This publication dives into some of the challenges and opportunities presented by UN support to local level mediation and dialogue processes, and discusses its strategic relevance to the Organization’s overall peacemaking efforts.

This report is a contribution to ongoing efforts in the United Nations Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA) to address the impact of climate change on mediation and preventive diplomacy. It was commissioned by DPPA with support from the Government of the Republic of France and prepared by Alex Grzybowski and Chanda Hunnie of Pacific Resolutions. Views expressed in the report are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of DPPA.

The main purpose of this manual is to familiarize new UN mediators with the range of skills used by their predecessors to carry out third-party mediation. The manual describes the current context in which UN mediation and “good offices” is carried out, offers advice and lessons from previous representatives and envoys, and suggests how the UN’s Mediation Support Unit can help to support the work of UN mediators.

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 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, process design, and substantive issues including security arrangements, participation, constitutions, language and the implementation of peace agreements through a gender lens.

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.

This was the first landmark Security Council resolution on women, peace and security. The resolution 1325 (2000) addresses the impact of war on women and the importance of women’s full and equal participation in conflict resolution, peacebuilding, peacekeeping, humanitarian response and in post-conflict reconstruction. The resolution also calls for special measures to protect women and girls from conflict-related sexual violence and outlines gender-related responsibilities of the United Nations in different political and programmatic areas.

This Security Council resolution addresses the obstacles to women’s participation in peace processes and peacebuilding. The resolution 1889 (2009) calls for the establishment of a global set of indicators to track the implementation of Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000), emphasizes the need to ensure gender mainstreaming in all post-conflict peacebuilding and recovery processes and requests the Secretary-General to report on women’s participation and inclusion in peacebuilding and planning in the aftermath of conflict.