UN envoys as conductors, not soloists
In this essay, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Jeffrey Feltman, discusses the importance of coherence and complementarity between the UN and other mediation actors in peacemaking efforts.
He outlines how the evolving field of peacemaking calls for an evolution of the UN’s role towards closer engagement, consultation and co-ordination with non-UN mediation actors, and a better combination of their peacemaking efforts and skills.
Using the example of the UN’s involvement in Libya, Ambassador Feltman highlights how the multilateral organisation may benefit from working with mediation actors who enjoy more flexibility, and in particular a lower profile, that allows them to connect more easily with some of the ‘harder-to-reach’ actors within a conflict.
The essay, ‘UN Envoys as conductors, not soloists’ was prepared as a Background Paper for the 2019 Oslo Forum.