“The Secretary General’s emphasis on preventive diplomacy through strengthening mediation is both urgent and timely. Our inability to respond adequately to complex and protracted conflicts around the world has led to the largest number of displaced people since World War II. The international community has to find better ways to leverage effective diplomatic networks, work together to prevent wars, and build fairer and more cohesive societies.
“The UN can help if it can connect – our job is to help the UN connect.”
Mr. Harland has been Executive Director of the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, a private diplomacy organization headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, that works globally to help prevent, mitigate or resolve armed conflicts through dialogue and mediation. Mr. Harland previously worked for the United Nations, including in Bosnia, Kosovo, Haiti and Timor-Leste, and has served as the Chair of the World Economic Forum conflict prevention council.
“Sustainable peace and sustainable development are linked like two legs of jeans, and I hope to bring my experience from realising SDGs to Advisory Board’s discussions. A peace process concerns the society as a whole, and women need to be involved. Respecting, protecting and fulfilling human rights is at the core of conflict prevention and peacemaking.”
The Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs’ (DPPA) Women, Peace and Security Policy (hereafter the Policy) outlines the Department’s approach and commitment to the implementation of Security Council resolution 1325 (2000) and eight subsequent resolutions on women, peace and security (WPS) as well as the gendered dimensions of the General Assembly’s resolutions on mediation and conflict prevention and the twin resolutions from the two entities on sustaining peace.
Conflict analysis is a systematic study of the structures, stakeholders and dynamics of conflict to provide a better understanding of causes, triggers and forces promoting violent conflict or sustaining peace. It identifies critical actors and priorities to inform conflict resolution strategy and mediation process design. Ongoing conflict analysis and monitoring is also crucial to anticipate and prevent conflict, to strengthen a nation's resilience to conflict and to transform conflict dynamics, e.g. through support to key actors committed to non-violent conflict resolution.
The Secretary-General developed the United Nations Guidance for Effective Mediation in response to a request from the General Assembly (A/RES/65/283). The Guidance identifies a number of key fundamentals that should be considered in mediation processes: preparedness; consent; impartiality; inclusivity; national ownership; international law and normative frameworks; coherence; coordination and complementarity of the mediation effort; and quality peace agreements.
The United Nations requires its mediators to address conflict-related sexual violence. This guidance offers mediators and their teams principles and strategies for including this critical peacebuilding and security concern in ceasefire and peace agreements.
This UN DPA, now DPPA guidance seeks to inform mediators and their teams, as well as conflict parties, about the principles and strategies for the effective inclusion of women, as well as a gendered perspective in mediation processes. The guidance addresses mediation preparation, inclusive process design, and substantive issues including security arrangements, participation, constitutions, as well as language and the implementation of peace agreements through a gender lens.