| The
transfer of resources from the military to the civilian sector represents
both a social and an economic challenge, as well as offering an
opportunity for the states concerned. The sustained process of disarmament
during the decade following the end of the Cold War has made defense
conversion an important issue in many countries today. This process
has now slowed down considerably, but the problems faced by those
affected are far from solved. BICC's main objective is to make use
of the chances offered by disarmament, whilst at the same time helping
to avoid-or lessen-the negative effects.
This issue concerns a number of
areas: What can scientists and engineers who were formerly employed
in weapons labs do today? What is the fate of the roughly eight
million employees who lost their jobs in the defense factories?
Why are so many defense companies faring better today than they
did ten years ago? Will all demobilized soldiers or former combatants
find a future in civilian society? What action must communities
take when suddenly faced with the closure of a huge military base?
How does one solve the problem of the ready availability of small
arms and light weapons?
It is BICC's task to tackle these
questions, to analyze them on the basis of scientific research,
to convey the necessary information, and to give advice to those
involved-in short, to manage disarmament.
International
think tank. BICC conducts research and makes policy recommendations.
In-house and external experts contribute comparative analyses and
background studies.
Project
management and consulting services. BICC provides practical
support to public and private organizations. For instance, BICC
staff advise local governments confronted with the difficult task
of redeveloping former military installations. BICC also combines
development assistance with practical conversion work by helping
in the fields of demobilization, reintegration and peace-building.
Clearinghouse.
In its capacity as an independent organization, BICC supports and
assists international organizations, government agencies, non-governmental
organizations, companies and the media, as well as individuals.
It hereby mediates and facilitates the conversion process at all
levels-local, national and global. BICC collects and disseminates
data and information on conversion to practitioners in a wide range
of fields and institutions. BICC strives to reach researchers and
practitioners as well as parliamentarians, the media, and the general
public by means of a variety of tools including its library, its
extensive on-line documentation services and its internet service
(www.bicc.de). Furthermore, the Center documents the course of disarmament
and conversion in its annual conversion surveys and produces a variety
of publications.
The Bonn International Center
for Conversion was established in 1994 with generous support from
the State of North
Rhine-Westphalia (NRW). The Center's Trustees include the two
German states of North Rhine-Westphalia and Brandenburg as well
as the Westdeutsche Landesbank-Girozentrale (WestLB), Düsseldorf/Münster
and the Landesentwicklungsgesellschaft NRW (LEG) (Development Agency).
INTERNATIONALES KONVERSIONSZENTRUM
BONN
BONN INTERNATIONAL CENTER FOR CONVERSION (BICC) GmbH
An der Elisabethkirche 25, 53113 Bonn, GERMANY
Phone: +49-228-911 96-0, Fax: +49-228-24 12 15,
E-Mail: bicc@bicc.de, Internet:
www.bicc.de |
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