Cyprus

In early July, a process design expert was remotely deployed through the Standby Team mechanism to support the Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General on Cyprus, Ms. María Ángela Holguín Cuéllar. Support was provided to the PESG in furtherance of her mandate, which entailed assuming a good offices role on the Secretary-General’s behalf to search for common ground on the way forward and advise him on the Cyprus issue. Earlier in 2024, the expert also accompanied PESG Holguín during two visits to the island, including during meetings with the leaders, with civil society representatives – including women, and youth – and other stakeholders.

Eastern Europe

At the request of the DPPA-DPO Europe and Central Asia Division (ECAD), a Standby Team expert was deployed in September to support the 2024 Open Day for Regional Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) Dialogue organized by UN Women in collaboration with DPPA and the UNDP-DPPA Joint Programme in Chisinau, Moldova. The event gathered some 60 women civil society representatives from Ukraine, Moldova and the South Caucasus to share their experiences in the implementation of the WPS agenda in their communities, countries and the region. The participants also reflected on inclusive approaches to social cohesion, local mediation and support for national unity, dialogue, and reconciliation efforts. The SBT expert provided inputs and reflections in the plenary segment of the conference and facilitated experience-sharing sessions with women civil society partners from Moldova and Ukraine.
 

Yemen

During the most recent quarter, MSU staff, including its Advisor on Ceasefires and Security Arrangements, continued to support the Office of the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen on ways to operationalize the parties’ commitments, as well as the Office’s engagements on a nationwide ceasefire and other security arrangements.  
 

Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)

Following a request from MONUSCO, a process design expert mobilized through the Standby Team Mechanism finalized the development of a roadmap for the establishment of a government-supported permanent dialogue mechanism in Ituri Province.  The roadmap was based on input from consultations previously facilitated by the expert in Bunia, capital of Ituri Province, from 4 to 6 June 2024. The consultations brought together key stakeholders, including religious, traditional, women and civil society leaders, political actors and parliamentarians to garner their views on an architecture for the mechanism. Once established, the permanent dialogue mechanism will have the primary mandate in Ituri province of monitoring the implementation of local peace agreements and commitments, preventing conflicts, facilitating or mediating peaceful resolution of socio-political conflicts, and raising awareness about the harms of conflicts and the benefits of peace, national reconciliation, and social cohesion.

Lesotho

At the request of the Kingdom of Lesotho, an MSU Standby Team process design expert was deployed in early July to expand the dialogue process with the College of Chiefs, specifically principal chiefs, all of whom are Senators in the upper chamber of the legislature, and the executive branch of Government.

The deployment was the third in a series of support MSU has provided to Lesotho’s national prevention efforts. This 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). During the dialogue, the Chiefs also had an opportunity to exchange with senior government representatives on how they will work together at the local level going forward.

Libya

MSU continues to support UNSMIL in implementing its comprehensive mandate, particularly with respect to process design and ceasefires and security arrangements. In August 2024, at the request of the Mission, MSU prepared a paper on lessons learned and comparative examples on Track II engagements and other broad consultative processes. The paper fed into ongoing brainstorming discussions in the Mission. MSU also developed an informal note on how digital consultations could complement a possible political initiative, listing options, mechanisms and digital platforms that the Mission could consider. 

Finally, the MSU Advisor on ceasefires and security arrangements continued to discuss with UNSMIL steps to follow up on the May 2024 workshop in Tunis for Libyan military/security actors.  The workshop discussed a code of conduct that aims to improve the provision of security, civilian protection, and respect for human rights.

South Sudan

MSU continued to provide support to UNMISS in implementing its mandated activities, including support to the political transition as envisaged under the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan. First, at the request of the UNMISS Constitutions Team, a constitutional issues expert mobilized through the SBT Mechanism delivered a presentation online on different models of federalism. The presentation was made to a number of South Sudanese stakeholders including constitutional experts, policymakers and academics at a conference organized by the University of Juba. Second, the SBT gender and inclusion expert participated in the sixth reflection meeting organized by the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) to discuss the necessary conditions and next steps in preparing for credible and peaceful elections in South Sudan.

During the past quarter, MSU and the UNMISS Civil Affairs Division also launched a study aimed at developing a deeper understanding of the factors influencing the success or failure of local peace agreements in South Sudan. The findings and recommendations from this study will offer guidance to UNMISS to enhance its capacity to support the negotiation and implementation of sustainable local peace agreements.

Sudan

During the reporting period, the DPPA-DPO Eastern Africa Division (EAfD) and the Office of the Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General for Sudan (OPESG-Sudan) continued to draw on MSU and SBT expertise. Pursuant to Security Council resolution 2736 (2024), PESG Lamamra invited the Sudanese parties to UN-convened proximity talks to discuss measures to ensure the distribution of humanitarian assistance and options for the protection of civilians across Sudan. MSU staff and SBT experts were part of a United Nations integrated technical team that provided expertise on ceasefires, process design and gender and inclusion. The proximity talks took place from 11 to 19 July 2024 in Geneva, Switzerland and included 20 meetings where the experts facilitated separate technical sessions with the parties’ delegations. 

This was followed by two meetings, a Consultative Meeting on Enhancing Coordination on Sudan and a Mediators Planning Retreat, which were hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Djibouti on 25 and 26 July. These meetings were aimed at enhancing collaboration with regional and member state-driven peace efforts on Sudan. OPESG-Sudan and a small support team from EAfD, MSU and a SBT process design expert travelled to Djibouti to support the engagements. These high-level events offered valuable opportunities to gain deeper insights into the regional and international positions on Sudan.

Subsequently, the United States, with Saudi Arabia and Switzerland as co-hosts, initiated talks in Switzerland on 14 August, aimed at gathering the Sudanese parties to discuss (a) cessation of hostilities, (b) monitoring, verification, and compliance, and (c) humanitarian issues. The UN attended the talks as an observer, with PESG Lamamra leading a UN delegation (that included the MSU senior advisor on security arrangements). The MSU expert participated in meetings and was a member of the technical working group on promoting the Sudanese parties’ compliance with prior agreements, including the 2023 Jeddah Declaration. 

In addition to these formal Track I engagements, SBT experts were also extensively deployed to support various partners on gender and inclusion. This included the deployment of MSU’s SBT gender and inclusion expert to facilitate a Sudanese Women’s Dialogue organized by the AU and IGAD, from 2 to 4 July, that aimed at building consensus among Sudanese women participants. During the proceedings, the women sought to formulate a common minimum gender sensitive position that would feed into a planned all-inclusive Sudanese political dialogue to be convened by the AU and IGAD.  The expert facilitated sessions with 70 women and assisted in developing a communiqué that was presented at Preparatory Meeting for the all-inclusive political dialogue. 

The SBT expert on ceasefires separately supported a ceasefires workshop for Sudanese women convened by CMI – Martti Ahtisaari Peace Foundation in Nairobi, Kenya from 30 August to 3 September. The workshop brought women from various Sudanese groups together to advance their political agency and meaningful participation in a negotiations process. The expert facilitated sessions on technical options for a ceasefire in Sudan.

United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS)

At the request of UNOWAS, MSU deployed a process design expert through the SBT mechanism to co-facilitate a workshop to strengthen the capacity of members of a proposed West Africa and Sahel Women’s mediation Rapid Response Team (RRT), as well as relevant women’s networks representatives on negotiation, lobbying, advocacy and mediation skills. The workshop was held in Somone, Senegal from 10 to 12 September 2024. The roadmap adopted at the end of the workshop identified possible entry points for the RRT to support mediation efforts in West Africa and the Sahel.  
 

Afghanistan

Following a meeting of Special Envoys on Afghanistan and meetings with Afghan civil society, convened by the UN for the third time in Doha, Qatar from 30 June to 2 July, MSU supported the DPPA-DPO Asia Pacific Division (APD) and UNAMA on process design questions and planning for ways forward to advance international engagement on Afghanistan in a more coherent, coordinated, and structured manner.  

Papua New Guinea

MSU continued to provide technical advice to the Resident Coordinator in Papua New Guinea and APD on the ongoing post-referendum consultation process between the Government of Papua New Guinea and the Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG). In a significant development, on 10 September, the parties agreed to the appointment of an independent moderator to help the two governments resolve outstanding issues regarding Bougainville’s future. This follows an earlier decision in May when the parties publicly agreed to appoint a moderator and to seek UN support with the process. In this context, MSU is advising the Office of the Resident Coordinator and APD on ways the United Nations could support the newly appointed moderator, drawing on lessons learned and other comparative examples of third-party facilitation. 
 

1. MSU 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 panelists, speakers, and moderators. They also acted as expert facilitators in various capacity building exercises for the UN and its partners including: (i) an SBT process design expert delivered a two half-day introduction on mediation fundamentals for participants of the Beyond Borders Scotland 1325 fellowship programme; (ii) multiple SBT experts attended and facilitated sessions of the 2024 DPPA Women in Ceasefire Negotiations Course; and (iii) MSU and a SBT process design expert participated in a DPPA Brown Bag session entitled “Lessons from UN Support to the Chilean Commission for Peace and Understanding”.

2. Standby Team Mid-Term Review

From 9 to 10 September, for two consecutive mornings, MSU staff and SBT experts met online for the 2024 SBT Mid-Term Review. The Review provided an opportunity to take stock of remote and on-site deployments conducted to date during 2024 and to discuss selected mediation-support topics. Agenda items included a discussion of the Common Pledge on Women’s Participation in Peace Processes and the Pact for the Future, how the UN can contribute to peacemaking in an increasingly multi-faceted mediation space, and a review of MSU/SBT support to member state mediators.

3. Ceasefires Negotiations Course and Ceasefires Guidance

The fourth iteration of DPPA's Women in Ceasefire Negotiations Course, organized by the Mediation Support and Gender, Peace and Security Units, was launched on 3 September and will run until 6 November. The course brings together over 30 women, selected from over 1,000 applicants, working for governments and civil society in contexts such as Cameroon, Colombia, Israel, Mali, Myanmar, Palestine, Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan. Participants will develop technical skills to meaningfully participate in ceasefire negotiations and implementation. A survey of the course by alumni indicates that most former participants use the skills they have learned in peacebuilding, mediation and monitoring ceasefires.

Separately, the Russian language version of the DPPA’s Guidance on Mediation of Ceasefires was released on 7 August. Since the launch of the English version of this Guidance in September 2022, Arabic, French and Spanish versions have also been released.

4. Group of Friends of Mediation

The Group of Friends of Mediation held its 14th Ministerial Meeting on the margins of the 79th General Assembly of the United Nations on 26 September under the theme of “Staying the Course: Reinforcing Mediation in a Changing Conflict Environment.” The meeting was co-chaired by the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland, H.E. Elina Valtonen, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Türkiye, H.E. Hakan Fidan. The keynote remarks were delivered by Rosemary DiCarlo, Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs. Participants reaffirmed their commitment to the promotion and advancement of mediation. They also supported the call by the Co-chairs to reinforce mediation as the preeminent conflict resolution tool against the backdrop of an evolving global conflict environment. At the meeting, USG DiCarlo announced that at the upcoming Security Council Open Debate on women, peace and security in October, the Secretary-General intends to launch a “Common Pledge on women’s participation in peace processes” by global mediation actors.  By endorsing the Common Pledge, Member States, regional organizations and other mediation actors would commit to take concrete steps on women’s participation in all peace processes of which they are a part.

5. Human Rights and Mediation

The joint DPPA-OHCHR practice note on human rights and mediation, entitled “Enhancing the quality and effectiveness of mediation efforts through human rights” has been translated into Arabic, English, French, and Spanish (available here). A new Peacemaker page on Transitional Justice, reconciliation and human rights has been published, including a compendium of key guidance documents and briefing notes issued by the UN over the past twenty years that should help those addressing these challenging issues.