About the Advisory Board

The Advisory Board provides strategic and practical recommendations to the Federal Government with the aim of strengthening Germany’s international peace engagement. Drawing on its members’ civil society and academic expertise, it provides guidance on overarching political developments and events in the domains of crisis prevention and peacebuilding. As part of its advisory activities, the Advisory Board stipulates its own focus areas and projects, formulates recommendations through various advisory formats, conducts studies and organises events.

The twenty members of the Advisory Board come from non-governmental organizations, church organizations, scientific institutions providing policy advice, public security policy institutions, political foundations and the United Nations. They are appointed for four years.

The Advisory Board was created as part of the adoption of the “Civilian Crisis Prevention” action plan in 2004. In addition to an internal government coordination body, the Civilian Crisis Prevention Departmental Group, the action plan provided for an independent advisory body for the Federal Government. The Advisory Board was appointed for the first time in 2005.

Following a broad public consultation, the guidelines “Preventing crises, managing conflicts, promoting peace” (crisis guidelines) were then adopted by cabinet resolution in 2017. These replaced the “Civilian Crisis Prevention” action plan. In the crisis guidelines, the mandate of the Advisory Board was expanded and its ability to act was improved. The task of the Advisory Board is to advise the ministries, develop its own conceptual contributions and promote exchange with the public. In addition to its general advisory activities, the Advisory Board closely monitores the implementation and future adaptation of the crisis guidelines. Today, it has its own coordinating office based at the zivik Funding Programme of the ifa (Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen e. V., Institute for Foreign Cultural Relations).

The Advisory Board defines its own work projects, within the framework of which studies or statements are planned and advisory processes are organised. The advisory activities cover relevant topics on civilian crisis prevention, peacebuilding and international conflict management.

As part of its advisory activities, the Advisory Board draws up recommendations, comments on overarching political developments and events, offers various advisory formats, prepares studies on fundamental and current topics and organises events and expert discussions. The most important event is the Berlin Peace Dialogue. The Advisory Board’s annual conference has proven to be a recognised platform that facilitates and promotes exchange between German and international experts from academia, practice and politics.

The Advisory Board meets four times a year in joint sessions with the Civilian Crisis Prevention Departmental Group. This consists of the Federal Foreign Office, the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, the Federal Ministry of Defence, the Federal Ministry of the Interior, Building and Community and the Federal Chancellery. Representatives of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy and the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety also participate on a topic-related basis. The Advisory Board also holds an annual retreat at the Federal Foreign Office’s Villa Borsig.