DCAF

DCAF has long supported regional parliamentary dialogue in South East , recognizing its contribution to building between people, institutions and countries, and to fostering bilateral and regional on shared challenges.

Today, South East Europe stands out as a region with highly developed normative and institutional frameworks for democratic and parliamentary oversight of the . The challenge is no longer to design sound , committees or mandates, but to ensure that they are used in practice — consistently and effectively. This means transforming from a formal obligation into a living institutional practice that, especially in times of and political pressure, strengthens the , improves security delivery and reinforces in the democratic state.

We were delighted to take part in this year’s regional parliamentary conference with the participation of our senior manager Teodora Fuior. Thank you to all participants and organizers for this insightful exchange.

The Annual Meeting of Representatives of Defence and Security Committees from South East Europe Parliaments was held in Zagreb from 2 to 3 June 2026, providing a valuable platform for the exchange of experiences and good practices in parliamentary oversight of the defence and security sector, while addressing current security challenges and democratic governance.

Read more on our website: https://www.racviac.org/the-annual-meeting-of-representatives-of-defence-and-security-committees-from-see-parliaments-held-in-zagreb/

OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR)
OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina
DCAF

Last week in Vienna, participated in the Geneva Peace Forum Meets Vienna organized by the Geneva Peacebuilding Platform. In her closing remarks, our Director, Ambassador Nathalie Chuard emphasized two important messages:

🔹 In a context of rising geopolitical tensions and fragmented , and can no longer be treated as separate policy tracks; they are deeply intertwined and demand unified, collaborative action.

🔹 and are complementary assets that must be further connected through networked , leveraging both formal institutions and informal actors like civil society and academia.

🗣️ "Cooperation is a necessity more urgent than ever", - Nathalie Chuard

➡️ Together with the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining - GICHD, we co-hosted a thematic session on “From risk to : linking mine action, security sector and food security in Ukraine.” This panel addressed the reality that the war in is a crisis that threatens global food systems and .

Key insights from the discussion:
🔹 Weak governance and explosive ordnance contamination are direct barriers to agricultural recovery and civilian .
🔹 Effective is not just about clearance. It is about restoring livelihoods, reopening transport routes, and enabling safe returns.
🔹 Protecting Ukraine’s agricultural capacity is essential for global .

We were honored to share the stage with Ambassador Tobias Privitelli (Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining - GICHD), Ms. Tiphaine Lucas (FAO Ukraine), and Ms. Olena Tregub (NAKO), with moderation by Ms. Kate Fearon (OSCE – The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe).

Thank you to the Geneva Peacebuilding Platform, the Österreichisches Institut für internationale Politik - oiip, and all participants for fostering this essential dialogue during the Swiss OSCE Chairmanship year.

📷 credit Olivier Chamard / Geneva Peace Forum & GPP

As part of DCAF’s work on urban , DCAF's expert Viola Csordas recently completed a fellowship at the Universität Zürich Zentrum für Krisenkompetenz. This fellowship was a great opportunity to conduct research on coordination among actors in multi-level preparedness systems and how such coordination can strengthen in complex urban environments.

👉 This research contributes to DCAF’s broader work on people-centred governance, which explores how arrangements and institutional design choices can enhance community resilience in the face of multidimensional risks and threats.

The research will be available soon, so stay tuned 🔍

👉 In the meantime, check out our SSR backgrounder on and security: https://www.dcaf.ch/urban-safety-and-security-security-sector-governance-inclusive-safe-and-resilient-cities