About us

As at: 20 March 2025

§ 1 Name, registered office, legal form

(1) The name of the Association is ‘ARBEITSGEMEINSCHAFT FÜR FRIEDENS- UND KONFLIKTFORSCHUNG e.V.’.

(2) The Association has its registered office in Landau in der Pfalz and is entered in the Register of Associations at Bonn Local Court under No. 3359.

§ 2 Purpose of the Association

(1) The purpose of the Association is to promote research work in the field of peace and conflict research on a scientific basis and in practice.

(2) In order to fulfil this purpose, the Association shall set itself the task of

a) to expand the interdisciplinary exchange of experience and to stimulate and coordinate research projects;
b) to organise interdisciplinary conferences;
c) to form working groups for individual research areas;
d) to provide assistance in the procurement of research funds;
e) to stimulate problem awareness among scientists;
f) to support students and young academics in the field of peace and conflict research in their qualification phase and to take their concerns adequately into account in the activities of the association;
g) to compile documentation, bibliographies, research registers and other sources of information; h) to inform the public about peace and conflict research issues.

(3) The association strives to maintain close links with similar efforts in other countries and can become a member of international organisations with the same objectives.

(4) The AFK regularly awards the Christiane Rajewsky Prize to promote students and young academics within the scope of the Association’s purpose. To select the prizewinners, the General Assembly elects a jury consisting of at least five members from different areas of peace and conflict research. It conducts the selection procedure for the Christiane Rajewsky Prize and liaises with the Executive Board on financial matters.

(5) The Association pursues exclusively and directly charitable purposes within the meaning of the section ‘Tax-privileged purposes’ of the German Tax Code.

The association is selflessly active; it does not primarily pursue its own economic purposes.

The Association’s funds may only be used for the purposes set out in the Articles of Association. Members do not receive any benefits from the association’s funds.

No person may be favoured by expenses that are alien to the purpose of the association or by disproportionately high remuneration.

§ 3 Membership

(1) Natural or legal persons may become members of the Association. They may belong to the Association as full or supporting members.

(2) Students, academics and scientific institutes working in the field of peace and conflict research may become full members. They have the active and passive right to vote in the elections of the Association’s bodies.

(3) Natural and legal persons who support the aims of the Association may become supporting members.

(4) The admission of members requires a written application to the Executive Board and the approval of two full members. The General Assembly or the Executive Board shall decide on the application. The decision on the application must be communicated to the members.

If the Executive Board decides against the application, the next General Meeting must be given the opportunity to vote on the application again and finally.

(5) Membership ends through death, resignation, exclusion or expiry.

(6) Members may resign from the Association with immediate effect. The notice of resignation must be submitted in writing to the Executive Board. The membership fee obligation shall continue until the end of the financial year in which the resignation is declared.

(7) A member may be expelled from the Association by resolution of the General Meeting after having been given the opportunity to comment. The resolution must be passed by secret ballot and requires a majority of the votes cast.

(8) Membership shall be cancelled if membership fees are more than two years in arrears.

§ 4 Financing, financial year

(1) The purpose of the Association shall be financed by contributions, donations and grants.

(2) The amount of the contributions shall be determined by the General Meeting. The resolution must be passed no later than three months before the end of a financial year and shall take effect at the earliest at the beginning of the following financial year. Contributions in kind and services provided by legal entities may be offset against the obligation to pay contributions.

(3) The financial year begins on 1 January of a year and ends on 31 December of the same year.

§ 5 Organs

Organs of the association are

a) the General Meeting,
b) the Executive Board,
c) the Women’s Representative,
d) the Diversity Officer.

§6 General Meeting of Members

(1) The General Meeting shall take place once every two calendar years. It must also be convened if more than a quarter of the members or the majority of the members of the Executive Board so request. The Executive Board shall convene the General Meeting in writing, stating the agenda and giving at least four weeks’ notice.

(2) The tasks of the General Meeting are in particular

a) Passing resolutions on the work programme;
b) Admission and exclusion of members in accordance with § 3 of the Articles of Association;
c) Receipt of reports from the Executive Board;
d) discussing the budget and setting the membership fees;
e) Examination and approval of the annual financial statements;
f) Election and discharge of the Executive Board; the first and second chairpersons are elected by direct vote;
g) passing resolutions on amendments to the Articles of Association or on the dissolution of the Association;
h) Election of two independent cash auditors.

(3) Each ordinary member has one vote. The written transfer of votes to an ordinary or supporting member is permitted, but no more than two votes may be transferred to one member.

(4) The General Meeting shall constitute a quorum if at least one sixth of the ordinary members are present or represented in accordance with paragraph 3.

(5) Resolutions shall be passed by simple majority, unless the Articles of Association provide otherwise. In the event of a tie, the chairperson of the meeting shall have the casting vote.

(6) Minutes must be taken of the General Meeting, signed by the minute taker and the chairperson of the meeting and signed by the chairperson of the meeting. The minutes must be signed by the secretary and the chairperson of the meeting and sent to all members.

§ 7 Executive Board

(1) The Executive Board shall consist of at least five members. Its term of office is two years. The Executive Board is responsible for the overall work of the Association. Its members work on an honorary basis.

(2) The Association is represented in and out of court by the Chairperson or the Second Chairperson, each of whom is authorised to represent the Association alone, in accordance with Section 26 of the German Civil Code (BGB); furthermore, by another member of the Executive Board, who is, however, only authorised to represent the Association jointly with a second, additional member of the Executive Board.

(3) The Executive Board may appoint a managing director to manage the day-to-day business. The managing director shall attend the meetings of the Executive Board.

(4) The Executive Board undertakes to review the proposals of the Diversity Officer and the deputy and to respond to them in writing.

§ 8 Special representative: Women’s Representative

(1) The task of the Women’s Representative is to:

a) to publicise the working conditions and scientific activities of female members of the AFK in the field of peace and conflict research:
(b) to be the point of contact for personal experiences and problems of women peace researchers in their fields of work in the interest of creating publicity and at the same time to mediate between individual members and institutions in the event of conflicts,
c) to examine possibilities and initiatives for the advancement of women in peace and conflict research and, if necessary, to make suggestions as to how the AFK could support scientific institutions in peace research in terms of the advancement of women or encourage them to promote women.

(2) The Women’s Representative and her deputy must be given access to all Board and Association documents at all times. They must be invited to Board meetings and have the right to attend and speak at all meetings.

(3) The FLINTA* (women, lesbians, intersex, non-binary, trans and agender persons) members of the AFK shall elect the Women’s Representative and a deputy at the General Assembly by a majority of the votes cast.

(4) The term of office of the Women’s Representative and the deputy shall be two years. At the end of their term of office, they shall submit a report on this period to the members of the AFK.

§ 9 Special representation: Diversity Officer

(1) The task of the Diversity Officer is:

a) to take measures to identify the causes that lead to a lack of heterogeneity within the association and its representation.
b) to take measures that, building on a), are intended to contribute to greater heterogeneity within the membership of the association at all levels, in particular by examining and removing those barriers and access restrictions that do not result from the professional orientation of the association.
c) in the interest of creating a public sphere, to be a point of contact for personal experiences and problems of peace and conflict researchers in their fields of work, as well as a mediating authority in conflicts between individual members and institutions,

(2) The Diversity Officer and his/her deputy must be given access to all Board and Association documents at all times. They must be invited to Board meetings and have the right to attend and speak at all meetings.

(3) The members of the AFK shall elect the Diversity Officer and a deputy at the General Assembly by a majority of the votes cast.

(4) The term of office of the Diversity Officer and the deputy shall be two years. At the end of their term of office, they shall submit a report on this period to the members of the AFK.

§ 10 Amendment of the Articles of Association, dissolution

(1) Amendments to the Articles of Association or the purpose of the Association may be resolved at an ordinary or extraordinary General Meeting with a majority of two thirds of the voting members present or represented, provided that the proposals have been communicated with the invitation to the General Meeting.

(2) The Articles of Association may only be amended insofar as this does not affect the use of the Association’s assets for tax-privileged purposes.

(3) The provisions in paragraph (l) shall apply mutatis mutandis to resolutions on the dissolution of the Association. In the event of the dissolution or cancellation of the Association or if its previous purpose ceases to exist, the assets of the Association shall be transferred to the Vereinigung Deutscher Wissenschaftler e.V. in Hamburg for use in promoting science in line with the Association’s aspirations.

(4) Resolutions on the future use of the assets may only be implemented after the approval of the tax office.