The ninth High-Level Seminar on Gender and Inclusive Mediation Processes will this year be held in Oslo, 9-11 October 2018. Since its start in 2013, this series of seminars is organized by the UN Department of Political Affairs (DPA), the Crisis Management Initiative (CMI) and the Governments of Norway and Finland in cooperation with the PRIO Centre on Gender, Peace and Security. At PRIO, the project is led by Torunn L. Tryggestad.

The ninth High-Level Seminar on Gender and Inclusive Mediation Processes will this year be held in Oslo, 9-11 October 2018. Since its start in 2013, this series of seminars is organized by the UN Department of Political Affairs (DPA), the Crisis Management Initiative (CMI) and the Governments of Norway and Finland in cooperation with the PRIO Centre on Gender, Peace and Security. At PRIO, the project is led by Torunn L. Tryggestad.

For the United Nations (UN) and its Member States, the promotion of women's effective participation in conflict mediation and addressing their specific needs in peacemaking efforts is a high priority since the adoption of Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000) on women, peace and security. However, despite an increasing amount of gender expert advice provided to peace processes and more peace agreements including gender-relevant provisions, the number of women and gender experts involved in formal peacemaking processes remains rather low and the resources that women may contribute to reach more sustainable peace are not fully harnessed. The overall objective of the seminar is therefore to generate more consultative processes by promoting women's effective participation and building inclusive, gender-sensitive mediation capacity at international, regional and national levels.

This year the seminar will be opened by Norway's Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Audun Halvorsen. He will be joined by Ameerah Haq, former Under-Secretary General of the United Nations. Other participants will include high-level mediators, special envoys and mediation experts, including representatives from various UN agencies, national governments and international organizations as well as researchers and religious leaders.

The seminar will offer practical "how-to" strategies and tools for more inclusive mediation process design to expand participation and opportunities for women and civil society and for including women more systematically in implementation bodies. It will also provide specific information, advice and language on gender-relevant components of substantive issues, including on conflict-related sexual violence, in ceasefire and peace agreements.

The seminar aims to increase the participants' awareness of the roles that women may play in resolving and sustaining conflict. In addition, it deals with dilemmas of inclusivity and efficiency in mediation, such as how opportunities for women's participation in mediated processes are affected by culture and local traditions. The seminar is also designed to apply the UN's normative women, peace and security frameworks as leverage for mediators as well as offering fresh perspectives. It places a premium on exchanging experiences, dealing with real mediation dilemmas and difficulties and exploring practical ways for applying international norms.

Contact information

For questions, please contact Linn Marie Reklev (linrek@prio.org).