The Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD) is pleased to announce the release of the meeting report of the 2017 Oslo Forum, widely acknowledged as the leading international retreat of practitioners in the field of mediation and negotiations.

The report captures the highlights of the 15th edition of the event attended by over 100 of the world’s leading peacemakers, conflict actors, decision-makers and academics, bringing together people with 42 different nationalities.

Participants included Kofi Annan, the former Secretary-General of the United Nations; Federica Mogherini, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy; Maria Ángela Holguín, the Colombian Minister of Foreign Affairs; John Kerry, the former United States Secretary of State; Rodrigo Londoño (Timoleón Jiménez), the Head of FARC-EP; Thabo Mbeki, the former President of the Republic of South Africa; Mohammad Javad Zarif, the Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs; and Børge Brende, the Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs.

The 2017 Forum’s overarching theme was ‘Peacemaking in a new era of geopolitics’. Those attending explored how growing regional and international competition among powerful states is influencing conflict resolution efforts around the world.

Topics covered during the event included the United Nation’s role as a peacemaker; the historic peace agreement in Colombia; mechanisms for popular validation of peace agreements; the impact of new communication technologies on mediation processes; the peace process in Cyprus; as well negotiations in the Philippines and Syria and reconciliation in Iraq.

The Oslo Forum is widely acknowledged as the leading international network of conflict mediation practitioners.

Co-hosted by the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD) and the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Oslo Forum regularly convenes conflict mediators, high-level decision-makers and key peace process actors in a series of informal and discreet retreats.

HD wishes to express its gratitude to the Norwegian Government for its support and commitment to the Oslo Forum.