- Gender policy, feminist analyses, and feminist discourses have held a firm place in the Heinrich Böll Foundation since its very beginning. Along with ecology and democracy, they are a key focus of our work in Germany and abroad, and a guiding principle for both the Foundation’s promotion of research and its own organizational structure. Even more than our work within Germany, our work abroad is guided by the need to address a diversity of ways of life and forms of work, and a plurality of political cultures and strategies. more»
In the Shadow of Death: My Trauma, My Experience – - In the Shadow of Death: My Trauma, My Experience is a public testimony of what numerous women went through during the post-election violence that engulfed Kenya immediately after the Electoral Commission of Kenya announced the results of the hotly-contested presidential polls of the December 2007 General Election. more»
Enhancing Women’s Political Participation – - Despite much rhetoric about gender equity, the role of women in Kenyan electoral politics remains dismally low – even by standards of the East African region. The sixth edition of "Perspectives on Gender Discourse", emerging from discussions held at HBF Nairobi's "Gender Forum" in the run-up to the last general elections, takes a closer look at women’s political practice in Kenya from diverse perspectives. more»
Profile of Women’s Socio-Economic Status in Kenya – - Despite a multitude of policy interventions by government and non-state actors in Kenya, female representation remains low in post-primary education, formal employment, enterprise ownership outside wholesale and retail trade, and political decision making processes. more»
Nairobi +21 – The "Third World Conference on Women", held in Nairobi on 15-26 June 1985, has been a landmark event in the history of the struggle for gender equality worldwide. In 2006, the "Nairobi +21" series of events offered a space for reflection on the commitments of the Nairobi Forward Looking Strategies and the Beijing Platform for Action. more»
- Drought-induced reduction in hydropower generation has become a persistent feature in the region’s electricity generation. Expanding decentralized renewable energies for electricity generation provides an important and cost-effective measure of adapation to climate change. more»
HOTSPOTS: The Consequences of Climate Change in Africa – - No continent will be hit harder by climate change than Africa. The documentary movie "Hotspots" explains why. more»
The Greenhouse Development Rights Framework – - The entire world is affected by climate change. Developed countries, as the strongest emitters of greenhouse gases, need to take primary responsibility for the costs of mitigation and adaptation. The Greenhouse Development Rights Framework provides an innovative approach towards a fair burden-sharing. more»
Protectors of Environment: Mapping and Profiling Environmental Organisations in Kenya – Protectors of Environment provides an overview about environmental organisations and institutions – both governmental and non-governmental – in Kenya. more»
- The 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) for the Sudan is more than half way through its implementation period. In a series of dialogue sessions, the National Civic Forum (Sudan) analysed the agreement's progress and problems. more»
Civil Society in Kenya – - Civil society has become a critical player in African politics. In Kenya, civil society underwent many changes after the transition from KANU to NARC in 2002, and it was severely affected by crisis after the December 2007 elections. more»
Somalia: Current Conflicts and New Chances for State-Building – - Since Somalia's central government collapsed in 1991, internal strife and external military interventions resulted in one of the most serious humanitarian disasters of our time. Numerous attempts to make peace and create political stability have failed, but with the withdrawal of Ethiopian troops and the election of a new president in January 2009, a window of opportunity has emerged. more»
Beyond CDF: Making Kenya’s Sub-Sovereign Finance Work for the Socially-Excluded – - Kenya has embraced a variety of sub-sovereign financing schemes; the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) is only the most well-known among them. Beyond CDF explores innovative ideas about how to employ the CDF and other sub-sovereign financing instruments to provide solutions to the various manifestations of social exclusion, poverty and inequality. more»
In Quest for a Culture of Peace in the IGAD Region – A culture of violence has emerged in the Horn of Africa, based on traditions of origin, a fixation with territory, a feudal vision of the exercise of power and an "absolutist" concept of conflict. "In Quest for a Culture of Peace" proposes a holistic approach in addressing the region's conflicts. more»
Rethinking Global Security: An African Perspective? – Today, environmental degradation, social conflict and social strife, poverty, HIV/AIDS, etc. – all of them resulting from or linked to bad governance – have become more of a security concern than the traditional military antagonisms that pitted nations against each other. The main threats to international peace and security are rooted in situations within states rather than between states, and this is especially prevalent in the African context. more»
African Regional Security in the Age of Globalisation – In March 2004, a conference on security issues in the East Africa / Horn of Africa region and their interaction with processes of globalisation was held in Nairobi, organized by the Institute of Diplomacy and Security Studies, the National Defence College of Kenya, and the Heinrich Böll Foundation's Nairobi office. more»
The Politics of Transition in Kenya: From KANU to NARC – The peaceful transfer of power in Kenya in 2002 still provides a remarkable example of democratic transition in Africa – especially compared to the outbreak of large-scale violence Kenya experienced after the disputed December 2007 general elections. more»