United Nations
Department of Political Affairs
Mediation Roster
The Mediation Support Unit (MSU), in the United Nations Department of Political
Affairs (DPA), was established in 2006 to provide professional, cross-cutting
support to “good offices” activities, including preventive diplomacy and the formal
mediation of disputes. The Unit is designed as a centre of expertise for operational
support to mediation efforts, a resource for strengthening the mediation capacity
of regional organizations and Member States and a global repository of mediation
knowledge and best practices. The MSU is a service provider to the UN system,
regional organizations, Member States and relevant peacemaking entities.
The operational capability of the MSU to undertake the above three tasks includes
its UN Headquartered-based staff members, its Standby Team of Mediation Experts,
and its Mediation Roster.
Purpose
Visit UN Peacemaker
(http://www.peacemaker.un.org) the online
mediation support tool developed by the UN
Department of Political Affairs. Intended for
peacemaking professionals, it includes an
extensive database of peace agreements,
guidance material and information on
the UN’s mediation support services. UN
Peacemaker is part of the UN’s overall
efforts to support UN and non-UN mediation
initiatives.
Composition
The rapid deployment of qualified mediators and experts is
crucial for the success of peace processes. The SecretaryGeneral has highlighted the importance of civilian rosters and
standby capacities in the immediate aftermath of conflict and
has encouraged the development of expert rosters in priority
areas (A/63/881S/2009/304, para. 64).
Roster members are working for the United Nations,
governments, academia and non-governmental organizations.
They are mid- and senior-level professionals with a minimum
of seven years of relevant professional experience, education
in mediation and hands-on involvement in peacemaking
processes.
The Mediation Roster is a second-level response capacity
which complements the MSU’s Headquartered-based staff
and its Standby Team of Mediation Experts, both of which
may be mobilized within 72 hours. When MSU staff or Standby
Team members cannot be deployed, the MSU will identify and
deploy a suitable expert from the Mediation Roster.
The Mediation Roster is a niche roster focused on mediation
expertise and consisting of approximately 300 qualified
members. The background, skills and area of expertise of
the members are as diverse as possible in order to respond
to the different needs. The members are divided in the three
following groups:
The services provided by the Mediation Roster are twofold:
the rapid identification and availability check (within 2-3 days)
and deployment of mediators (within four weeks).
1. Senior mediators, deployable as lead mediators or special
envoys;
It serves three main functions:
1. Rapid response capacity intended to increase the quality
of UN mediation processes through the identification and deployment of qualified mediators and mediation experts;
2. Second-level response capacity which complements MSU’s
existing staff expertise and Mediation Standby Team capacity;
3. Strengthening the partnership in the mediation area
between the United Nations and other relevant organizations.
2. Operational-level mediators, deployable as “chiefs of staff”
or mediation team members assisting a senior mediator. They
provide day-to-day management of the mediation process
and remain in-country negotiating with conflict parties and
managing the mediation team;
3. Technical-level experts are deployable to provide procedural
and thematic advice on a full range of topics such as process
design; constitutional issues; power-sharing; wealth-sharing
and natural resources issues; security arrangements, and the
incorporation of the gender dimensions and perspectives into
the procedural and technical areas of the peace process.
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United Nations
Department of Political Affairs
DPA works towards balanced gender and geographic
representation of candidates on the Mediation Roster.
Special emphasis is put on the identification and promotion
of mediation expertise coming from the “Global South” and
the integration of women mediation practitioners. In addition,
MSU actively seeks candidates with expertise in gender issues
related to mediation with regard to different thematic areas,
such as process management and planning.
Mediation Roster Administration
Experts are selected for the roster after being referred to MSU
by UN staff or by MSU partners. A Mediation Roster Panel is put
in place to vet the candidates and to decide on who should be
invited to join the Mediation Roster. It is important to note that
being selected for the Mediation Roster does not guarantee
actual deployment or generic training opportunities.
may also be deployed in response to a request by Member
States, regional or subregional organizations and nongovernmental organizations.
The experts can be deployed in various ways:
1. Field missions (e.g. supporting ongoing mediation activities);
2. Teaching and training activities (e.g. mediation training,
facilitation and development of workshops);
3. Long distance advice and backstopping (e.g. advice on
thematic issues);
4. Research activities (e.g. development of options papers).
The funding and deployment modalities for a requested
mediation roster member are determined on a case-by-case
basis.
Requesting an expert
Requests for the services of the Mediation Roster can be made
by contacting the DPA/ PMD/MSU. The primary clients of the
Mediation Roster are UN Envoys, Special Representatives
and Resident Coordinators, Special Political Missions and
peacekeeping missions. Other partners from the UN system
can also benefit from the services provided. Roster members
For further information or to discuss possible support,
please contact the Chief MSU Robert Dann at
[email protected] (+1-212-963-7603) or
[email protected]
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