FREXUS Project // Riding out the Multicrisis – the Paris Peace Forum 2022 Tackles Global Governance Challenges in a Polarized World

“Given the multiple crises, we need more integrated approaches: we must strengthen the peacebuilding impact of food security programs” states Dirk Aßmann, Director General of the Sectoral Department (FMB), during the 5th edition of the annual Paris Peace Forum in a panel discussion about Food Security for Peace.

Under the headline “Riding out the multicrisis”, the Paris Peace Forum (PPF) took place from 11-12 November in the Palais Brongniart in Paris. The 5^th edition of the Forum brought together 32 heads of states and leaders of international organization and a total of 4800 participants from civil society, political foundations, think tanks, private sector, international organizations and academic institutions to address common global governance challenges in particularly trying times for international cooperation. From the crisis of universalism, the global food crisis, cybersecurity risks as well as the overriding climate crisis, participants discussed solutions, challenges and best practices in overall various panels and roundtables as well as the 60 showcased “PPF Solutions for Peace” (The projects | Paris Peace Forum). The program of this years’ edition of the Paris Peace Forum was centered around six core topics:

1. Managing the fallout of multicrisis on the population
2. Catalyzing climate and environmental solution
3. Rethinking globalization in a globalized world
4. Cooperating through conflicts
5. Ensuring a safer and ethical digital world
6. Fostering more inclusive and just societies

Some highlights as well as replays of the sessions can be found here: Wrapping up the fifth edition of the Paris Peace Forum | Paris Peace Forum

GIZ at the PPF 2022: a focus on integrated solutions at the food security and peace nexus

As one of the partner organizations GIZ organizes and participates in different formats during the two days of the forum. This year, GIZ’s presence centered around exploring integrated solutions along the food security, climate and peace nexus as was reflected in the showcased GIZ Frexus project at the PPF 2022 “Solution for Peace” as well the organized roundtable “Food security for Peace”.

The Frexus Project – a PPF “Solution for Peace 2022”

The GIZ project Frexus – improving security and climate resilience in a fragile context through the Water-Energy-Food Nexus which was selected as one of the PPF’s 60 “Solutions for Peace”, is co-financed project by the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the European Union (EU). The project works, together with its partners, towards the improvement of the understanding of the interaction of social and environmental factors, including climate change, governance and management of natural resources, and conflict in fragile areas.

The Frexus project was also given a chance to present itself at the “Peace by the People” panel where civil society initiatives stressed what was needed to support civil society’s role in conflict resolutions: the need to include local perspectives, take more risks as well as work together in collective agency as peacebuilding actors.

Director Governance and Conflict, Kathrin Lorenz stressed the need to apply conflict-sensitivity and conflict resolution lessons from the peacebuilding community to the wider development operations in order to increase the peace impact. Further she states:

​​​​​​​"It feels like we are talking about a niche, but it is not. The world is highly fragile and highly interconnected. The actions we take as development actors will also influence developments towards peace and security.”

The session concluded with a strong statement from the moderator Stefano Manservisi:

"Prevention, preventing conflicts without people is impossible!(…)Take the risks where actions make sense (…) act local, identify the right drivers and listen to the people on the ground"

[The full recording of the session is available here.]

Joint GIZ-SIPRI Roundtable Food Security for Peace

In addition, GIZ organized a high-level roundtable together with the Swedish Peacebuilding Think Tank SIPRI on “Food Security for Peace: how an integrated approach to the global food crisis contributes to peacebuilding”. Panelists included Attinine Aminata Hassane, Mayor of Farray Municipality, Niger (Local partner of GIZ-Frexus Programm), Assia Bensalah Alaoui, Ambassador at Large of his Majesty Mohamed VI, the King of Morocco, Caroline Delgado, Director of the Food, Peace and Security Programme (SIPRI), Rebecca Richards, Chief Emergency and Transitions (WFP), Peter Wagner, Head of Foreign Policy Instruments (FPI) of the European Commission and Dirk Aßmann, Director General Sectoral Department (GIZ). During the discussion Dirk Aßmann pointed out:

“from Somalia, Lebanon to Myanmar to Mali we support conflict-affected populations in regaining their livelihoods and their food security – by combining short-term measures such as cash transfers or seed or fertilizer distribution while at the same time working with state actors to ensure mid- and long-term solutions for conflict-sensitive reconstruction and food security by supporting e.g. trainings on nutrition or locally-adapted but climate-resilient farming methods to cooperatives to diversify and bolster food productions”.

GIZ participates at the PPF Working Group “Harmful Content”

In addition to the annual event in November, GIZ also participates at year-round working group of the PPF on “Harmful Content”. As of January 2022, experts from all over the world and from all sectors have been working to unpack the very idea of ‘harmful’ content online, as part of a prospective, multistakeholder working group. During Paris Peace Forum 2022 the working group published a White Paper and organized a roundtable on the topic of „Governing Online Content“. The roundtable included ten participants who represented governments, the private sector, civil society and research. GIZ was represented by Martha Gutierrez, Director Global Policy, Governance and Cities.

The full panel discussion session is available to watch on YouTube: Peace by the people: involving civil society in conflict resolution | #PPF22

Related Resources

• Policy Brief // From forecast to prevention: Acting on resource-related conflict risks
  
• Fact Sheet // Frexus: Improving security and climate resilience in a fragile context through the WEF Nexus
• The Frexus project // A response to resource conflict in the Sahel region
• Frexus at Stockholm WWW 2022 // Improving security and climate resilience with participatory processes