Last week, Master's students from the MA in Conflict, Security and Development at King's College London visited DCAF as part of their study trip to Geneva. We shared a lively exchange and discussion about DCAF's work in shrinking democratic spaces, the importance of gender equality in reform initiatives in security institutions, and the challenges and opportunities of working in fragile contexts such as the Sahel. DCAF runs the annual Young Faces programme to foster up-and-coming cybersecurity professionals in the Western Balkans.
21 Jan 2025As part of our Sweden-funded activities in Moldova to strengthen the capacity of the Association of Women in Police, young female officers came together to hear the success stories and professional experiences of more senior officials. With extensive professional experience both in the ranks and within the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the inspirational speakers discussed challenges they have faced and overcome and gave advice and encouragement for up-and-coming female officers to succeed both as strong leaders and role models. This is part of a series of discussions that aim to build networks and enhance the capacity of female officers in the national police.
17 Jan 2025In partnership with the Moroccan Judges Association, DCAF recently organized a training workshop in Morocco on the forms of violence, root causes, victims’ experiences, and critical gaps in the criminal justice response. This initiative marks a significant step toward fostering a justice system that is more inclusive, responsive, and effective when it comes to dealing with survivors of violence. Participants included representatives from the Moroccan Association of Judges, Hassanya of Judges, Club of Judges, Moroccan Judges Alliance, and the Moroccan Association of Women Judges. This work is part of our years-long engagement supporting locally-driven security and justice reform in Morocco.
16 Jan 2025Recently DCAF brought members of the Dutch Royal Army to meet with representatives of the North Macedonian Ministry of Defence and share their experience implementing a gender action plan in their institution. The Netherlands is widely regarded as a leader in this field, having successfully implemented its Defence Action Plan and demonstrated a strong commitment to embedding gender perspectives across all levels of its military sector. The consultation offered the North Macedonian’s a unique opportunity to learn from another armed force how to integrate gender perspectives into military operations and organizational culture.
14 Jan 2025DCAF was in Latin America recently as part of our five-country regional programme to try to improve relations between police and the media. As we have seen in other contexts this will, in turn, increase respect for human rights and result in more effective citizen oversight of the security sector. In Honduras, we conducted a focus group with journalists and police from Valle and Choluteca. In Mexico, we met with police officials from Tlaxcala and nine municipalities from Nuevo León, and Nuevo Leon Human Rights Commission to review the progress of the project, share the first recommendations for journalists, and plan activities for 2025. This work is possible thanks to the support of the German government.
10 Jan 2025