#ZIF20: "Flagship of German foreign policy"

Due to the pandemic, ZIF did not host almost any major event the past two-plus years. Therefore, we were very excited to meeting again live and in color with companions and partners to celebrate our anniversary. We had invited for a summer evening at "prime time" in Berlin's Elisabeth Church in Mitte. More than 200 guests accepted our invitation, among them friends, alumni and supporters of ZIF, members of parliament, colleagues from the ministry, former and current secondees as well as members of our International Advisory Board. The stage program focused on the work of ZIF - as the German Center of Excellence for peace operations. A visionary, interdisciplinary concept at that time, it was brought to life by founding director Dr. Winrich Kühne and a 20-member team in partnership with the German Foreign Office in 2002. Over the course of two decades, ZIF has become a role model for other institutions worldwide - the "flagship of German foreign policy," as Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock put it in her laudation.

ZIF Executive Director Dr. Almut Wieland-Karimi opened the event with some reviews, figures, examples and milestones on the development of ZIF. She also outlined current developments, the erosion of multilateralism, and the increasing complexity of conflicts. The withdrawal from Afghanistan and the "fall of Kabul" on August 16, 2016, as well as the Russian war on Ukraine since February 24, 2022, have raised difficult questions about the future of international crisis management, the ZIF director outlined critically. Nevertheless, she emphasized, humanitarian needs have increased and peace operations, with realistic mandates and sufficient financial and human resources continue to make important and necessary contributions to dealing with conflicts and crises worldwide. In a globalized world, nationalism is not an option, Wieland-Karimi said. She thanked ZIF's extensive network of partners and institutions as well as its "mother house", the Federal Foreign Office, for the constructive cooperation, not forgetting all supporters in the parliamentary and political sphere. But without the commitment of ZIF staff at the Berlin headquarters and ZIF's seconded personnel in the missions, such a development and visibility would not have been possible, Almut Wieland-Karimi concluded her speech.

Afterwards, Simone von Stosch took over the moderation of the evening and invited Foreign Minister Baerbock to the stage. Read her speech and/or listen to the audio record on our site. Minister Baerbock emphasized the great importance of ZIF and underlined the importance of including current issues such as a feminist perspective as well as climate change in the work of peace operations.

Federal President Dr. Frank-Walter Steinmeier and United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, sent their birthday greetings via video.

Long-time Secondee and Deputy Head of Mission of EUPOL COPPS, Katja Dominik, the Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, Niels Annen, and ZIF "veteran" analyst Tobias von Gienanth discussed peace operations as a field of work in a panel. The three of them took the opportunity to contribute their quite differing perspectives - from the field, the political arena, and academic analysis - thus providing a broad view of peace operations.

Afterwards, Helga Schmid, OSCE Secretary-General, Edem Wosornu, Head of Response Support Branch at UN OCHA, and Jonas Alberoth, Chair of ZIF's International Advisory Board, commented on ZIF's work with a view to current foreign policy events such as the war in Ukraine and humanitarian challenges around the world - and ventured a preview of future challenges.

The event was musically accompanied by the band Dew's Brew.

Following the stage program, the guests made intensive use of the opportunity for personal exchange - because ZIF lives from and through its employees, but also through a strong network. The current geopolitical situation was not the only topic of conversation. We thank all participants for this very dignified and entertaining celebration, which will remain in our memories and motivates us all to continue our committed contribution to more peace and stability.