges faced by soldiers during their service.

24 Jun 2024

The role of women in peace negotiations

Last week, DCAF co-hosted an enriching event on women's participation in establishing peace and security arrangements, especially in conflict-affected environments. With the Permanent Missions of Colombia and Norway to the UN and the Berghof Foundation, we hosted a conversation with Victoria Sandino Simanca Herrera, an ex-combatant of the former FARC-EP, former Colombian Senator, and a negotiator of the Colombian Peace Agreement. She discussed her work to include a gender perspective in the Total Peace Agreement in Colombia and the challenges that women still face in raising their voices during peace negotiations.

20 Jun 2024