Following the success of the first edition of the Mediation, Dialogue and Conflict Analysis training in September 2022, the Clingendael Institute implemented the second edition of the training between 30 January and 3 February 2023. Both training editions were developed closely with the EU Monitoring Mission in Georgia (EUMM Georgia). They were, for that reason, targeting mission staff who implement conflict-sensitive projects and activities.
Wrap up
A five-day highly intensive course conducted in person in Tbilisi, Georgia, gathered 17 participants – (primarily) political advisors, staff working on the hotline, and those working on confidence-building projects. They were trained in mediation and conflict analysis skills within the framework of EU missions.
Overall, the training was very successful as it was highly interactive, and participants were actively engaged in all the simulations, exercises and group discussions. Participants also shared many insights and examples from their own experiences based on the key negotiation and mediation tools discussed and how these can be applied in their professional and personal contexts.
The participants mostly enjoyed the negotiation simulations, where they got to play out actual negotiation scenarios. This ranged from relatively simple bilateral negotiations to a complex multi-party negotiation simulation involving a team of mediators. In this exercise, they also got to experience the difference between formal and informal negotiations. They also did a conflict analysis on a case study, using different conflict analysis tools, and discussed how to design conflict-sensitive actions and policies.
In the end, all the participants received certificates for completing the training.
About the course
The course started with practising conflict analysis skills, through which participants applied different tools, such as stakeholder mapping, to real case studies.
The course also provided a session on introduction to mediation, where the trainees examined the underlying negotiation strategies and tactics (both bilateral and multilateral). The participants also took part in the simulation of a mediation process and through that used their newly gained practical skills to negotiate with local stakeholders, government officials and other international organizations, and defended their interests in the process. They also learnt to mediate as an (impartial) actor between negotiating parties with conflicting interests. Furthermore, they were introduced to other real-life case studies of mediation and dialogue processes (relevant to the context of Georgia) to draw on.
In addition, the course also discussed how conflict sensitivity impacts individual choices and how the do no harm principle can be applied in an international (civilian) crisis management mission environment. Finally, participants reflected on using their knowledge in their work.
Training Aim
The course aimed to enable participants to ameliorate their ability to:
- Explain the critical elements of effective negotiation and mediation processes.
- Analyse conflict and the contexts in which they work.
- Choose the right tools and techniques that are applicable, available and suitable to the situation.
- Test their solid and weak competencies in applying the above and recognise the competencies of others.
