The annual meeting of the Nordic Women Mediators Network was comprised of four substantive sessions focusing on sharing experiences and knowledge and exploring new tools and methods of mediation practices, with an overarching focus on being a peace mediation practitioner in today’s changing global security landscape.
While most of the meetings were under Chatham House Rules the NWM members were joined by the public in an open panel under the headline Is There a Future for Nordic Peace Engagement. The panel was opened by the state secretary to the Office of the Prime Minister, Ingunn Trosholmen, and moderated by NWM-Norway member Ingrid Vik. The discussions revolved around how Nordic peace engagement can adapt to the changing global landscape with shrinking space for dialogue and inclusive approaches to conflict resolution and peace mediation.
NWM-Norway was well represented with eleven participants. Torunn L. Tryggestad and Stine A. Bosheim participated on behalf of the PRIO Centre on Gender, Peace and Security (PRIO GPS), which serves as operational partner together with NOREF. The meeting was co-organized by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs Norway, NOREF and PRIO GPS.
NWM members also participated in the Annual meeting of the Global Alliance of Regional Women Mediator Networks, held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on 11-13 December. Four NWM members represented the network together with members from the other regional networks, including FemWise-Africa, The Mediterranean Women Mediators Network, Women Mediators across the Commonwealth, Arab Women Mediators Network and the Southeast Asian Network of Women Peace Negotiators and Mediators. Members from all the regional networks came to discuss current topics ranging from the Gaza war, multi-level mediation to bridging the gender gap in peace processes. All the networks led their own panel where NWM organized a panel titled Local Leaders, Global Impact: Women Mediators Shaping Peace with an objective to explore the added value of the Global Alliance to counter the diminishing role of women in peace processes.
