The booklet offers general but practical guidance to professional good conduct in mediation and peace processes. It does not give precise guidance for specific situations but is intended to offer a simple frame of reference to support ethical, thoughtful and professional decision-making.
The first part describes the main elements of mediated peace processes, the second reflects on a number of typical difficulties and dilemmas in peace processes and the third sets out a number of core values and operational principles for mediators, peace process specialists and supporters.
Key findings:
- Peace processes vary because of the type of conflicts they seek to resolve, the number and nature of the parties concerned and the type of mediator, specialists and supporters that are acceptable to the parties. There are often a variety of simultaneous mediated dialogues being offered and pursued within a single conflict. This requires a multi-track perspective in any peace process. Dialogue takes place at different levels of society, across divided communities or between civil society organisations. Many of these different dialogues are non-competing and can be complementary within a wider, unified peace process. Some dialogues are however competitive and seek to gain ascendancy as the dominant approach to peace.
- Impartial mediators and peace process specialists in armed conflict have their own particular moral interests. These need to be made known to the parties to a conflict as early as possible. These values often include: intent to alleviate human suffering; a preference for dialogue over violence; obligations to the parties they are working with and the people who may be affected by the peace process; a focus on a just and peaceful solution; a voluntary agreement; an acceptable mediator and impartiality and the best interests of the process.
Peace processes are not simple and many of them throw up a common set of difficulties and dilemmas for mediators, peace process specialists and supporters. Dilemmas in a peace process include:
- Asymmetry of intention and ability between parties. Parties are not always at the table for the same reason. One or more parties may also be physically, intellectually and technically weaker as a negotiator so that the peace process is essentially skewed towards the strong.
- Configuration of external political interests. The outside interests of other states and group can often be significant blocks to peace. Each party to the conflict will have allies, supporters and sympathisers beyond its borders. Depending on their interests, these other powers will attempt to support, undermine or influence a peace process in their favour.
- Talking with political pariahs. Talking to individuals responsible for particularly gross human rights violations or those who hold to widely unacceptable ideologies can be very controversial. It can be morally, politically and legally sanctioned.
- Sequencing different aspects of the peace-building process. Unable to make peace in all its forms and fullness simultaneously in a single agreement or institution, every peace process is required to make difficult choices about the priority and precedence it gives to different aspects of peace.
- Inclusion. This involves the decision on whether or not to focus on a limited deal made by political elites or to encourage a process to include as many parts of society as possible.
