Common effort 2016 : Setup and evaluation

The Common Effort Community gathered for the yearly inter-organisational exercise and High Level Event (HLE) from 27 June to 1 July 2016, in The Hague, The Netherlands. In total 184 participants from 55 organisations (ministries and civil and military organisations), mainly from Germany and The Netherlands, participated in the exercise and attended the HLE. The purpose of the exercise was to promote effective mutual interaction and to develop a comprehensive understanding concerning today’s challenges in international crisis situations, promoting a whole-of-society involvement.

This year’s exercise focused on: “Libya region, including migrant/refugee flows”. Participants in six groups interacted to develop a joint assessment on characteristic themes of instability and conflict, such as protection of civilians, security sector reform, good governance, humanitarian conditions, economic development, and strategic regional factors.

Given the objectives of improving comprehensive thinking by learning from others’ perspectives and deepened insights into the specific case, we conclude that the Common Effort event – exercise and HLE – has been successful. A wide range of expertise and experience participated, with excellent speakers providing diverse perspectives on the complexity of the Libya scenario. The Community gathering attracted high level representation supporting the Common Effort Community’s intent, and eleven new members formally joined the Community.

Participants’ feedback was highly positive on many aspects of the exercise, confirming the achievement of the overall objective, with welcome suggestions on where it could be improved. Building on the experiences and feedback, preparation of the 2017 event will benefit from the early involvement of the wider community in creating a new and advanced exercise and learning event. We look forward to Common Effort in Berlin May 29 – June 2, 2017.