Mediation in the Mediterranean: Developing Capacities and Synergies

Dr. Sylvia Tiryaki, Deputy Director at GPoT Center, attended the first of two seminars as part of the United Nations Group of Friends of Mediation Spanish-Moroccan Initiative. The seminar, entitled "Mediation in the Mediterranean: Developing Capacities and Synergies" took place in Madrid from the 11th to the 12th of February, 2013.

The Spanish-Moroccan initiative on Mediation in the Mediterranean aims to give support to the UN efforts to strengthen the role of mediation in conflict resolution. The initial seminar, organized by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs together with Cooperation and the Toledo International Centre for Peace (CITpax) in Madrid, invited representatives from various international institutions, non-governmental organizations, academia, and experts on mediation, in total from 26 countries. The seminar engaged with questions about the ways in which mediation capacities can be enhanced in the Mediterranean, such as through increased cooperation at an international, regional, and local level. 

Dr. Tiryaki participated as a speaker during the seminar's second session, discussing the role of national and local mediation actors and their capacity of coordination with others. The session addressed questions of the salient needs for local mediators today and the most effective way of developing their capacities, and the best mechanisms for cooperation between local and other levels of mediation during different phases of a conflict.