Dialogues and Networks

ZIF Xchange

ZIF Xchange comprises a range of formats for listening, discussing, and brainstorming together. The aim is to lower the threshold for an open exchange of views across professional communities, topics, and disciplines. In this way, our collective political impact is to be increased through knowledge generation and transfer in a protected setting. ZIF Xchange offers formats tailored to the interests and needs of participants – from face-to-face meetings in Berlin and elsewhere to online dialogue series.

Since 2024, we have held ZIF Xchanges on topics such as inclusive peace processes, the transition from peace operations to peacebuilding, the current situation in the Middle East and Sudan, multipolarity in peace mediation, current trends in peace operations, current developments in humanitarian aid in light of global funding cuts, hybrid threats in crisis and conflict contexts, implementation of the CSDP Civilian Compact 2.0 with regard to mediation and dialogue promotion, peacebuilding in the digital age, and many more.
Depending on the topic, ZIF Xchanges bring together representatives from international organizations, national and local non-governmental and professional organizations, experts, embassies of other countries in Berlin, and ZIF secondees. They are held either on site at the ZIF headquarters on Ludwigkirchplatz or virtually, sometimes in collaboration with partners.

Berlin Expert Dialogue

The “Berlin Expert Dialogue” is now an established, confidential format that we fill with current topics each year together with our partners. It focuses primarily on issues of immediate operational relevance or emerging policy processes. Most recently, for example, the focus was on the future of peacekeeping missions (2022) and disinformation in the context of peacekeeping missions (2023).

Trilateral dialogue

This dialogue format offers participants, mostly representatives of international organizations, the opportunity for in-depth professional exchange on common challenges. The dialogue between organizations such as the EU, UN, OSCE, AU, and others serves as a platform for structured exchange on tasks, approaches, and solution strategies for conflict transformation and dealing with conflict actors. However, the focus can also be on concrete cooperation on common issues or in common areas of operation. In November 2023, for example, ZIF held a workshop in Cairo on climate and environmental security in operations – together with adelphi, the UN, the EU, and representatives of other regional organizations (Arab League, African Union, and others) – with the aim of exchanging experiences and strengthening cooperation. 

Previous dialogues have focused on topics such as approaches and best practices for mediation activities in the context of particularly protracted and intractable conflicts, dealing with organized crime in mission countries, peace operations partnerships, and strategies for strengthening the rule of law.

German Humanitarian-Development-Peace (HDP) Nexus Community of Practice

Since 2024, ZIF has been coordinating the German HDP Nexus Community of Practice. This consists of around 40 national expert and implementing organizations from the fields of humanitarian aid, development cooperation, and peacebuilding, as well as think tanks and representatives from the Federal Foreign Office and the BMZ. The CoP provides a platform for exchange, consultation, and mutual learning between the participating organizations on the implementation of the HDP Nexus and meets regularly twice a year. Depending on the thematic focus, representatives of international organizations or local partner organizations from the countries of operation also participate in the CoP meetings.

The CoP emerged from a series of workshops organized by ZIF at the end of 2023 on the implementation of the HDP Nexus in country contexts, which, among other things, developed a series of recommendations for (political) decision-makers.
 

Berlin Peacebuilding Community of Practice (PB CoP)

At a meeting with the United Nations Assistant Secretary-General for Peacebuilding, Elisabeth Spehar, and experts in the field of peacebuilding in December 2024, the ZIF proposed the establishment of a Community of Practice for peacebuilding by Berlin-based organizations. Since then, the CoP has been meeting on an ad hoc basis, involving implementation partners where possible. The Federal Foreign Office also participates in the meetings. 

In 2025, the focus was on Germany's chairmanship of the UN Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) and possible contributions by the PB CoP to Germany's priorities. This resulted in a compendium of best practices and innovative approaches to peacebuilding at the local level. The compendium (link) was shared with the German Chair and relevant partners in the UN system and was received by the relevant actors as a helpful comprehensive work.

Even beyond Germany's chairmanship of the PBC, the CoP regularly exchanges views on key issues in the field of peacebuilding, including cooperation with local actors in peacebuilding measures. 

Global Alliance for Peace Operations

The Global Alliance for Peace Operations is a research community—a network of think tanks, research institutions, and other civil society organizations involved in peace operations—that promotes the exchange and transfer of knowledge within a global community of partners. The Alliance is led by a core group of three organizations: the Global Governance Institute (GGI), Amani Africa Media and Research Services (Amani Africa), and the Center for International Peace Operations (ZIF). The Alliance was founded in the context of the UN Peacekeeping Ministerial 2025 hosted by Germany to facilitate the systematic involvement of civil society and to exchange knowledge about opportunities, challenges, and future prospects for UN peace operations. In November 2025, the Global Alliance, together with other networks (EPON, Challenges Forum, etc.), organized a series of workshops in New York to support the Review of All Forms of Peace Operations mandated by the Future Pact, in close consultation with the authors of the review (Peace Operations Review Week, November 5-7).
 

Effectiveness of Peace Operations Network (EPON)

The Norwegian Institute of International Affairs, together with over 40 partner organizations worldwide, founded the Effectiveness of Peace Operations Network (EPON) to jointly research the effectiveness of international peace operations. The EPON studies are based on several weeks of field research and thus offer insights into the realities of individual peace operations. Each of the case studies deals with a selected peace operation. All operations are examined using a uniform methodology. EPON studies already conducted cover the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo), Mali, Somalia, South Sudan, the Central African Republic (CAR), Darfur, Colombia, and Ukraine. Most recently, the focus has been on the Lake Chad region and the protection of civilians in the four major UN missions MINUSCA (CAR), MINUSMA (Mali), MONUSCO (DR Congo) and UNMISS (South Sudan).