Yemen

In August 2025, MSU’s senior advisor on ceasefires and security arrangements provided technical support for planning and conduct of second iteration of two separate workshops on global ceasefire practice and perspectives in Amman, Jordan, for the Military Coordination Committee (MCC) delegates from the Government of Yemen and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) respectively. The meetings focused on the planning and coordination of a potential ceasefire, related security arrangements, and ways to address ongoing security challenges in Yemen. Participants also considered options to implement a nationwide ceasefire across land, air, and sea as part of a broader political agreement. The management of frontlines in the context of a ceasefire was also discussed, as well as security arrangements around critical infrastructure, including energy facilities. The meetings built on earlier rounds held in December 2024 and January 2025 with the same delegations, which were also supported by MSU.

African Regional Economic Commissions 

International IDEA requested SBT support for the fourth edition of its Annual Retreat for Special Envoys and High Representatives of African Regional Economic Communities (RECs) in Dakar, Senegal from 14 to 16 September. The retreat was part of the operationalization of its Regional Mechanism on Support to Inclusive Constitutional Transitions (RMSICT). The SBT expert served as speaker on a panel titled, “Adaptive and Innovative Solutions in the Engagement of the RECs in the current Geopolitical Context.” The retreat underlined that the need for concerted efforts to improve governance at all levels in African countries. In addition, RECs could play an important role in this regard by prioritizing dialogue, including with proscribed groups. Examples from Nigeria and other cases were cited as examples of how such efforts could contribute to stabilization. 

African Union

The Institute of Security Studies in partnership with the African Union's Mediation and Dialogue Division (MDD), within the Political Affairs, Peace and Security (PAPS) Department, is developing multi-year strategy for the MDD. An SBT expert on process design was assigned to engage with a consultant drafting the strategy. The document aims to provide a framework for implementing the MDD’s mandate in preventive diplomacy, mediation, and dialogue across the African continent from 2026 to 2030. The SBT expert participated in a virtual interview with the consultant and provided insights from his past work at the Mediation Support Unit of the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD). 

Libya  

As part of ongoing efforts to promote an inclusive, intra-Libyan political process in line with Security Council Resolution 2755 (2024), UNSMIL launched a series of nationwide and international consultations on how to overcome the current political impasse in Libya. In particular, UNSMIL solicited views on options put forward by an Advisory Committee of Libyan experts in May 2025 aimed at resolving contentious issues that are delaying national elections, with the broader goal of helping to unify Libyan institutions and move towards peace and stability.

In July and August, an SBT expert on inclusion provided remote and in-person support to the Mission in designing a structured political dialogue. Working closely with UNSMIL’s Gender Advisory Section (GAS), the expert helped the Mission develop a comprehensive gender strategy to ensure women’s full, equal, meaningful, and safe participation in the consultation process. This included advising on mechanisms for gender inclusion and the design of inclusive political consultations that actively seek the perspectives and priorities of women across Libya, including marginalized groups and women with disabilities.

Furthermore, in September, a SBT expert on ceasefires supported UNSMIL's Ceasefire Monitoring Component (CMC) in a two-day workshop designed to strengthen young Libyan women's understanding of gender perspectives in ceasefire processes. The SBT expert delivered two sessions focused on integrating gender considerations into ceasefire processes with a particular focus on the Libyan Ceasefire Agreement of 2020, with the overall objective of enhancing participants' capacities to meaningfully engage in and contribute to the implementation of the agreement.

Mozambique

A Standby Team adviser, together with the Head of the DPPA-Southern Africa Development Community Liaison Office, undertook an in-person mission to Mozambique from 23 July to 7 August 2025. The mission was in support of the Resident Coordinator’s Office (RCO) to assess the strategic relevance of the Peace Clubs Mozambique initiative within the broader UN efforts to support stabilization, conflict resolution and peace building in the country.

The Peace Clubs Mozambique initiative is led by a Nampula-based Steering Committee of faith-based leadership including representatives of the Anglican Missionary Diocese of Nampula Province and the Christian and Islamic Councils of Mozambique (CCM and CISLAMO). Peace Clubs use dialogue, local analysis, information sharing and local level planning to identify effective locally informed strategies aimed at preventing violent conflict, building community resilience, fostering social cohesion and building peace.

The mission resulted in a set of recommendations to the RCO and Peace Clubs Mozambique, identifying strong alignment between the inclusive, faith-based participatory dialogue methodology of the Peace Clubs and the work of several UN entities contributing to Strategic Priority 4 (Peacebuilding, Human Rights and Inclusive Governance) of the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework for Mozambique. The recommendations are expected to inform ongoing UN Country Team programming.

Nigeria

Two Standby Team experts and one MSU staff continued to provide remote operational support to the Anglican Communion in Nigeria's Middle Belt to conduct a mapping of civil society partners working on conflict prevention and develop an interfaith early warning mechanism. The mapping exercise kicked off during the reporting period and has relied on MSU/SBT strategic guidance, including building on early warning models from other country contexts shared by the experts.

South Sudan 

In July, a SBT expert on process design was invited to attend the 7th Elections Reflection Group Meeting, co-hosted by the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) and the Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO) in Juba. With national elections now planned for December 2026, the meeting is part of a series of retreats to support the preparedness of electoral institutions such as the NEC and the Political Parties Council, and to hear directly from officials and practitioners involved in the process. In August, the SBT Expert was then invited to a follow-up brainstorming meeting hosted by FES in Nairobi. These dialogues provide a trusted platform for inclusive, open, and informed reflections among political actors, civil society, South Sudanese electoral bodies, and regional stakeholders. During the meeting, the SBT expert contributed to discussions on how to ensure greater national ownership of the electoral process, as well as ways to strengthen gender-balance representation in the decision-making process.

In September, an SBT expert on process design was requested to support a workshop being organized by UNMISS for representatives of the South Sudan Council of Churches and the South Sudan Islamic Council. Participating remotely, the expert contributed to discussions on mediation, dialogue facilitation and designing the roll out of a National Faith and Peace Conference. The hope is that this forum will further strengthen and strategically build existing local conflict resolution mechanisms and practices that can bolster the Revitalized Agreement for Resolution of Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS). Along with two other external experts, the SBT expert reviewed the programme of the workshop, delivered a presentation on the fundamentals of mediation, strengths of religious actors as insider mediators, and shared comparative examples from other countries.

Sudan

During this period, MSU staff continued their support to the meetings of the Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy on Sudan with Sudanese stakeholders and other multilateral organizations. They contributed to analysis and background papers on stakeholder engagement and Sudan's evolving security situation. This was used to prepare the Personal Envoy for his meetings in Port Sudan and Nairobi in September 2025. MSU also supported meetings organized by the DPPA-DPO Eastern African Division with Sudanese stakeholders on the margins of the UN General Assembly in New York.

Afghanistan

MSU staff and a SBT expert on gender and inclusion continued to support UNAMA in developing options and specific strategies to pursue information sharing and consultations with the Afghan public and technical experts as part of the Mission’s so-called Comprehensive Approach to advance international engagement on Afghanistan in a more coherent, coordinated, and structured manner. 

During July, MSU and the expert prepared a paper for the DPPA-DPO Asia and the Pacific Division (APD) and UNAMA containing options on how to systematically engage key Afghan Stakeholders on the Comprehensive Approach, with the DPPA Gender, Peace and Security Unit also providing feedback on the paper. The Paper also formed the basis for a brainstorming call held between MSU, APD, UNAMA and UN Women held that month. 

Papua New Guinea  

At the request of 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 that 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. During those negotiations, a SBT expert on process design provided technical and advisory support to the international moderator, Sir Jerey Mateparae, who facilitated the discussions. 

The United Nations, most recently through the visit of the UN Secretary-General to Papua New Guinea in August, has now been requested by the two parties to provide continued support.  Building the positive momentum created by the ‘Melanesian Agreement,’ APD convened a number of brainstorming meetings during this quarter with MSU, including the SBT expert on process design, on possible elements of support during next phase of the negotiations. During these discussions, MSU shared best practices and potential comparative models to help move the implementation process forward.

Climate change, environment, and natural resources

Euphrates-Tigris Basin 

MSU staff and several SBT members, including the expert in climate change, environment and natural resources, continued to provide process design advice to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) on enhancing transboundary cooperation on climate risks in the Euphrates-Tigris basin, including through drawing on comparative regional experiences. 

Horn of Africa

From 16 to 18 September a SBT expert on process design contributed to a regional dialogue on climate peace and security (CPS), co-convened by the Office of the UN Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa (OSE-HoA), the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and the Folke Bernadotte Academy (FBA). The event aimed to increase the capacities of around 20 political and climate security officers in the UN (missions/country teams/HQ) and regional organisations (AU, IGAD) with options for integrating CPS into political and peacebuilding initiatives. The SBT member shared mediation process design advice and comparative experiences throughout the discussions on the intersection of climate change and environmental issues with peace processes in the Horn of Africa region, including on gender and WPS considerations.

Climate Security Mechanism and DPPA-DPO regional divisions

At the request of the Climate Security Mechanism and DPPA-DPO regional desks, MSU staff and the SBT member specialized in climate change, environment and natural resources contributed to multiple virtual briefings on options for integrating climate and environmental factors into mediation and dialogue initiatives, and shared comparative experiences, including in the Caribbean, Pacific and Southern Africa regions, and in a WPS Community of Practice session on CPS. 

Strengthening Mediation Capacity

Women in Ceasefire Negotiations Course

The 2025 iteration of the virtual Women in Ceasefire Negotiations Course kicked off on 2 September. It brings together 35 female participants with diverse backgrounds in civil society, government, diplomacy and politics and from various country contexts such as Afghanistan, Cameroon, Colombia, DRC, Ethiopia, The Philippines, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Sudan and Syria. The course aims to equip women peacebuilders and negotiators with technical skills to enable their meaningful participation in ceasefire and security arrangement negotiations and implementation. The methodology includes the participation of guest speakers who share their first-hand experiences with the participants. This fifth iteration of the course ends on 12 November. Multiple SBT experts or experts mobilized through the SBT mechanism have been utilized to support the design of the course and deliver presentations on negotiation principles, ceasefire types and typologies, and gender dimensions of ceasefires as well as their own personal experiences in ceasefire talks and implementation.

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

During the third 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: delivering an online presentation on “Continental and Regional Interventions on Peace and Security in Africa” for the AU Managing Peace and Security in Africa Programme (AU-MPSA); providing substantive feedback on Accord’s “Building Inclusive and Multi-Dimensional Approaches and Capacities for Effective Conflict Prevention in Africa” project; attending the regional conference on “The Future of Governance in the Sahel: (re-)building Social Cohesion and Public Trust”; attending a Community of Practice webinar on Climate, Security and Mobility/Migration; delivering an online presentation on embedding gender in peace processes as part of the 2025 Advanced Mediation Skills Training for Clingendael Women Alumni.  In addition, a MSU staff member delivered a session on UN in Mediation at the Mediation for Peace Certificate Program for OIC Member States organised by the Diplomatic Academy of Türkiye.

Guidance, best practices, lessons learned, knowledge management 

Standby Team of Senior Mediation Advisors

From 10-11 September, the 2025 Standby Team of Senior Mediation Advisers gathered online for its annual Mid-Term Review. Over the course of two half-days, the Team held dedicated discussions to take stock of the Team’s work in the first half of 2025 and explore different thematic topics related to mediation, including the future of UN mediation, as well as strategic communications and mediation. The team also discussed specific regional contexts and held a dedicated monitoring, evaluation and learning session to strengthen MSU/SBT impact assessment efforts.

Group of Friends of Mediation 

On 25 September, the 15th Ministerial Meeting of the UN Group of Friends was convened on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. The event, entitled “Re-affirming Cooperation between the UN and Regional Organizations in Mediation,” brought together representatives from 54 Member States and 8 international and regional organizations.  Alongside the co-chairs, the Foreign Minister of Finland and the Deputy Foreign Minister of Türkiye, Under-Secretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo was invited to deliver some opening remarks.  

In her intervention, the USG underscored the UN’s enduring commitment to mediation, dialogue, and preventive diplomacy as central to the UN Charter, especially amid today’s complex and multiplying conflicts. She welcomed the reaffirmation of UN good offices through recent resolutions, while stressing the need for stronger cooperation and clearer division of labour with regional organizations to maximize impact and avoid duplication. Marking the upcoming 25th anniversary of Security Council resolution 1325, she emphasized the proven value of women’s participation in peace processes and urged concrete steps by all mediators—such as appointing women as lead mediators, advocating with parties to include women in the negotiating delegations, ensuring gender expertise, and consulting civil society—to make inclusivity the norm. Finally, she invited Member States to reflect on how multilateral organizations can best add value to mediation efforts and share examples of advancing women’s participation, reaffirming the UN’s role as a convener, technical partner, and coordinator of last resort.  Several Foreign Ministers who spoke at the event expressed their strong support for UN peace-making efforts and called for further progress on advancing women’s participation in peace processes.

Peacemaker website

During the reporting period, MSU launched a new interactive digital version of the Guidance on Ceasefire Mediation on the Peacemaker website. Originally released in 2022, the Guidance responds to increased global interest in how ceasefires work and how they can contribute to ending armed conflict. The interactive version, launched on 18 September, is optimized for phones, tablets, and laptops; it includes offline access and improved navigation tools; draws on decades of UN experience in supporting ceasefires; and features examples from conflicts around the world.