REAL SHORT INTRODUCTION
Effective and innovative approaches and activities that contribute to conflict prevention and resolution are identified and organized by the Common Effort Community.
The Common Effort Community aims to support and inspire the security and development efforts of Germany and the Netherlands and other partners through its expertise and experience.
In order to avoid duplication and to create synergies with new and existing initiatives, Common Effort closely coordinates with local and international stakeholders.
Common Effort Community
On May 20, 2015, 26 organizations from the government, civil society, the police, the military and the private sector in Germany and the Netherlands have launched the Common Effort Community.
In their Joint Statement, the founding civil and military organizations, as well as observers, specializing in fragile states and their challenges, agreed to contribute to a safe and secure world in which men and women can live in dignity and enjoy their universal human rights.
Since then we
Establish and develop relevant networks for the purpose of combining and coordinating activities, know-how and expertise.
Train, learn and share knowledge and experience to improve our understanding of fragility and conflict, including local security dynamics and the perceptions of civilians in conflict areas. This will also inform our protection of civilians strategies.
Develop and evaluate our concepts and approaches, wherever necessary and whenever possible within the capacities and mandates of each signatory, in the form of annual action plans that translate our Joint Statement into concrete joint actions.
Foster public and political support in Germany, the Netherlands and other countries, as well as in international fora such as NATO, the EU and the UN, to enhance the comprehensive approach.
a little bit of history
Common Effort Conference 2023, Berlin
Under the umbrella of the Common Effort Community, the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom (FNF) together with 1 German-Netherlands Corps, the German Africa Foundation and Project Lighthouse Africa e.V. held an international conference on “West Africa as an Arena of Geopolitical Conflict – Destabilization, Propaganda Narratives and Comprehensive Counter Measures” at the AUDIF Auditorium in Berlin.
The purpose of the conference was to discuss the key issues of the role of foreign actors in the geopolitical environment of West Africa, the comprehensive approach to security and development, possible conflict resolution and the role of the EU in the region from the different perspectives of the military, politics, academia, business and civil society. Special attention was given to the role of communication, narratives and perspectives.
The Common Effort Project 2022+
With a development workshop at the Hamburg Port Authority in February and a kick-off seminar in Münster in March, the Common Effort Project 2022+ successfully launched the second pillar, Collective Defense, Resilience and Hybrid Threat.
CE Project 22+ is experimenting with collaborative working tools to enhance interaction and sharing of expertise on a virtual platform. To this end, a new CE Operations Center has been established at the Manfred von Richthofen Barracks in Münster, Germany, and the Port of Hamburg serves as a living lab where a scenario can be simulated in a realistic environment.
The Two-Pillar Approach
After a successful three-year focus on the Sahel region, the Common Effort Community changed its focus to a two-pillar approach end of 2021.
One pillar will continue to focus on crisis response operations in the Sahel and spill-over areas, while the other pillar will focus on collective defense, hybrid threats and resilience. The first webinar has already been held and a knowledge development workshop is being prepared for early 2022.
Sharpening The Focus: The Sahel G5 Three-Year Cycle
In 2019, the Common Effort Community reshaped its agenda by introducing a multi-year regional focus in line with Germany and the Netherlands’ policy priorities on foreign relations, security, and development. This unlocked the full potential of the Common Effort community.
For three years, the Community focused on the Sahel, a region that has become a foreign policy, security and development priority for many European countries, including Germany and the Netherlands.
Even with the challenges of the Corona Pandemic the Community closed the three year cycle successfully with the presentation of the Common Effort Sahel G5 Report to the Dutch and German Ministries of Defense and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development in September 2021.
New Member or Observer
As of June 30, 2016, 11 additional organizations have become members or observers of the Community.
Other organizations are welcome to join the Community and contribute to its objectives. A signing ceremony is held each year during the High-Level Event of the Common Effort Exercise.
The signing of the Joint Statement is considered the official admission of new members to the Common Effort Community.
Common Effort Community
On 20 May 2015, after years of collaboration, 26 organizations from government, civil society, police, military and the private sector in Germany and the Netherlands launched the Common Effort Community.
Since then the Community has grown up to more than 60 organisations to current state.
The Birth of Common Effort
Common Effort began in 2010 when the First (German/Netherlands) Corps (1GNC) initiated a civil-military cooperation exercise to comprehensively strengthen stability, security and safety.
The exercise brings together development practitioners, diplomats, think tank experts, and military personnel on a regular basis to practice comprehensive cooperation based on an existing country or region facing stability, security, and safety challenges.
