Global Issues

The Global Issues Division examines the diverse thematic fields of global governance and the underlying conflict lines and actor constellations at the governmental, intergovernmental, and non-state level; the common point of reference are the preconditions, potentials and limits of rule-based and efficient global cooperation.

SWP Publications
External publications
Projects

Heads

Dr. Daniel Voelsen

Head of Research Division

daniel.voelsen@swp-berlin.org
Areas of Expertise
- Digitalisation, cyber, technology
- Cyber-security
- Digital Policy and Cyber
- Internet Governance
- Technology policy
Dr. Lars Brozus

Deputy Head of Research Division

lars.brozus@swp-berlin.org
phone:+49 30 88007- 323

Staff

Ole Adolphsen

Visiting Fellow

ole.adolphsen@swp-berlin.org
Areas of Expertise
- Energy, climate, environment
- UN, global governance, int. law
Projects
- International Climate Policy and Multilevel Governance (Ariadne)
Dr. Marianne Beisheim

Senior Associate

marianne.beisheim@swp-berlin.org
Areas of Expertise
- UN, global governance, int. law
- Environmental policy
- Non-governmental organizations
- Sustainability governance
- United Nations
Projects
- High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) / (2019-2021)
- Strengthening the Science–Policy Interface for the 2030 Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals (GSDR 2027)
Nadine Biehler, M.A.

Associate

nadine.biehler@swp-berlin.org
Areas of Expertise
- EU, Europe
- Migration, development cooperation
Projects
- Migration and Displacement in a Shifting Global Order
Dr. Miranda Böttcher

Associate

Miranda.Boettcher@swp-berlin.org
Areas of Expertise
- Climate policy
- Foresight
- Sustainability governance
Projects
- Marine CO₂-Removal: Scenarios and Governance (ASMASYS II)
- Measurement and Reporting for Responsible marine CO2 Removal (MAR-CO2)
Prof. Dr. Heribert Dieter

Senior Associate

heribert.dieter@swp-berlin.org
Areas of Expertise
- Economics, trade, resources
- Australia / New Zealand
- China
- India
- Indo-Pacific
- International financial system
- Principles of European integration
- Regional cooperation and alliances
Dr. Susanne Dröge

Senior Fellow

susanne.droege@swp-berlin.org
Areas of Expertise
- Climate policy
- EU climate policy
- Energy policy
- Environmental policy
- Risk governance
- United Nations
David Kipp, Dipl.-Pol.

Associate

David.Kipp@swp-berlin.org
Areas of Expertise
- EU, Europe
- Migration, development cooperation
Projects
- Migration and Displacement in a Shifting Global Order
Nadine Knapp, M.A.

Associate

nadine.knapp@swp-berlin.org
Areas of Expertise
- Migration, development cooperation
- Development cooperation
- Migration
- Migration policy
Projects
- Migration and Displacement in a Shifting Global Order
Dr. Anne Koch

Senior Associate

anne.koch@swp-berlin.org
Areas of Expertise
Projects
- Migration and Displacement in a Shifting Global Order
Jule Könneke, M.A.

Associate

jule.koenneke@swp-berlin.org
Areas of Expertise
- Energy, climate, environment
- UN, global governance, int. law
Projects
- German and European Climate Foreign Policy: Partnerships amid Geoeconomic Competition
- German and European Climate Foreign Policy: Brazil and the BRICS in Geoeconomic Competition
Emma Landmesser, M.A.

Associate

Emma.Landmesser@swp-berlin.org
Areas of Expertise
- EU, Europe
- Migration, development cooperation
Projects
- Migration and Displacement in a Shifting Global Order
Dr. Amrei Meier

Associate

amrei.meier@swp-berlin.org
Areas of Expertise
- EU, Europe
- Migration, development cooperation
- Development cooperation
- Migration
- Migration policy
Projects
- Migration and Displacement in a Shifting Global Order
Dr. Jacopo Maria Pepe

Senior Associate

jacopo.pepe@swp-berlin.org
Areas of Expertise
Dr. iur. Christian Schaller

Senior Fellow

christian.schaller@swp-berlin.org
Areas of Expertise
- UN, global governance, int. law
- International law
Dr. Pedro Alejandro Villarreal Lizárraga

Senior Associate

Pedro.Villarreal@swp-berlin.org
Projects
- The legal determinants of (in)equity during public health emergencies (PANDEQUITY)

Research Support

Annika Bodusch

Student Assistant

annika.bodusch@swp-berlin.org
Sabine Herrmann

Assistant

sabine.herrmann@swp-berlin.org
phone:+49 30 88007- 281
Janna Langosch

Research Assistant

janna.langosch@swp-berlin.org
Projects
- Migration and Displacement in a Shifting Global Order
Rebecca Majewski, M.A.

Information and Data Manager

rebecca.majewski@swp-berlin.org
phone:+49 30 88007- 187
Dr. Nelya Rakhimova

Research Assistant

nelya.rakhimova@swp-berlin.org
Niklas Reinbold

Student Assistant

niklas.reinbold@swp-berlin.org
Stella Schade, M.Sc.

Research Assistant

stella.schade@swp-berlin.org
Areas of Expertise
- Digitalisation, cyber, technology

SWP Publications

Susanne Dröge

A Green Electrification Target for All?
- German
COP31 as a Catalyst for European Clean-Tech Diplomacy

SWP Comment 2026/C 47, 05.11.2026, 5 Pages

doi:10.18449/2026C47
Anne Koch

Safeguarding the Statistical Evidence for Refugee and Migration Policy
- German
How Funding Cuts Are Eroding the Knowledge Base

SWP Comment 2026/C 46, 03.11.2026, 8 Pages

doi:10.18449/2026C46
- Pedro Alejandro Villarreal Lizárraga
- Luciano Bottini Filho
- Deborah Gleeson
- Olugbenga Olatunji
Drug Pricing in Germany in the Crosshairs of the United States
- German
Protection through EU Instruments and International Partnerships

SWP Comment 2026/C 45, 30.10.2026, 7 Pages

doi:10.18449/2026C45
Susanne Dröge

Ein grünes Elektrifizierungsziel für alle?
- English
Die COP31 als Impuls für die europäische Clean-Tech-Diplomatie

SWP-Aktuell 2026/A 55, 28.10.2026, 6 Pages

doi:10.18449/2026A55
- Nadine Biehler
- Amrei Meier
Permanently Temporary – Syrian Refugees in Jordan
- German
Between pressure to return and blocked integration

SWP Comment 2026/C 44, 27.10.2026, 7 Pages

doi:10.18449/2026C44
Marianne Beisheim

Regieren durch Ziele

Lessons Learned zum Governance-Modell der multilateralen Nachhaltigkeitspolitik

SWP-Studie 2026/S 15, 26.10.2026, 36 Pages

doi:10.18449/2026S15

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External publications

- Romany W. Webb
- Francis X. Johnson
- Miranda Böttcher
- Rocio Diaz-Chavez
- Kapil Narula
- Cynthia McDougall
- Tommaso Piseddu
- Maria José Urrutia Rivas
Chapter 4: Governance and Policy Implications of Ocean-based Climate Technologies

in: United Nations Environment Programme Copenhagen Climate Centre (UNEP-CCC). Climate Technology Progress Report 2026: Navigating Ocean-based Technologies. Copenhagen, Denmark, October 2026, pp. 56–71.
- Marianne Beisheim
- Felicitas Fritzsche
An HLPF 2.0 for a decisive push towards SDG implementation? Peer learning, partnerships and political leadership

in: The Elgar Companion to Global Governance and the Sustainable Development Goals, 16.06.2026, pp. 33-46

doi:10.4337/9781035320851.00012
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine

A Research Strategy for Ocean-based Carbon Dioxide Removal and Sequestration

Washington, DC: The National Academies Press, September 2026 (among the authors, as part of NASEM's Marine CDR Standing Committee, Miranda Böttcher)

doi:10.17226/29342
- Ole Adolphsen
- Matthias Duwe
- Marian Feist
- Christian Flachsland et al.
Challenges and priorities for Germany’s climate diplomacy

in: Kopernikus-Projekt Ariadne (eds.), Ariadne-Dossier, September 2026

doi:10.48485/pik.2026.29
- Ksenia Anisimova
- Miranda Böttcher
- Ratna Priya Bysani
- Valeria Zambianchi et al.
Varieties of decarbonization: Comparing state narratives of Germany, India, and Mexico

in: Energy Policy, Volume 220, 115598, January 2027

doi:10.1016/j.enpol.2026.115598
Jacopo Maria Pepe

Geopolitik und Energie: drei mögliche Zukunftsbilder geopolitischer Fragmentierung

in: Weltenergierat (Hrsg.), Energie für Deutschland: Fakten, Perspektiven und Positionen im globalen Kontext, Berlin, 2026, S. 7-46

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Projects

Cross-border migration is on the rise worldwide. Every year sees new record levels of forced displacement, and with the Covid-19 pandemic subsiding, the number of international migrants is also on the rise again. Migration presents significant challenges for many host countries, and German and European refugee and migration policies have already changed significantly as a result of the 2015/16 arrivals and the current displacement from Ukraine. Unlike seven years earlier, EU member states have responded to the arrival of Ukrainian refugees in a united and welcoming manner.
This research project investigates the debate around the reforms that the UN member states are negotiating for the High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) in 2019/2020; these reforms are expected to be implemented in 2021. The empirical research strives to identify options for reform and, on that basis, will inform recommendations for action.
Founded in 2012, the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) connects scientists around the world to develop solutions for sustainable development. The SDSN Germany combines knowledge and capacity within Germany to promote sustainable development within the country as well as promoting the German commitment for sustainable development worldwide.
MAR-CO2 researches governance and regulatory frameworks for monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) of marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR) to support transparent, accountable, and environmentally responsible climate action.
The aim of the ASMASYS II project is to develop and assess marine CO₂ removal (mCDR) scenarios. Particular attention will be paid to assessing the future political feasibility of such scenarios.

Migration and Displacement in a Shifting Global Order

Cross-border migration is on the rise worldwide. Every year sees new record levels of forced displacement, and with the Covid-19 pandemic subsiding, the number of international migrants is also on the rise again. Migration presents significant challenges for many host countries, and German and European refugee and migration policies have already changed significantly as a result of the 2015/16 arrivals and the current displacement from Ukraine. Unlike seven years earlier, EU member states have responded to the arrival of Ukrainian refugees in a united and welcoming manner.
High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) / (2019-2021)

This research project investigates the debate around the reforms that the UN member states are negotiating for the High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) in 2019/2020; these reforms are expected to be implemented in 2021. The empirical research strives to identify options for reform and, on that basis, will inform recommendations for action.
Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN Germany)

Founded in 2012, the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) connects scientists around the world to develop solutions for sustainable development. The SDSN Germany combines knowledge and capacity within Germany to promote sustainable development within the country as well as promoting the German commitment for sustainable development worldwide.
Measurement and Reporting for Responsible marine CO2 Removal (MAR-CO2)

MAR-CO2 researches governance and regulatory frameworks for monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) of marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR) to support transparent, accountable, and environmentally responsible climate action.
Marine CO₂-Removal: Scenarios and Governance (ASMASYS II)

The aim of the ASMASYS II project is to develop and assess marine CO₂ removal (mCDR) scenarios. Particular attention will be paid to assessing the future political feasibility of such scenarios.

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Annika Bodusch

Sabine Herrmann

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Dr. Nelya Rakhimova

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