On the basis of applied research, BICC offers consultancy, policy advice and training. Its international staff carries out self- and third-party financed projects.

BICC collects and publishes information, carries out evaluations and prepares publications and makes these materials available to NGOs, governments and private organizations. It is co-publisher of an international scientific book series (Sustainable Peace and Global Security Governance) and the annual State of Peace Report (Friedensgutachten).

The Center organizes exhibitions, conferences, expert workshops and talks on a regular basis. These events help make the public even more aware of the issues that are important to BICC.

BICC was founded in 1994 with the support of the Land North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) as a non-profit limited liability company (GmbH). Shareholders are the Laender of NRW and Brandenburg. BICC bodies are its Supervisory Board, its Board of Trustees, and the International Board.

 

Their Mission

BICC seeks to assist in preventing violent conflict and hence contribute to their constructive transformation.

 

THEIR WORK

 

AREAS OF EXPERTISE

Peace and Development: BICC offers advisory services on disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DD&R). It evaluates DD&R-related processes as well as peacebuilding tools, studies the role of the security sector, researches on the nexus between development and peace as well as early warning systems for crises.

Arms - global trends, exports and control: BICC analyzes global trends in defense expenditures, armed forces personnel and militarization. It makes connections between arms exports, development aid and human rights and lobbies for global arms control.

Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW): BICC offers advice and trainings worldwide on small arms control. It also consults on the marking and tracing as well as the safe stockpiling of SALW and ammunition. It collects data on proliferation of SALW and evaluates small arms control activities.

Resources and Conflict: BICC studies the nexus between natural resources and conflict while lobbying and providing training on this topic.

Migration and Conflict: BICC carries out research on the nexus between migration in Africa and security. It discusses challenges of migration and displacement in Sub-Saharan Africa and studies the African diaspora in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), in Germany and in the European Union.

Base conversion: BICC has carried out research on base conversion for 15 years - not only in Germany but worldwide.

 

SERVICES

•Applied research (research papers, background and evaluation studies, impact analysis, indicator development, data collection and analysis as well as project assistance and implementation).

•Consultancy (background analyses, policy recommendations, expert workshops).

•Capacity-building through the elaboration of concepts and modules for education and training.

•Public relations (publications, conferences, events, and exhibitions).