In and above Conflict - A study on Leadership in the United Nations, by Fabrizio Hochschild
20 August 2010
Peace is seldom concluded when a peace deal is signed. The principal external role in consolidating peace frequently falls to United Nations (UN) missions and agencies. Their ability to achieve this task is contingent on many factors including resources and cohesive international political support. It depends most critically on effective leadership. What are the unique, defining challenges to UN leadership in conflict and post conflict environments?  How have effective UN leaders approached these challenges? The HD Centre is proud to have hosted Fabrizio Hochschild, during his UN sponsored sabbatical leave to write a critical study - the first of its kind - on this subject.  He reviewed the relevant literature and interviewed dozens of leaders involved in mediation and peacemaking, including many associates of the HD Centre. This is the result of his work.

Mediation for Peace 1999-2009, Part 5 (778KB), by HD Centre
16 March 2010
In 2009, the HD Centre celebrated its tenth year of existence. On this occasion, the publication Mediation for Peace 1999-2009 takes an in-depth look at the field of peacemaking - the way it has evolved in the last decade and the prospects for the years to come. The publication also takes a look at some of the HD Centre's milestone projects and provides insight into key aspects of mediation, such as the value of confidential processes and the importance of supporting peace processes. This is the fifth section of this publication.

Mediation for Peace 1999-2009, Part 4 (1.7MB), by HD Centre
16 March 2010
In 2009, the HD Centre celebrated its tenth year of existence. On this occasion, the publication Mediation for Peace 1999-2009 takes an in-depth look at the field of peacemaking - the way it has evolved in the last decade and the prospects for the years to come. The publication also takes a look at some of the HD Centre's milestone projects and provides insight into key aspects of mediation, such as the value of confidential processes and the importance of supporting peace processes. This is the fourth section of this publication.

Mediation for Peace 1999-2009, Part 3 (1MB), by HD Centre
16 March 2010
In 2009, the HD Centre celebrated its tenth year of existence. On this occasion, the publication Mediation for Peace 1999-2009 takes an in-depth look at the field of peacemaking - the way it has evolved in the last decade and the prospects for the years to come. The publication also takes a look at some of the HD Centre's milestone projects and provides insight into key aspects of mediation, such as the value of confidential processes and the importance of supporting peace processes. This is the 3rd part of the report.

Mediation for Peace 1999-2009, Part 2 (771 KB), by HD Centre
16 March 2010
In 2009, the HD Centre celebrated its tenth year of existence. On this occasion, the publication Mediation for Peace 1999-2009 takes an in-depth look at the field of peacemaking - the way it has evolved in the last decade and the prospects for the years to come. The publication also takes a look at some of the HD Centre's milestone projects and provides insight into key aspects of mediation, such as the value of confidential processes and the importance of supporting peace processes. This is the 2nd part of this report.

Mediation for Peace 1999-2009, Part 1 (1.8MB), by HD Centre
16 March 2010
In 2009, the HD Centre celebrated its tenth year of existence. On this occasion, the publication Mediation for Peace 1999-2009 takes an in-depth look at the field of peacemaking - the way it has evolved in the last decade and the prospects for the years to come. The publication also takes a look at some of the HD Centre's milestone projects and provides insight into key aspects of mediation, such as the value of confidential processes and the importance of supporting peace processes. This is the first part of this report.

Mediation ten years on - Challenges and opportunities for peacemaking, by Martin Griffiths & Teresa Whitfield
14 March 2010

The HD Centre celebrates its tenth anniversary at a critical time for the practice of mediation. After a period of confrontation marked by the ‘war on terror', and the polarisation of international relations, there is renewed demand for diplomacy and negotiation. Yet, in many respects the peacemaking enterprise faces crisis. Conscious that the HD Centre's progression is but one part of a much larger picture, this paper looks at the challenges and opportunities facing mediation practitioners as we begin the second decade of the 21st century.

Annotated literature review on conflict management in the Philippines, by HD Centre
12 March 2010

This review contains description from a non-exhaustive selection of material relevant to militias in Mindanao. It aims to provide the reader with a broad overview of key points and is not intended to be a strict academic literature review.

Conflict Management Strategies in Indonesia: Learning from the Poso experience, by HD Centre
3 March 2010

On the 8 December 2009, the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD Centre) and the Indonesian conflict management organisation, Institut Titian Perdamaian (ITP), held a one-day workshop in Poso, Central Sulawesi, on ‘Conflict Management Strategies in Indonesia: Learning from the Poso Experience'. The workshop brought together representatives from local government agencies, NGOs, academics, as well as religious and traditional leaders to discuss conflict management strategies in Poso and the progress towards reconciliation and reconstruction achieved to date since the outbreak of the conflict in 1998.

Mediation Practice Series - External actors in mediation, by Teresa Whitfield
26 February 2010

External actors to a given conflict can nevertheless play a central role in the course and conclusion of peace negotiations. While some may reinforce the mediator's efforts, others may undermine those efforts and confuse the process. To achieve a successful and lasting settlement, mediators thus have to take those actors into consideration to ensure unified external involvement supportive of the process.

This publication explores various means by which international mediators may relate to and involve external actors in a peace process. It is the first in a series of practical mediation tools, the ‘Mediation Practice Series', developed as part of the HD Centre's effort to support the broader mediation community. The series draws on feedback from mediators and their teams and seeks to provide readers with a concise and user-friendly overview of relevant issues, dilemmas and challenges that mediators face. The publications will also provide examples of how these dilemmas were addressed to help others prepare for the potential demands of mediation processes.