Peacebuilding and humanitarian action in international conflicts are becoming ever more important. The roles of the respective actors are very different. However, both fields must be based on clear values. They require good concepts and expertise and benefit from dialogue between a range of actors from the field and academia, state and civil society, and from different parts of the world.
I advise and support aid organisations and other international actors to this end with studies, dialogue and networking, as well as with workshops and conferences and evaluations. I combine political causes with academic rigour and I support the collaboration of a range of actors seeking to achieve common objectives.
From my work:
- On 26 January and 15 May 2024 thousands demonstrated in Reutlingen for human rights and democracy and for our constitution, I was one of the organisers.
- 5 years ago we founded the CHA and now we celebrated. Congratulations to the Centre for Humanitarian Action!
- Final evaluation of Qudra 2 - a very interesting and complex programme for Syrian refugees and host communities in Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Türkiye. Conceptional work include the Social Cohesion Guidance Notes.
- Erste Empfehlungen für zivile Planziele der Bundesregierung. Platform Platform Peaceful Conflict Transformation 2023.
- Governmental targets for peacebuilding and conflict transformation. Documentation of the Expert Meeting Platform Peaceful Conflict Transformation on 2.2.2023.
- Think Tank "Humanitäre Hilfe" - Die politischen Kontexte der Humanitären Hilfe im Blick. transfer 33/2 Dezember 2022, pp. 14-15.
- Course on humanitarian action at Tübingen University with Sonja Hövelmann (CHA).
- Briefing Paper: Cooperation with German diplomatic missions for the protection and promotion of civil society spacespace. Published by Bread for the World, Consortium CPS, MISEREOR, based on on a study by Heidi Feldt, Martin Petry, and Martin Quack (for FAKT Consult).
- Conference report: "Farbe bekennen – Rassismus und ZKB" - Jahrestagung der Plattform ZKB, 16.-17. April 2021. In Wissenschaft & Frieden 2021-2: Völkerrecht in Bewegung – Von Kritik, Krisen und Erneuerung.
- Online conference: FARBE BEKENNEN - Rassismus und Zivile Konfliktbearbeitung, 16-17 April 2021 hosted by Evangelische Akademie Villigst and German Platform for Peaceful Conflict Management.
- On 21 January 2021 we founded an independent association as a legal entity for the Centre for Humanitarian Action (CHA).
- with Ralf Südhoff: The Triple Nexus in South Sudan : Learning from local opportunities. Centre for Humanitarian Action 2020.
- Focus on diversity, equal opportunities, and internationalisiation of professors: Reutlingen University gets multy-year public funding.
- Seminar "Theorie und Praxis der humanitären Hilfe" in cooperation with Sonja Hövelmann (CHA) at Tübingen University.
- Triple Nexus in Pakistan - Article by Sonja Hövelmann (CHA) based on our joint research in the country.
- Friedensethische Prüfsteine ziviler Konfliktbearbeitung : Politisch-ethische Herausforderungen. Editors: Werkner, Ines-Jacqueline/Stobbe, Heinz-Günther.
- The 'triple nexus' is one of CHA's focus areas in the next two years, along with 'policy and strategy capacities among German humanitarian actors' and 'shrinking humanitarian space'.
- Humanitäre Policy-und Strategiefähigkeit deutscher Akteure, Triple-Nexus und Shrinking Humanitarian Space im Globalen Süden und in Europa: Drei Projekte, die das Centre for Humanitarian Action (CHA) bis 2021 realisiert. Was genau das heißt, wird unten stehend ausgeführt.
- "Humanitäre Hilfe in Syrien: Krise der Innovationen" - article with Ralf Südhoff in: VEREINTE NATIONEN 3/19, pp. 111-116. Also published by CHA.
- Consultation on civilian conflict transformation by FEST on 10.05.2019 and on 15.07.2019 in Heidelberg.
- "Rountable: The Nexus in Practice", hosted by CHA and MSF on 12.06.2019 in Berlin.
- „State of the Humanitarian System (SOHS) 2018“ - Launch of the new report on 04.04.2019 by CHA together ALNAP and the German Foreign Office.
- "'Suche Frieden und jage ihm nach!' - Friedenspolitik oder Sicherheitspolitik?" Lecture on 03.04.2019 in Leonberg.
- "Military employments abroad" - Public Consultation by the Church of Lippe on 23.03.2019 in Bad Salzufflen.
- Opening event of CHA on Germany's humanitarian role on 20.03.2019 in Berlin.
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"Wie sind die europäischen Friedensvisionen noch zu retten? Herausforderungen für die europäische Zivilgesellschaft" - conference on 29.-31.03.2019, Protestant Academy Bad Boll.
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"Frieden wagen statt auf Sicherheit bauen" - Lecture in Herrrenberg on November 7, 2018.
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What do practitioners really need from academics? Report on our panel on August 27, 2018, at the fifth bi-annual IHSA Conference.
- Guidance (in German) Friedliche Gesellschaften gemeinsam gestalten published by Ohne Rüstung Leben based on our workshops in Stuttgart, Tübingen, Heidelberg and Freiburg 2018.
- New publication: Quack, Martin (Ed.): "Based on Need alone?" for Caritas Germany, Doctors without Borders and Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe in German and English. Also published by Maecenata as Opusculum No. 121. Book launch on 05.10.2018 in Berlin.
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We will be at the Humanitarian Congress with the Centre for Humanitarian Action on 4-5 October 2018 in Berlin.
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"Gute Hilfe, schlechte Hilfe" - Interview with Deutschlandfunk Nova (in German) on Humanitarian Action for the Centre for Humanitarian Action on 20.08.2018.
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Interview and article on humanitarian action (in English) for the Centre for Humanitarian Action - Deutsche Welle on 17.08.2018.
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"Vor welchen Fragen steht die humanitäre Hilfe? Ideen für Analyse, Debatte und Vermittlung für das Centre for Humanitarian Action" (in German). OBSERVATORIUM No. 15 - August 2018, MAECENATA.
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Interview (in German) about the Berlin based Centre for Humanitarian Action (CHA), a new programme of the MAECENATA Foundation, 01.08.2018 in WELTSICHTEN.
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Workshops Konflikte verstehen - Friedliche Gesellschaften gemeinsam gestalten with Ohne Rüstung Leben in Stuttgart, Tübingen, Heidelberg and Freiburg. Brief report (in German) in ORL informationen 165 | 2018-3 S. 11.
The Centre for Humanitarian Action (CHA) in Berlin is officially founded by Maecenata Foundation, Caritas Germany, Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe and MSF. CHA is aiming at strong analyses, solid debates and a better understanding of humanitarian action. And we look forward to cooperating with other humanitarian actors.
„Conflicts within Europe and the Civil Peace Service - the case of Kosovo“ - lecture and workshop at Karl von Frisch High School, Dußlingen with a report in the newspaper Schwäbisches Tagblatt.
Course on humanitarian action at Tübingen University summer term 2018.
- "Herausforderung Humanitäre Hilfe : politische Bedeutung und kritische Reflexion in Deutschland" - my study for MSF, Caritas Germany and Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe has been published also in the Opuscula series by Maecenata Foundation.
- A Think Tank for Humanitarian Action in Germany: MSF, Caritas Germany and Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe create together with Maecenata Foundation the Centre for Humanitarian Action (CHA). And they look for a director of the CHA (German speaking).
- Konflikte verstehen - Friedliche Gesellschaften gemeinsam gestalten. Introductory workshops for peace and development activists (in German language) with Ohne Rüstung Leben in Stuttgart, Tübingen, Heidelberg and Freiburg.
- What do Practitioners really need from Academics? Panel with Peter Heintze (KUNO) at the World Conference on Humanitarian Studies 27.-29.2018 in The Hague.
- Peacebuilding between Profession and Mission, Annual Conference of the German Platform for Peaceful Conflict Management, 6-8 April 2018, Ev. Akademie Loccum.
- Project Logic of Peace: thinking ahead in dialogue with peace organizations and politics of the German Platform for Peaceful Conflict Management: Meeting with Members of Parliament in December 2017 and several ressources (including a leaflet in English).
- Measuring what really counts: FriEnt/forumZFD Expert Meeting on Measuring SDG 16 in December 2017 in Berlin.
- A logic of peace instead of a logic of security - a new concept for a proven idea. Input at the 40th anniversary conference of Living Without Armament in the Ev. Akademie Bad Boll, 17-18 November 2017. With a documentation and an article in the magazine of the academy (all in German): Friedens- statt Sicherheitslogik. SYM 4/2017, S. 14-15.
- "Lokalisierung oder wie die Humanitäre Hilfe vom Kopf auf die Füße gestellt werden soll", BBE Europa-Nachrichten – Newsletter für Engagement und Partizipation No. 9, 28.9.2017.
- "Deutschland polarisiert sich : Warum die Nachhaltigkeitsstrategie auch Gewalt in Deutschland thematisieren muss" - with Richard Klasen in the German SDG shadow report: "Deutschland und die globale Nachhaltigkeitsagenda 2017 : Großbaustelle Nachhaltigkeit", VENRO et al. (Ed.) 2017, p. 167-175.
- "External Mid-Term Evaluation of Humanitarian Aid : Refugee aid in Lebanon" - report on Humedica project published on reliefweb
- "Sozialer Frieden" - conference report 31.3.-2.4.2017 published by the journal Wissenschaft und Frieden 2017-3
- Conference "Friedenslogik politisch entwickeln - 40 Jahre Ohne Rüstung leben", 17.-18.11.2017 in Bad Boll, in cooperation with the Project Logic of Peace of the Plattform Zivile Konfliktbearbeitung
- Project „Friedenslogik weiterdenken – Dialoge zur Friedensarbeit und Politik“ of the Plattform Zivile Konfliktbearbeitung
- Social Peace – Conference by Plattform ZKB, Bread for the World and Ev. Akademie Villigst 31 March-2 April 2017
- Agenda 2030: Exchange on implementing the peace dimension, FriEnt 15 March 2017
- "Konfliktlösung statt Krieg" Fachtagung Friedenspolitik des DGB, 16-17 February 2017
- "HELP! We need somebody - Braucht Deutschland ein Institut für humanitäre Fragen?" - expert meeting on Humanitarian Action, 14 December 2016
- "Herausforderung Humanitäre Hilfe : Politische Bedeutung und kritische Reflexion in Deutschland", study published by Doctors without Borders, Caritas international and Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe
- "Zivile Konfliktbearbeitung: Ein Glossar", Ed. Ute Finckh-Krämer, with a chapter on Humanitarian Action
- Humanitarian Congress 14.-15.10.2016 in Berlin: Panel on Gender-Based Violence
- Humanitarian Action – Whose Business is it anyway? - Summary (in German and English) and report (in German and English) of the conference 14-15 April 2016