HD Annual Report 2019

The Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD) is pleased to announce the release of its 2019 annual report marking the 20th anniversary of the organisation. The report highlights how HD operated beyond the boundaries of conventional diplomacy and filled critical gaps in international peacemaking processes in the past two decades. 

The annual report lays out some of HD’s key activities from the past year, delivering over 26 concrete and measurable achievements across 40 countries, through more than 45 projects. 

These achievements range from negotiating ceasefires and peace and conflict management accords, to guaranteeing access for humanitarian assistance to some of the world’s hardest to reach populations and in the worst conflicts of our day.  

Over the course of the year, HD further explored new and innovative ways to make peace work. This included the release of a “Digital Mediation toolkit” in collaboration with the United Nations Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, examining the ever-increasing impact of digital technologies on mediation.

HD further pioneered sector-leading approaches to evaluating performance, while actively promoting peer-to-peer learning and training to uphold its professional culture and standards. All the while, HD has built ever-stronger partnerships in the mediation world to better contribute to the cause of peace. 

In 2019, HD further continued to promote discussions around emerging challenges in peacemaking.

Together with the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, HD co-hosted the 17th edition of the Oslo Forum, the foremost gathering of armed conflict mediators, peace process actors and decision-makers.

This past year’s event brought together over 125 mediators, high-level officials and diplomats, nearly half of them women, to share their experiences and perspectives on the theme “Rebooting mediation: connecting tracks, processes and people.”  

The report looks back on how past successes have shaped HD, tracing its growth from its inception to what it is today: a leading actor at the forefront of private diplomacy efforts. 

The report also pays tribute to all those who have contributed to the work of HD throughout the last two decades. Their financial, and in some cases political and strategic support, have enabled HD to grow, bringing its vision and expertise to nearly all the world’s major conflict zones.