Peace Mediation Essentials

The Peace Mediation Essentials is a series of concise guidance notes for mediators. It aims to serve as an introduction to topics related to peace mediation processes. Senior mediators may also use the Peace Mediation Essentials as a refresher, a source of inspiration or simply a reference for further reading. The series is funded by the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs’ Human Security Division.

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Gender and Peace Mediation
Title: Gender and Peace Mediation
Authors: Cordula Reimann (CORE)
Year: 2012
Publisher: Mediation Support Project (swisspeace / CSS ETH-Zurich)
Without taking the gender-specific context of conflict and peace- building into account, negotiation processes lack substance and legitimacy and this may jeopardize their sustainability. This imperative is mirrored by the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security, which calls for a gender-sensitive approach to peacebuilding, including the stronger participation of women in peacebuilding, the prevention of gender-based violence, the protection of the rights and needs of women and girls during and after armed conflicts. While bearing in mind all three components, this guidance note takes a gender-sensitive perspective in the specific context of peace negotiations.
Business Actors in Mediation Processes
Title: Business Actors in Mediation Processes
Authors: Damiano Sguaitamatti, Andrea Iff, Rina Alluri, Simon J A Mason
Year: 2010
Publisher: Mediation Support Project (swisspeace / CSS ETH-Zurich)
This Guidance Note aims to help mediators to assess the potential and limitations of engaging with business actors in peace processes. It provides mediators with an overview of different possibilities of how to include business actors in mediation processes, be it to mobilize the wider community, harness financial or logistical support to the process or to bring the business actors’ knowledge to the process.
Decentralization, Special Territorial Autonomy, and Peace Negotiations
Title: Decentralization, Special Territorial Autonomy, and Peace Negotiations
Authors: Nicole Töpperwien (State Concepts) in cooperation with MSP and the UN Mediation Support Unit
Year: 2010
Publisher: Mediation Support Project (swisspeace / CSS ETH-Zurich)
Power-sharing can be a key to peace: A lack of self-rule at the regional or local levels can be among the root causes of conflict, particularly in deeply divided societies. Future power-sharing arrangements, including decentralization and special territorial autonomy, can become necessary parts of peace negotiations and of developing a vision of the future organization of the state.
Dealing with the Past in Peace Mediation
Title: Dealing with the Past and Peace Mediation
Authors: Political Affairs Division IV and swisspeace (in consultation with UN Mediation Support Unit)
Year: 2009
Publisher: Mediation Support Project (swisspeace / CSS ETH-Zurich)
Dealing with a legacy of gross human rights violations is one of the greatest challenges facing post-conflict societies. Experience suggests that there is a relationship between the ability to address this legacy in a comprehensive and inclusive manner (including initiatives to address root causes of conflict) and the potential to develop sustainable peace. This document was written by swisspeace and the Political Division IV of the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs. It was edited and published by the Mediation Support Project in consultation with the UN Mediation Support Unit.
Federalism and Peace Mediation
Title: Federalism and Peace Mediation
Authors: Nicole Töpperwien (State Concepts)
Year: 2009
Publisher: Mediation Support Project (swisspeace / CSS ETH-Zurich)
In order to reach a peace agreement, it may be necessary to develop a vision of state organization in the future. In many conflicts, especially conflicts with an ethno-political component, a lack of power-sharing is amongst the root causes of conflict. Thus, future power-sharing arrangements, including federalism, can become a part of the agenda for peace. This “Peace Mediation Essential,” which was written by State Concepts, in collaboration with the Mediation Support Project and in consultation with the UN Mediation Support Unit, gives an introduction to federalism. Mediators will have to consult additional resources for further details.