Have you ever wondered how wars end? What exactly happens behind closed doors when peace agreements are negotiated?
The Mediator’s Studio, a new Oslo Forum podcast, takes a look at the normally hidden world of diplomacy and peacemaking.
With a new episode released each week, host Adam Cooper invites the world’s leading mediators, governments and armed groups to share what it takes to end conflicts.
“The struggle for peace very often fails but those who strive for it nonetheless are some of the most remarkable people in the world,” he says. “In The Mediator’s Studio, they will reveal the sacrifices they have made in the pursuit of peace.”
Listen on The Oslo Forum website, Apple and Spotify.
In the coming weeks, The Mediator’s Studio will feature, among many others, the BBC’s Chief International Correspondent Lyse Doucet, former African Union Commissioner for Peace and Security Said Djinnit, Norway’s former Special Envoy to the Colombia peace process Dag Nylander, the Global Centre for Pluralism’s Secretary General Meredith Preston-McGhie, and former United Nations Special Representative to Libya Ghassan Salamé.
“Amid the global pandemic, we’re taking the conversation online,” says David Harland, the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue’s (HD) Executive Director. “For the first time, we will be sharing openly some of the insights from the world of mediation with a global audience.”
“While we’re facing a time of unprecedented challenges, bringing people together and promoting peace in the broadest sense is more important than ever,” says Norway’s Foreign Minister Ine Eriksen Søreide.
“The Mediators’ Studio will give the audience some extraordinarily engaging personal stories, and a chance to learn from the experts. I hope this will be an inspiration for many to keep the conversation going about how we can make peace happen.”
In the pilot episode, Lyse Doucet reflects on the most pivotal moments of mediation history – from Syria, to Afghanistan, to Yemen. Recounting her personal encounters with Kofi Annan, Martti Ahtisaari, Catherine Ashton and Lakhdar Brahimi, among others, Lyse offers a unique view of mediation from behind-the-scenes.
Listen to the first episode of The Mediator’s Studio on the Oslo Forum website, Apple and Spotify.
The Oslo Forum is the leading international retreat of conflict mediation practitioners.
Co-hosted by the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD) and the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Oslo Forum regularly convenes conflict mediators, high-level decision-makers and key peace process actors in a series of informal and discreet events.