Surge in Diplomacy, Action in Mediation
The
fourth edition of the Istanbul Conference on Mediation will take place on 30
June 2017 with the theme of “Surge in Diplomacy, Action in Mediation.” Experts,
diplomats, practitioners and scholars from around the world will explore ways
and means to promote mediation as a prominent conflict prevention and
resolution method.
The
profile of mediation has been rising globally since Turkey and Finland led the
way at the United Nations through the “Mediation for Peace” initiative. The
initiative culminated in the establishment of the Group of Friends of
Mediation. The Group now has 53 members, including 48 states and 5
international organizations. There has also been substantial improvement in
international capacity for preventive diplomacy and mediation within the UN,
regional and sub-regional organizations and civil society. The Group has become
the leading platform at the UN to promote mediation. It has initiated the
adoption of four UN General Assembly Resolutions, which lay the ground for the
development of the normative and conceptual framework of mediation. The Group
has also contributed to the 2012 “United Nations Guidance for Effective
Mediation”, a fundamental document for those who practice and study mediation
worldwide.
UN
Secretary General Antonio Guterres has expressed his willingness to further
develop UN’s mediation support capacity. His efforts are most commendable. We
call on all UN member states to support UNSG Guterres’ broad vision and efforts
to prevent and solve today’s conflicts. Turkey has been doing her part. Turkey
is situated next to a vast region where acute active and frozen conflicts
persist. Prevention and peaceful resolution of conflicts is a central feature
of Turkey’s enterprising and humanitarian foreign policy. Turkey undertakes
various efforts in a wide geography from Africa to the Middle East, the Balkans
and the Caucasus. She sees peacemaking in a humanitarian-development nexus.
This year, Turkey has again become the most generous nation in the world in
terms of per capita humanitarian assistance.
Turkey
has been hosting the Istanbul Conferences on Mediation since 2012. These
landmark conferences are designed to bring together numerous practitioners and
scholars in the field of conflict prevention and mediation activities. The aim
of these conferences is to promote synergies between theory and practice and
help increase scope, reach and effectiveness of the international community’s
mediation efforts. I must pay tribute to the efforts of mediators engaging
daily in conflicts wordwide.
This
year the Conference will explore how mediation methodology and practice can
take better account of the needs of the day. In this regard, two questions in
particular would be scrutinized. One is the potential of mediation in all
stages of a conflict continuum, namely from prevention to resolution and all
the way to peace agreement implementation. The second key question would be the
models for greater employment of mediation as a preventive tool in contexts
where political, ethnic, religious biases create an environment of hostility.
The
latter is especially pertinent since we have come to sadly witness extreme
tendencies in various forms of political, social and religious animosities. The
rise in attacks in Europe against Muslims and migrants is a case in point. Prevention is key. However, prevention would
be possible only when societies recognize and learn to respect differences and
engage in genuine dialogue and interaction. I believe that mediators who are
well-equipped with the cultural codes of conduct in a given conflict situation
can reach remarkable success. For that, we need to train more mediators
including at youth while encouraging more women mediators and equip them with
the right tools.
Our
challenges to make peace the overwhelming reality on a global level are
immense. However, we should be able to see the opportunities within those
challenges. The readiness and willingness of the international community to
build capacity in peaceful resolution of conflicts including mediation must be
a priority. As we prepare to welcome participants of the Fourth Istanbul
Mediation Conference, I call on the international community to take action in
mediation.
