As part of the launch of the new European Centre of Excellence for Civilian Crisis Management in Berlin on 17 September 2020, Katja Dominik, the Acting Head of the EU’s Police and Rule of Law Mission for the Palestinian Territory (EUPOL COPPS), joined a panel of women leaders involved in civilian crisis management to make the case for greater women’s participation in the EU’s civilian missions.

Noting that among the EU’s 11 civilian missions, EUPOL COPPS has the highest proportion of female staff (around 40%), Dr Dominik explained the steps that the Mission had taken to make it a more attractive workplace for women, and thanked EU member states that make a particular effort to find and propose qualified female candidates for management positions in Missions.

The foundation of the European Centre of Excellence is one element of a European shared commitment to managing the root causes of security crises in places such as Libya, Ukraine, Mali or the West Bank through capacity building in civilian institutions such as the police or judiciary. 18 EU member states have joined the Centre of Excellence, which will gather, analyse and share good practices in EU member states in the field of civilian crisis management.

The opening ceremony was attended in person by the German Foreign Minister, Heiko Maas, and included a greeting by video from Helga Schmid, Secretary General of the European External Action Service. Both underlined the importance of attracting more women to work in civilian crisis management, as well as the role that civilian capacity building plays in promoting security and stability around the world.

EUPOL COPPS is the European Union Co-ordinating Office for Palestinian Police Support. The aim of the Mission is to contribute to the establishment of sustainable and effective policing arrangements and to advise Palestinian counterparts on criminal justice and rule of law-related aspects under Palestinian ownership.