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The Group of Friends of Mediation was founded on 24 September 2010, to promote and advance the use of mediation in the peaceful settlement of disputes, conflict prevention and resolution, as well as to generate support for the development of mediation.  The Group of Friends of Mediation currently consists of 53 Member States, the United Nations and seven regional organizations and other international organizations. The Group is co-chaired by Finland and Türkiye.

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The members of the Group of Friends of Mediation are committed to promoting a culture of mediation in their national policies, as well as regionally and internationally.

Furthermore, the Group aims to:

  • Raise awareness of the need for and utility of mediation at all stages of the conflict continuum especially with a view to preventing conflict.
  • Encourage relevant actors, including regional and sub-regional organizations, to undertake mediation activities and to engage more women in mediation.
  • Highlight the importance of the full and effective participation of women at all stages and at all levels of peace processes as well as the crucial role of gender expertise in mediation.
  • Provide a forum to bring together expertise and to share lessons learned between different actors.
  • Create, foster and expand the network of mediators.
  • Improve cooperation and coordination amongst different actors, in order to increase complementarity and coherence of efforts.
  • Increase the capabilities for mediation, especially within the UN framework.
  • Promote mediation-related capacity building, including through regional arrangements and networks.
  • Promote the development of guidelines and/or a code of conduct for mediation, taking into account the specific nature of each conflict.
  • Mobilize more resources in order to secure sustained funding for mediation activities.
  • Support the development of early warning response capabilities.
  • Provide political support to UN appointed mediators.

List of Members

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Co-chairs

Finland, Türkiye

 

United Nations Member States

Algeria, Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Germany, Honduras, Hungary, Indonesia, Iraq, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Montenegro, Morocco, Nepal, Netherlands, Norway, Oman, Panama, Pakistan, Philippines, Qatar, Romania, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tanzania (United Republic of), Uganda, United Kingdom, United States of America.

 

International and Regional Organizations

African Union (AU), League of Arab States (LAS), Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), European Union (EU), Organization of American States (OAS), Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), United Nations (UN).

Group of Friends activities

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The Group of Friends meets annually at Ministerial level, usually on the margins of the General Assembly. It also holds regular meetings at the level of Permanent Representatives and Experts in New York. Additionally, a network of focal points in the capitals/headquarters of the Members has been established, in order to further coordinate efforts.

As part of its support to promoting and advancing the use of mediation in the peaceful settlement of disputes, conflict prevention and resolution, the Group of Friends has advanced several General Assembly resolutions on mediation:

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  • In 2011, during the 65th session of the General Assembly, the Group of Friends tabled a draft, which subsequently became General Assembly resolution 65/283 on "Strengthening the role of mediation in the peaceful settlement of disputes, conflict prevention and resolution".
     
  • In 2012, the Secretary-General submitted a report to the General Assembly on the implementation of the resolution, annexed with the United Nations Guidance for Effective Mediation. Following this, during its 66th Session, the General Assembly adopted a new resolution (A/RES/66/291) in which it encouraged the use of the Guidance for Effective Mediation by all relevant actors and decided to continue consideration of mediation on a biannual basis.
     
  • In 2014, the General Assembly, by adopting resolution 68/303 encouraged the United Nations and regional and subregional organizations to continue to develop their mediation capacities; use United Nations Guidance for Effective Mediation in their efforts; increase awareness of the importance of mediation through conferences, seminars and workshops; and ensure women’s equal and full participation in all forums and at all levels of dispute settlement and conflict resolution processes. It also asked the Secretary-General to submit a report during the Assembly’s 70th session on cooperation between the United Nations and regional and subregional organizations on mediation.
     
  • In 2016, during the 70th session, the General Assembly received Secretary-General's report (A/70/328) on Cooperation between the United Nations and regional and subregional organizations on mediation and passed resolution 70/304 that reaffirmed the respective role and authority of the General Assembly and the Security Council in the maintenance of international peace and security in accordance with the Charter. The General Assembly further requested the Secretary-General to submit a report to the Assembly at its seventy-second session on United Nations activities in support of mediation in the peaceful settlement of disputes, conflict prevention and resolution. The report (A/72/115) analyses five elements of mediation support, providing examples of United Nations activities within the framework of each element.
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Apart from General Assembly Resolutions, the Group of Friends has engaged in a number of activities and discussions in the field of mediation. For more information, see key documents of the Group of Friends below.

Documents

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Materials provided on this page are provided by Member States

Group of Friends of Mediation

The 8th İstanbul Mediation Conference was convened on 10 March 2022 with the theme of “Spotlight on Mediation in a Changing Peace Landscape”. The conference was held under the auspices of H.E. Mr. Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey.

Group of Friends of Mediation

The Group of Friends of Mediation organized its 11th Ministerial meeting on 2 February 2022 online. The theme of the high-level event was “Mediation as a tool for peaceful settlement and resolution of conflicts: Taking stock after 10 years of the first UN Resolution and looking ahead”.

Group of Friends of Mediation

The Sixth Istanbul Mediation Conference was convened on 31 October 2019 with the theme of “International Peace Mediation: Taking Stock and Looking Ahead” under the auspices of H.E. Mr. Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey.

Group of Friends of Mediation

The Group of Friends of Mediation held its 10th Ministerial Meeting on the margins of the 74th General Assembly of the United Nations on 26 September 2019 under the theme of “New Technologies for Peace and Mediation as Tools for Inclusion: Celebrating the 10th Ministerial Meeting and Looking Ahead”.

Group of Friends of Mediation

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey organized the Fifth Istanbul Conference on Mediation on 30 November 2018 under the theme of “Enhancing the Practice of Mediation for Sustaining Peace”. The Conference was held under the patronage of H.E. Mr. Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey.

Group of Friends of Mediation

The Group of Friends of Mediation organized a high-level event in the margins of the United Nations 73rd General Assembly opening week on 27 September 2018. The theme of the event was “Engaging youth in mediation – a step towards lasting peace”.

Group of Friends of Mediation
Group of Friends of Mediation
Group of Friends of Mediation
Group of Friends of Mediation
A.Boutellis C.Mikulaschek International Peace Institute
Annex to the letter from the Permanent Representative of Turkey to the United Nations to the Secretary-General
A.Davutoğlu E.Tuomioja Hürriyet Daily News
Group of Friends of Mediation