Cyprus

At the request of the Personal Envoy for the Secretary-General on Cyprus, in October a process design expert mobilized through the SBT mechanism was deployed to Amman, Jordan to support the organization and facilitation of a retreat on the Technical Committee on Youth, in close coordination with OSASG-Cyprus and the Folke Bernadotte Academy.

Iraq

At the request of the German MFA, a SBT expert on climate change, environment and natural resources provided remote support to the Stabilisation Leaders Forum in Berlin, Germany during October in their individual expert capacity. The expert provided input on climate security risks in the country and reflected on entry points for conflict mitigation and peace-positive climate action.

Middle East

In November, a SBT expert on climate change, environment and natural resources issues participated in a Climate Security Dialogue in Amman, Jordan, hosted by the European Commission Service for Foreign Policy Instruments and Adelphi. The event aimed to identify regional climate risks, highlight scalable good practices and initiatives, and explore opportunities for partnerships and regional cooperation.

Syria 

On 6 November 2025 and at the request of Swisspeace, an SBT security arrangements expert delivered an online session titled “The Colombian DDR Process and Transitional Justice” to a group of approximately 25 civilian representatives of the Syrian civil society. The session provided an overview of Colombia’s Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration (DDR) process. The event, organized by Swisspeace, offered comparative insights for participants exploring peacebuilding and justice mechanisms in their own context.

Yemen

In November, a SBT member expert on climate change, environment and natural resources issues was deployed to Amman, Jordan to support a Berghof Foundation-convened workshop on environmental entry points for peacemaking. The event included staff from the Office of the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen, local embassies, international peacebuilding organizations and Yemeni civil society organizations. The expert provided comparative experiences and best practices to support identification of potential entry points for confidence building and dialgoue, as well as facilitated a discussion highlighting different global experiences with introducing climate and environmental issues into formal peace processes.

Abyei

From October to November, at the request of the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA), the Office of the Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa (OSE-HoA), and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), MSU and multiple SBT experts on process design and on climate change, environment and natural resources issues provided remote and in-person support to inter-community dialogue elements of the UNEP-led “Climate Resilience for Conflict Prevention and Peacebuilding in Abyei” project. This project is funded by the European Commission Service for Foreign Policy Instruments and falls under the broader EU-UNEP “Partnership on Climate Change, Environment and Security”. The first phase of support included remote advice related to existing and potential mediation and dialogue initiatives and the risks and opportunities of integrating a climate lens. This was followed by the deployment of SBT members to Abyei to support the UNISFA-OSE-HoA-UNEP project team in conducting inter-community consultations. The SBT members provided process design advice on community dialogue on agriculture-based climate adaptation interventions in Abyei, including with a special focus on women and youth groups.

Central Africa

In October, MSU held a virtual brainstorming session with UNOCA and the Central African desk to reflect on models of collaboration with regional and sub-regional organizations. Three Standby Team Members (two process design and one inclusion) were assigned to share comparative lessons and experiences in engaging with sub-regional organizations. The session was a follow-up of the tailored workshop for the SRSG of UNOCA and his senior staff that took place in the preceding reporting period.

Horn of Africa 

In October, the 19th annual Horn of Africa Regional Peace and Security Dialogue was co-convened by the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) and the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP) in Nairobi, Kenya. SBT experts on process design and gender inclusion attended the session themed "External Shifts, Internal Struggles: Containing Conflict and Seeking Foundations for Peace in the Horn of Africa”.  SBT members played a role in guiding discussions, offering regional and firsthand insights, and steering the dialogue toward principled, experience-based mediation strategies.

Libya

From October to December, an SBT expert provided strategic remote and in-person advice to UNSMIL’s Senior Leadership and Gender Advisory Section (GAS) on implementation of the mission’s Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) Strategy including technical advice related to the preparations of the agreed mechanism for gender inclusion in the Structured Dialogue (SD). This included ensuring the commitment to a minimum representation of 35% women is met and strengthening overall inclusivity in the political process, including the youth component, the diasporic community, and persons with disabilities, and also to ensure that gender considerations are integrated across human rights, economic, security and governance tracks of the SD. Additionally, the expert provided advice to GAS and relevant partners (UN Women, UNDP) on the design and preparations for the validation meeting of the “Libyan Women’s Charter”, a Libyan women-led and owned agenda to serve as a guiding framework for the SD and to enable women in the SD to advocate for shared priorities and recommendations of Libya women.

Separately, a SBT expert in process design provided remote support to UNSMIL by producing an internal note with comparative examples of democratic transitions.

Nigeria 

Two Standby Team experts and one MSU staff member continued to provide remote operational support to the Anglican Communion in Nigeria's Middle Belt to conduct a mapping of CSO partners working on conflict prevention and develop an interfaith early warning mechanism. MSU facilitated a meeting with consultants from the Anglican Communion and a consultant who is conducting a mapping exercise in Nigeria on behalf of the EU’s External Action Service. Both identified overlaps in their engagements and agreed to work out modalities for more information sharing and collaboration.

Southern Africa

An SBT expert facilitated a two-day workshop for the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) Committee of Elders and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Panel of Elders on 13 to 14 October, 2025 in Nairobi, Kenya, organized by the African Centre for the Constructive resolution of Disputes (ACCORD) in collaboration with the COMESA and SADC. The workshop focused on strengthening the practice of mediation for the two entities through experience sharing and exploring synergies in their interventions in resolving conflicts.

South Sudan

In October, with support from UNMISS, faith leaders from the South Sudan Council of Churches (SSCC) and South Sudan Islamic Council (SSIC) convened a two-day experience-sharing and capacity-building workshop for some 80 participants from both Juba and all the ten states and two administrative areas of the country. An SBT expert on process design supported this workshop by participating in online preparatory meetings convened by UNMISS and then leading the facilitation of the workshop sessions in both English and Arabic. The workshop ended with a joint press statement that emphasized the important role of religious leaders and, most importantly, the commitment of the two councils to work together on peace and reconciliation in South Sudan. As a result, UNMISS plans to hold strategy sessions with the faith leaders to help prepare the ground for the roll of out of the National Faith and Peace Conference in 2026. 

In November, an SBT expert on process design was invited to attend the 8th Elections Reflection Group Meeting, co-hosted by the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) in Nairobi. The discussion focused on ways of fostering trust and political dialogue among signatories of the R-ARCSS. The forum is considered a trusted platform for inclusive, open, and informed reflections among political actors, civil society, electoral bodies, and regional stakeholders. During the meeting, the SBT expert contributed to discussions on how to organize and facilitate political dialogue and political buy-in for democratic elections in the future.

Sudan

During the reporting period, MSU staff continued their support to the Personal Envoy's meetings and strategy sessions with Sudanese stakeholders and other multilateral organizations. They contributed to analysis and background papers that were used to prepare the Personal Envoy for his meetings in Port Sudan and Addis Ababa in December 2025. 

In addition to the provision of ongoing advisory support, the MSU Ceasefires expert helped to design and was deployed as part of the UN integrated team to support technical bilateral consultations in Geneva, Switzerland between the United Nations and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). These consultations were intended to be focused on de-escalation measures aimed at strengthening the protection of civilians but were ultimately postponed.   

The Great Lakes

A process design expert, mobilized through the SBT mechanism, was deployed to Windhoek, Namibia, from 17 to 19 October to support the facilitation of a meeting for women from the Great Lakes region to engage and share peacebuilding experiences. The meeting was held under the leadership of former Presidents H.E. Catherine Samba-Panza of the Central African Republic and H.E. Sahle-Work Zewde of Ethiopia, in their capacity as members of the Panel of Facilitators of the regional peace process of the Great Lakes Region. In addition to DRC and Rwanda, the meeting included participants from Uganda, Burundi and Tanzania well as observers from Ethiopia. The facilitation support helped shape actionable recommendations, including the need for a proficient mobilization of women to serve as bridge builders in the region through cross-border dialogue.

Papua New Guinea   

At the request of the DPPA-DPO Asia and the Pacific Division (APD), MSU continued to provide technical and process design advice to the post-referendum consultation process between the Government of Papua New Guinea (GoPNG) and the Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG). This follows the adoption of the “Melanesian Agreement” by the parties in June which outlined a joint commitment by the GoPNG and the ABG to a peaceful, negotiated pathway forward, recognizing Bougainville’s referendum outcome and framing future relations within a Melanesian framework. 

Building on this positive momentum, APD convened several brainstorming meetings during this quarter with MSU, including with an SBT expert on process design, on possible elements of support during the next phase of the negotiations. In November, the UN met with the Chief Secretaries of the GoPNG and ABG who indicated their respective government's readiness to resume dialogue in 2026, with continued UN support. 

Religion and Mediation

Dialogue with women faith-based mediators 

During the reporting period, a SBT expert in gender and inclusion moderated an online dialogue to showcase how women and young women faith-based mediators play a role in mediating conflicts across all levels. The event was organized by the Gender Working Group and Peace and Security Working Group of the UN Multi-Faith Advisory Council (MFAC) to mark the 25th Anniversary of the UNSC Resolution 1325. Over 200 participants registered for the event. Through a facilitated discussion, the event identified recommendations for the UN, Member States, and other actors involved in peace efforts to support the role of women faith-based mediators in peace processes. In addition to moderating the dialogue, the expert participated in preparatory meetings and advised the agenda of the two-hour event. 

Support to the Network for Religious and Traditional Peacemakers

MSU was appointed to the Strategy Steering Committee responsible for developing the 2026–2031 strategy of the Network for Religious and Traditional Peacemakers. As a member of the Committee, MSU actively contributed to shaping priority programs that reflect the current geopolitical and funding environment. The Committee also examined how to strengthen the role of religious actors within a mediation landscape increasingly defined by geopolitical rivalries. To achieve these objectives, the process began with a revision of the organization’s foundational principles, including its core values, operating principles, and mission and vision statements.

Women’s Participation in Peace Processes

Common Pledge 

On 28 October 2025 MSU, jointly with DPPA’s Gender, Peace and Security Unit and in coordination with the office of the DSG and UNWomen, organized a high-level event on the Secretary-General’s Common Pledge on Women’s Participation in Peace Processes. The event was opened by Deputy-Secretary-General Mohamed and Assistant-Secretary-General for Africa Pobee moderated the meeting which included a high-level panel with women involved in mediation processes, and an ambassadorial roundtable. The strong turnout at the event underscored broad and continued Member State support for the initiative. Thirty-two of the 42 adopters of the Common Pledge participated, including three new adopters who announced their adoption of the Pledge at the event. 

Strengthening Mediation Capacity

SBT and staff online and in person engagements (webinars, panels, consultations)  

During the fourth quarter, multiple experts from the SBT mechanism and MSU staff participated in different virtual discussion formats as panellists, speakers, and moderators. They also acted as expert facilitators in various capacity building exercises for the UN and its partners including: providing inputs for a CMI-convened roundtable discussion on “Global Narratives, Regional Realities: Regalvanising the WPS agenda at 25”; serving as an expert contributor during a UNDP-hosted Technical Africa Transition Index Co-Creation workshop; serving as panellist during the official launch of the book “Ceasefires: Stopping the Violence and Negotiating Peace” at FCDO London and ETH Zurich; providing a virtual input during the annual Cyber Mediation Network meeting around the openness and resistance to include digital technologies and AI in peace processes; contributing as a panellist in a session on Mediation in the High-Level Training Program on the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA) in Nouakchott organized by the Diplomatic Academy of Mauritania; mentoring a Columbia University SIPA annual conflict resolution simulation; participating in the 12th Edinburgh Dialogue on Constitution Making in Fragile Settings; and appearing on multiple panels at the European Union Community of Practice on Peace Mediation.

Women in Ceasefire Negotiations Course 

The 5th edition of the Women in Ceasefire Negotiations organized by MSU and GPS concluded on 5 November. The virtual course started on 2 September (19 sessions over 10 weeks) and brought together around 35 women from various country contexts such as Afghanistan, Brazil, Cameroon, Colombia, DRC, Ethiopia, The Philippines, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Sudan and Syria to build their technical capacity to participate in ceasefire negotiations. In addition to the theory and case work, the course included senior guest speakers who shared their personal experiences in addressing the gender dimensions of ceasefire negotiations (Molly Phee, US diplomat, Tanja Nijmeijer, former FARC fighter and member of the FARC negotiating team to the Havanna talks, Idun Tvedt, Deputy Director, Section for Peace and Reconciliation, Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs). The USG for DPPA delivered remarks at the closing ceremony. Seven experts from the Standby Team (five full-time and two ‘when actually employed’ (WAE) supported the course. They provided expertise in ceasefires, process design and inclusion, and either facilitated sessions or provided feedback during role plays. One served as a guest speaker.

Youth, Peace and Security 

An SBT process design expert co-facilitated two sessions during the Finland-South Africa Youth Mentoring Programme in Addis Ababa (2-6 November 2025). The SBT expert provided support and served as a learning resource to the participants and co-facilitated a session on practical skills and the application of mediation theory. The Youth Peace Mediators’ Mentoring Programme (YPMP) is a one-year initiative jointly led by South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) and Finland Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), carried out in partnership with Interpeace who serve as the secretariat. It aims to build a practice-ready global network of youth mediators through multi-site training and mentoring. Following the inaugural phase in Pretoria (July 2025), the second in-person module was convened in Addis Ababa from 2–7 November 2025, hosted at the African Union Headquarters. This phase focused on youth-led approaches within AU frameworks, gender-responsive mediation, early warning, and community-led dialogue – anchoring the cohort in Africa’s peace architecture. Subsequent legs will be held in Helsinki and Geneva in 2026.