About the HD Centre

The Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD Centre) began operations in August 1999 and is today one of the world's most influential conflict mediation organisations. The HD Centre has evolved from being a venue in Geneva, Switzerland, where discreet discussions take place among those who have a practical impact on humanitarian policy and practice, to an independent global mediation organisation, with a presence in Europe, North America, Africa and Asia. Our focus is to help alleviate the suffering of individuals and populations caught up in high profile and forgotten conflicts, by acting as mediators ourselves, or by providing other mediators with the support they need to effectively do their job.

Our mission

As a neutral and impartial organisation, our mission is to support only those solutions that offer the best prospect for a just and lasting peace, in line with international law. Through our work, we aim to contribute to efforts to improve the global response to armed conflict. We believe that dialogue based on humanitarian principles can assist in achieving political settlements, and that the informal initiatives of a private foundation can usefully complement formal diplomacy.

We pursue our objectives with a commitment to new approaches, to learning, and to collaboration, working with others across borders, beliefs and professions.

We undertake and promote action to prevent and resolve armed conflicts, in particular through tailor-made support to peace processes where our involvement adds value, including:

• facilitating discussions, including acting as a mediator where appropriate;
• ensuring that the parties are able to participate effectively in negotiations;
• mobilising humanitarian, diplomatic and/or political responses;
• contributing policy input on relevant substantive issues, and;
• providing other specifically-adapted services, such as financing mechanisms and other logistical support, where the assistance of a private foundation is required.

We also aim to strengthen peace-making expertise and the capacity of the HD Centre by learning from and contribute to research through: sharing what we learn from our own operational engagements, through policy development and dissemination, and staying abreast of and commenting on best practice in relevant fields.

For more information, please take at look at the Foundation's legal statutes, or pages on HD people and contact us.