The Mediation Support Unit (MSU) in the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA) serves as the UN system-wide focal point on mediation expertise and support. The Unit, inter-alia, provides tailored operational support to peace and dialogue processes through expert staff from the Unit and the Standby Team of Senior Mediation Advisors (SBT).
What We Do
MSU’s core competencies include operational assistance with mediation and peace processes, targeted capacity building to partners, and developing mediation guidance, lessons learned, and best practices.
MSU staff, including in-house experts on ceasefires, constitution-making, and process design, are able to provide tailored support throughout the planning, implementation and evaluation phases of a mediation process. The Unit also manages the Standby Team of Senior Mediation Advisers (SBT), which can be mobilized as a complementary mediation support capacity.
The Unit organizes a series of flagship trainings, including the UN High Level Mediation Course, the Ceasefire Mediation Course and the Women in Ceasefire Negotiations Course. MSU furthermore develops and maintains guidance and resources for mediators. This includes a searchable database of peace agreements – allowing mediators to compare language across some 75,000+ provisions of 1,300 agreements. When requested, MSU also provides tailored guidance, often involving comparative case analysis, to field missions.
MSU partners frequently with various regional organizations. It is also a member of several mediation networks, including the Group of Friends on Mediation and the Mediation Support Network, and engages regularly with the Global Alliance of Regional Women Mediator Networks.
DPPA’s mediation support capacity relies predominantly on funding from the Multi-Year Appeal (MYA) – including to allow for on-the-ground support to peace discussions. Sustained funding will allow MSU to continue to deploy operational expert support where needed and to develop innovative approaches and mediation guidance in emerging fields such as digital technologies, climate, local and sub-national mediation, and the youth, peace and security agenda.
UN Photo/Stephenie Hollyman
The Unit organizes a series of flagship trainings, including the High Level Mediation Course and the Ceasefire Mediation Course. MSU furthermore develops and maintains guidance and resources for mediators, available through the dedicated Peacemaker website.
This includes a searchable directory of peace agreements – allowing mediators to compare language across some 75,000 provisions of 1,300 agreements. When requested, MSU also provides tailored guidance, often involving comparative case analysis, to field missions. The Digital Risk Management E-Learning Platform for Mediators, launched in 2022, represents MSU’s emerging work in supporting mediators in cybersecurity awareness.
MSU partners frequently with various regional organizations. It is also a member of several mediation networks, including the Group of Friends on Mediation and the Mediation Support Network, and engages regularly with the Global Alliance of Regional Women Mediator Networks.
UN Photo/Paulo Filgueiras
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Expanding Our Knowledge and Helping Others to Learn
The Guidance is designed to support United Nations senior leader- ship and staff, mediators, and facilitators within and outside the UN, along with their teams, conflict parties, representatives of States and regional organizations, national and international non-governmental organizations, women’s groups and other stakeholders in peace processes.
This paper captures key lessons learned in the author's two-year secondment to the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA) Policy and Mediation Division, Mediation Support Unit, during which the author supported constitution-making processes and provided advice on handling constitutional issues.
This Practice Note outlines circumstances under which more direct involvement with local conflicts and mediation processes might be strategically relevant for United Nations mediators working on national political processes.
This practice note, a DPPA-OHCHR collaboration, delves into practical strategies and real-world examples to help mediators and human rights practitioners weave human rights principles and considerations into their work in general and in every step of mediation efforts specifically. The note shows that human rights offer practical solutions to many of the challenging issues that mediators try to address.
Produced jointly by DPPA Mediation Support Unit and swisspeace, this paper discusses the impact of social media on peace mediation, makes practical suggestions for mediators and their teams, and poses questions for further consideration and analysis. The paper also includes illustrative examples of practical social media uses.
Digital technologies are also changing the character of conflict as parties increasingly rely on them to advance their objectives. Mediators and their teams need to consider additional factors such as the digital ecosystem of a given setting and how digital technologies and related data issues influence the power dynamics of a conflict. To address these new developments and help mediators and political affairs officers navigate the issues, the DPPA Policy and Mediation Division has prepared a Framework for Digital Technology-sensitive Conflict Analysis.
Visit the resources page for further guidance, policy and practice documents on mediation.
2023 Highlights
2023 Support by Theme
2023 Support by Region
Chile
In continuation of support provided in 2023, in May and June MSU deployed an SBT process design expert and a staff member to Chile at the request of the Resident Coordinator’s Office (RCO) and the Chilean Presidency. The aim of the deployment was to provide technical advice to the Presidential Commission for Peace and Understanding, tasked to address the long-standing conflict between the Chilean state and the Indigenous Mapuche People. In addition, the expert developed a series of context and process observations for the consideration of Commission members. The key issues under consideration include, inter alia, the need for more engagement with indigenous counterparts in line with their customs and traditions; strengthening public messaging and strategic communication around the Commission’s work; and long-term strategies for rapprochement and dialogue between the Chilean state and the Mapuche communities. The expert also provided observations to the RCO as a contribution to the current UNCT planning, programming and activities in the Araucanía region in support to the national strategy of peace and understanding of which the Commission is a critical component.
Guatemala
MSU/SBT provided technical advice to the Presidency of Guatemala in designing a dialogue process to address the historical territorial conflict between two indigenous K'iché communities in western Guatemala. Between 10 to 18 May, an SBT process design expert was deployed to accompany the Presidency team leading the process in a field visit to the two affected communities. The team met with political actors, indigenous leaders and civil society representatives from each of the two communities separately, to assess the viability of a dialogue process between the two communities. MSU/SBT will continue working with the Presidency team on next steps related to the design and implementation of a dialogue process which will potentially include how to deal with local armed actors, ensure the participation of civil society actors and women, and address the use of social media for hate speech and disinformation.
Haiti
Notable recent political developments in Haiti during the reporting period have included the announcement of transitional governance arrangements on 11 March agreed upon by an inclusive group of Haitian stakeholders, the establishment of the Transitional Presidential Council and the appointment of a Prime Minister and his Government. In May, a Standby Team process design expert shared comparative lessons and key insights from different international contexts with BINUH and other partners on recurring opportunities and challenges in political transitions, including as regards the effective functioning of transitional governance arrangements.
No current activity
No current activity
Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)
Within the context of MONUSCO’s gradual, responsible and sustainable withdrawal from the DRC as set out in Security Council resolution 2717 (2023), the Mission requested SBT process design support to strengthen subnational mediation and dialogue structures in the eastern DRC. In this regard, a process design expert was deployed to facilitate consultations with local government and stakeholders in Ituri Province in view of establishing a permanent dialogue mechanism to address structural drivers of conflict. Based on views expressed by participants, the expert has proposed an architecture and a roadmap for the establishment of the mechanism.
During the reporting period, the expert also provided in-person facilitation support to an inter-faith dialogue initiative in the provinces of Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu. In coordination with MONUSCO, the expert facilitated three inter-faith workshops from April to June, with each workshop bringing together about 40 participants (at least 20 per cent were women) with the aim to (i) enhance the dialogue and facilitation skills of faith-based actors and community leaders; and (ii) develop a dialogue engagement strategy for faith-based leaders in each of the provinces.
Prior to the provincial level workshops, an evaluation and preparatory workshop was held in Goma with faith-based leaders and civil society on 15 and 16 April to assess the needs of community leaders in addressing sub-national conflicts in the eastern DRC.
Ethiopia
During the reporting period, the SBT member on gender and inclusion was deployed to support Inclusive Peace to strengthen and empower faith-based women actors of the Inter-religious Council of Ethiopia (IRCE) in preparation of the Ethiopia national dialogue process. The workshop, which took place from 5-7 March, educated the faith leaders on national dialogues, the role of faith-based actors and the importance of participation of women. The SBT expert used comparative experiences from Kenya to illustrate how women faith leaders engaged in various dialogue processes. This sharing of experiences allowed the participants to strategize on how they could jointly highlight issues that could be addressed in the national dialogue. The SBT member also shared the WPS agenda and how it links to women’s participation in the national dialogue.
Separately, the Berghof Foundation and the Ethiopians for Inclusive Dialogue (EID-WSC) launched a six-month programme titled “Coaching Women in Peace Leadership” from 24-25 March. The programme is designed to support women from diverse backgrounds in their efforts to foster the inclusion of women and mainstreaming gender in the dialogue processes in Ethiopia. The SBT expert took part in the launch and presented comparative experiences on women’s peace leadership in Kenya and Somalia. The expert also highlighted the importance of women’s understanding of their collective power and of capitalizing on that to advocate and lobby for the inclusion of women in peace processes.
Libya
MSU deployed staff and SBT experts to support a UNSMIL-organized a workshop on 30 – 31 May in Tunis for Libyan military/security actors. The workshop aimed to progress development of a proposed common code of conduct for Libyan security providers. The code itself would seek to improve trust, provision of security, civilian protection, and respect for human rights in Libya. There were over 40 participants, including representatives from the Government of National Unity Ministries of Defense and Interior, Prime Minister’s Office, the 5+5 Joint Military Commission (JMC), the National Security Council, the National Programme for Demobilization, Disarmament and Reintegration and 15 other military and security institutions and actors from the eastern, western and southern regions of Libya. The workshop facilitated collaborative reflection on a draft common code of conduct prepared by Libyan officers based on principles of Libyan laws, international humanitarian law, and lessons learned from similar contexts (with the MSU and SBT experts making inputs particularly on the latter).
Lesotho
At the request of the Kingdom of Lesotho, an SBT process design expert was deployed to support interaction amongst traditional state structures and leadership of Lesotho, including hereditary College of Chiefs and elected Members of Parliament. The interaction was aimed at building capacities towards a shared vision of stability, progress, and prosperity for the Kingdom that strengthens national resilience, local mediation capacities and mechanisms for social cohesion, including issues faced by the Regents (female chiefs). This support request was a result of an earlier deployment done in collaboration with the UN Resident Coordinator’s Office to assist the government in planning the dialogue and capacity building programme. The first round of interaction resulted in a joint declaration by the Chiefs and a commitment to continue the engagement with traditional State structures and leadership of Lesotho. Further MSU support has already been requested for the process.
Sudan
On 24 June, MSU and SBT experts on process design and gender and inclusion supported an internal UN brainstorming session on the situation in Sudan. The session brought together the Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General for Sudan (PESG), Mr. Ramtane Lamamra, and other senior UN officials to discuss and identify possible strategic political entry points for targeted engagement on Sudan in the short to medium term. The MSU and SBT experts presented options for local ceasefires and women’s participation. MSU will continue to support the PESG’s office, including potential meetings to be convened during in July.
Mauritania
At the request of the DPPA-DPO North Africa Division (NAD), the MSU Standby Team gender and inclusion expert held a hybrid briefing to share her experience in supporting conflict prevention efforts around elections in Kenya and Zambia. The briefing, with the participation of the Electoral Affairs Division (EAD), aimed to enhance ongoing UN conflict prevention engagements in Mauritania ahead of the presidential elections on 29 June. The expert underlined the need to urge transparency and information-sharing by the election management body, encourage agreements and mechanisms among political parties to promote a non-violent process, strengthen the role of civil society actors, including women and youth, as well as national elections observers and coordinate with regional and international organizations. Collectively, she explained, such steps can help to build a climate of trust amongst political actors.
No current activity
1. Human Rights and Mediation
On 17 April, MSU co-organized with the Berghof Foundation a panel on human rights and mediation at the Berlin Moot (video available here). The Berlin Moot is a conference aimed at pioneering new approaches to peace organized by the Berghof Foundation. The panel raised awareness of the recent DPPA/OHCHR practice note on human rights and mediation, and generated recommendations for new mediation approaches. Panellists included former SBT expert Barney Afako, Meredith Preston McGhie (Global Centre for Pluralism), Eamon Gilmore (former EU envoy for human rights and for Colombia) and Xiaoyu Lu (Peking University).
Panelists spoke of human dignity and rights as powerful reference points to guide mediators. Given criticism of rights as “western”, they suggested mediators might consider using regional rights instruments, partnering more closely with regional organizations, and tapping into national framings of rights. They emphasized consultations to create linkages with regular people and to show that rights are domestic priorities (and are not artificially imported) and highlighted innovative approaches to accountability and justice in the 2016 Colombia peace agreement.
2. Climate
An MSU staff member and an SBT expert were deployed to Stockholm, Sweden, to support the DPPA and DPO Climate Security Mechanism teams in co-hosting the first UN Strategic Dialogue on Climate Peace and Security from 3-5 May. The event brought together senior leadership and Climate Peace and Security Advisers from OSE-HoA, UNAMA, UNAMI, UNMISS, UNOCA and UNOWAS, representatives from UNDP and UNEP, as well as co-hosting partners FBA and SIPRI. MSU and SBT provided substantive support to the agenda and facilitation. The sessions proposed were aimed at promoting effective exchange of practitioner experiences, challenges, good practices, and emerging examples of climate-related entry points for political, mediation and good offices activities in UN mission settings. MSU will continue to refine its support offer in light of the discussion and explore further options for capturing best practices and building capacities.
3. Religion and Mediation
The Steering Group of the Network for Religious and Traditional Peacemakers met at the principals’ level on 28 May at the residence of the Permanent Representative of Finland to reflect on the Network’s post-2025 strategy. Representing DPPA, PMD/MSU underlined the need for the Network to prioritize inclusion and digital tools to respond to the changing mediation environment and further expressed a commitment to provide spaces for the Network to contribute to global policy debates. Furthermore, PMD/MSU noted that religious actors could make an important contribution to national prevention efforts in the context of the Pact for the Future. Other Steering Group members highlighted the use of artificial intelligence, climate security, protection of insider mediators and the need to leverage traditional leaders as focus areas.
4. UN High Level Mediation Course
From 2-7 June, MSU, in partnership with the Swiss FDFA, organized the annual UN High Level Mediation Course. This edition brought together 22 participants including six SRSGs/DSRSGs (Horn of Africa, Haiti, Syria, UNMISS, UNOWAS and OSESGY), one Resident Coordinator (Ethiopia), nine senior UN officials (DPPA-DPO, UN Office of Disarmament Affairs, OHCHR), as well as current or former senior representatives from Member States (Canada, Chile, Oman, Switzerland), regional or sub-regional organizations (CARICOM, EAC, IGAD), and one peacemaking NGO (Sasakawa Peace Foundation). Discussions focused on the challenges facing UN mediation and dialogue efforts in today’s increasingly multipolar world, how to constructively work with an increasing number and types of mediation actors, intractability of some conflicts as well as strategies for mainstreaming gender, youth and broader issues of inclusion. Following a substantive review of the course content, the course successfully featured new sessions on mediator competition and coordination, digital technologies and social media, culture, ceasefires, as well as expert input from a former Senior Gender Advisor. SBT/WAE experts led the design and delivery of new sessions on mediator competition and coordination, digital technologies and social media and culture, and provided course design and facilitation support throughout.
5. ETH Zurich University Masters in the Mediation of Peace Processes (MPP) Strategic Advisory Board Meeting and Policy Forum on Mediation
Along with Finland, Germany and Switzerland, DPPA is a strategic partner to the ETH Zurich University’s MPP Programme. MSU has supported the Programme through the deployment of SBT experts to assist with the delivery of course modules. During the past quarter, SBT experts on ceasefires and powersharing were deployed to support a module on the substance of peace processes and agreements. The PMD Director also attended the ETH Policy Forum on Peace Mediation held on 7 June, including speaking on a High-Level Panel focused on implications of the current global peace and security context for peace promotion and political solutions.
6. MSU online and in person engagements (webinars, panels, consultations)
During the second quarter, multiple experts from the SBT mechanism participated in different virtual discussion formats as panelists, speakers, and moderators, including: an online lecture on engaging track II actors into informal process and attending a Conciliation Recourses-convened workshop on the psychology of non-state armed groups as a resource person. On 25 June, a MSU staff member appeared as a panelist in a webinar launching a joint brief by DPPA MSU, BuildUp and the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue on “Monitoring Social Media Provisions in Peace Agreements.”
Experts from the SBT mechanism also acted as expert facilitators in various capacity building exercises for the UN and its partners including: an SBT process design expert serving as an expert facilitator in the biannual OSCE Mediation Course, covering conflict analysis, process design, and dialogue facilitation techniques; another SBT process design expert facilitating two sessions in Swisspeace’s National Dialogue and Peace Mediation Course, and multiple SBT Experts supporting the UN High-Level Seminar on Gender and Inclusive Mediation Strategies in April and the DPPA Women, Peace and Security Training in June.
7. Digital Technologies
In May, MSU together with the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD) and BuildUp published a joint brief on Monitoring of Social Media Provisions in Peace Agreements, followed by a webinar on 25 June. The publication draws from a tabletop exercise convened earlier this year and the experience of mediation and ceasefire practitioners, social media experts and researchers. It explores how social media clauses that are included in peace and ceasefire agreements or agreed as stand-alone agreements can be monitored and implemented more effectively. As social media is increasingly one of the spaces in which conflicts take place, such provisions are expected to feature more in future agreements. The brief fills a critical gap in mediation practice as conflict parties and mediators increasingly attempt to address the negative behaviors on social media as a conflict driver.
For more information on MSU activities, see our Quarterly Updates/Annual Reports. The sensitivity of some engagements means that not all MSU activities can be reported in the public domain. The reports focus on MSU as a service provider and do not reflect the full spectrum of DPA's work in leading and supporting mediation efforts.