CIAO DATE: 08/2009
July 2008
The Geneva Centre for Security Policy
The multiplicity of international and regional institutions in the OSCE area often creates overlapping memberships and mandates. Each organisation has its own comparative advantages for mediation processes, and the key challenge is effective coordination based on a common strategy, with one actor designated to be in the lead. Protracted conflicts in the region exhibit a number of common elements: many have their origins in the transition to the Post-Cold war period; regional and global actors have important stakes; the prolonged nature of frozen conflicts has significant implications for regional security; and countries affected by frozen conflicts are faced with the challenge of developing effective and sustainable democratic institutions. In designing and implementing strategies for addressing these types of conflict, mediators must at all times take full account of these commonalities.
Resource link: Operationalising Mediation Support: Lessons from Mediation Experiences in the OSCE Area [PDF] - 1.4M