Turkey, which has become a brand in the field of mediation, will host the “7th Istanbul Mediation Conference” to be held on September 17 with the participation of high-level representatives from international organizations.
With its efforts in recent years, Turkey has become a brand in the field of peaceful resolution of disputes and mediation, with its “awareness and capacity creation” efforts on mediation, which is one of the peaceful solutions to international problems and is included in the United Nations (UN) charter.
Continuing this role with a multi-layered and broad initiative architecture, Turkey contributes to the field of mediation both theoretically and practically.
7th Istanbul Mediation Conference
The 7th conference, which was first held in 2012 and brought together local and foreign participants who are experts in their fields, will be held in Istanbul on September 17 this year.
The conference, which will be opened by Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu and United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, will bring together high-level representatives from international organizations and world-renowned names in the field of mediation.
Former UN Special Representatives such as Ghassan Salame, Staffan de Mistura and Alvaro de Soto, high-level representatives from organizations such as the UN, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the African Union (AfB) and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and Prof. Dr. World-renowned experts in the field of mediation, such as William Zartman, will attend.
At the conference, where the challenges faced by people working in the field of peace since the beginning of the new type of coronavirus (Covid-19) epidemic will be discussed, how the epidemic will affect conflict dynamics will be discussed in detail.
The conference, consisting of three main panels, will also discuss the current situation in conflict zones, conflict and peace dynamics in the post-pandemic period, and the relationship between digitalization and peacebuilding.
Due to the restrictions due to the Covid-19 epidemic, the conference, which will be held online this year and broadcast live on YouTube, is an innovation in itself.
Organizing the event online is also in line with the spirit of the “Digital Diplomacy” initiative announced by Minister Çavuşoğlu on the occasion of the 11th Ambassadors Conference held last year.
It brings together everyone interested in the field of “mediation for peace”
Istanbul Mediation Conferences, organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs since 2012, bring together politicians, diplomats, academics, experts, students and everyone interested in the field of mediation for peace.
Conferences, where the most current discussions in the field of mediation are discussed, contribute to the conceptual framework in the field of mediation.
The conferences held so far have focused on various cases and discussed the effects of digital transformation on conflict dynamics, the need for coordination and complementarity in the field of mediation, the role of regional and international organizations in mediation, the relationship between sustainable development and peace, and the importance of inclusiveness in the field of mediation.
The conferences also contributed to the development of mediation capacity within the UN, OSCE and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). In this context, the success of the conferences led to a similar conference being organized by Turkey for the OIC as of 2017.
Mediation initiatives in international organizations
Turkey established the “Mediation for Peace” initiative with Finland under the umbrella of the UN in 2010, in order to make the importance of mediation in preventive diplomacy and conflict resolution more visible to the international community and to ensure that more effort and resources are allocated to mediation efforts.
This initiative generated significant interest and support for mediation, with the number of members of the “Group of Friends of Mediation” reaching 60, including 52 countries and 8 international and regional organizations, including the UN.
The success of Turkey’s initiative at the UN enabled the establishment of similar groups within the OSCE and OIC.
In this context, Turkey stands out as the only country with a co-chair position in all three groups.
Source: https://www.aa.com.tr/tr/turkiye/turkiye-7-istanbul-arabuluculuk-konferansina-ev-sahipligi-yapacak/1974844
