EU COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE ON PEACE MEDIATION 2023
Peace Mediation in an Evolving Conflict Landscape: Opportunities and Challenges
DATE: 18-19 October, 2023
LOCATION: Details here.
The European Institute of Peace joins mediation partners Berghof Foundation, CMI-Martti Ahtisaari Peace Foundation, Conciliation Resources, EEAS Mediation Support Team (ISP.2), European Commission, European Peacebuilding Liaison Office (EPLO), ERMES III – European Resources for Mediation Support (ERMES), and Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD Centre) on the event’s steering committee.
The Institute has been involved in the setting up of the following panels:
- Improving Prospects for Conflict Prevention in the Sahel and Gulf of Guinea
Co-organised with Promediation
- Peer-Learning our Way to Gender Integration in Peacebuilding and Mediation
Co-organised with Berghof Foundation, PeaceNexus Foundation and CMI Foundation
- Roundtable on the Kosovo-Serbia Dialogue: the Implementation Outlook for the Latest Agreement
- Regional Implications of the Colombian Peace Negotiations: Lessons Learnt and Current Challenges and Opportunities
A participant list of the panels, including those steered by the European Institute of Peace, can be found on the EU Community of Practice on Peace Mediation 2023 website.
Event background:
Organised annually since 2019, the EU Community of Practice on Peace Mediation (CoP) has become the flagship EU event that convenes international actors, policy makers, practitioners, experts, and representatives of civil society in the field of peace mediation from around the globe. It allows discussions on mediation and peace process support and enables knowledge-exchange and constructive reflections on challenges and best practices, feeding directly into EU policy and practice. The CoP stimulates peer learning, expands the global peace-building community and inspires creative thinking.
The first CoP took place in person, while the 2020 and 2021 editions took place in a virtual format amidst the Covid-19 pandemic. The fourth edition in 2022 was held in a hybrid format, with both physical (in Brussels) and online participation. The hybrid format proved its value added and will be maintained in 2023. The physical component will be maintained in Brussels and act as a mediation-hub during the CoP, convening peace mediation practitioners from all over the world. Since May 2023, a Steering Group convened by the EEAS Conflict Prevention and Mediation Support Division and composed of several peacebuilding organisations has led the preparations of the event.
With Russia’s continued aggression against Ukraine, the EU is facing a prolonged war on its doorstep. In consequence, the EU has strengthened its posture on security and defense. However, at the same time, non-violent conflict resolution and mediation between conflict parties is one of the first and foremost crisis response measures of the EU. Peace remains a core EU foreign policy objective.
In light of these challenges, the CoP will highlight the contributions of mediation and dialogue support to the prevention, mitigation and management of conflict. Importantly, it will enable to examine instances of mediation that have yielded positive outcomes, in order to discern effective strategies, and gather concrete recommendations from the practitioner’s community. It will also contribute to the discussion how to further enhance the implementation of the 2020 Concept on EU Peace Mediation, in particular offering a platform to present the reviewed EEAS Peace Mediation Guidelines.
For more info, please consult the full programme and follow on social media using the hashtag: #CoP_EUPeaceMediation_2023