Rethinking the Peace-Development Nexus
The Institute for Development and Peace (Institut für Entwicklung und Frieden - INEF), University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany, is hosting a series of workshops at the 2008 Global Conference of the International Peace Research Organization (IPRA) (University of Leuven, Belgium 15-19 July). Concurrent with the Conference's theme "Building Sustainable Development: Enacting Peace and Development", six panels and two roundtables will focus on issues connecting the fields of peace and development. A grant from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) has enabled the INEF to invite 20 scholars, policymakers and NGO activists from both OECD and non-OECD countries to present and discuss their analysis of current issues.
The Institute for Development and Peace (INEF)
The Institute for Development and Peace (INEF), which was founded in 1990, is a research institute at the University of Duisburg-Essen (Faculty of Social Sciences) with a strong focus on policy-related and policy-relevant research. It closely collaborates with the Development and Peace Foundation (SEF), Bonn, established in 1986 at the initiative of former German chancellor and Nobel peace prize winner Willy Brandt.
INEF combines basic research with applied and policy-related research on issues like Global Governance and Human Security, Fragile States, Crisis Prevention and Civilian Conflict Management, Development, Human Rights and Corporate Social Responsibility. The specific approach of INEF, as the only German research institute, is to combine basic with policy oriented research in peace and development research. INEF carries out research programmes and systematically explores available international expertise and world reports, often in cooperation with national and international partners. INEF also conducts smaller projects for NGOs and NGO networks. The institute is integrated in a strong and viable international research network.
The International Peace Research Association (IPRA)
The International Peace Research Association (IPRA) is an international non-governmental organization seeking to advance trans-disciplinary research into the conditions of sustainable peace and the causes of war and other forms of violence. IPRA encourages worldwide cooperation designed to assist the advancement of peace research, in particular: to promote national and international studies and teaching related to the pursuit of world peace, to facilitate contacts and cooperation between scholars and educators throughout the world, and to encourage the worldwide dissemination of the results of peace research.
Every two years, peace researchers from the whole world gather to exchange ideas and experiences, to initiate joint projects, and develop new avenues for research. The conference focuses on the most urgent challenges for peace. Through sharing and debate, the conference seeks to advance actionable knowledge. In July 2008 the conference will concentrate on the crucial links between sustainable development and peace building. The 2008 Global Conference will take place at the University of Leuven, Belgium, 15-19 July.
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