Center for Peace Mediation

CENTER FOR PEACE MEDIATION

The Center for Peace Mediation is a small university-based yet practice-oriented research institution in the field of Applied Peace & Conflict Studies. The Center researches and further develops, supports and teaches mediation, dialogue and decision-making in peace processes and polarized societies.

The Center is part of the Institute for Conflict Management at European University Viadrina Frankfurt (Oder), Germany. It is home to an interdisciplinary team of scholar-practitioners.

Since 2018, the CPM is running the Mediation Hub, a research and transfer project on peace mediation with and at the Federal Foreign Office.

In its research, support and teaching, the Center seeks to enable the mediation practice of diplomats, political decision-makers and civil society actors to be more effective, reflective and responsible.

The Center`s activities are driven by critical scientific analysis, hands-on methodological skills and a strong societal impetus.

A red thread running through all of the Center`s activities is to seek creative, yet responsible ways to deal with the multiple dilemmas in peace mediation and societal decision making.

News

In a Plenary Debate in April 2021, the German Bundestag will discuss what is needed to make peace mediation an integrated element of German foreign policy. Date and time will be published here.
In two PeacebyPeace Podcast episodes Sarah Brockmeier discusses Germany's role in peace mediation with Niels Annen, Minister of State at the Federal Foreign Office, and Dr. Anne Holper, Julia von Dobeneck and Prof. Dr. Lars Kirchhoff from the Center for Peace Mediation on the occasion of releasing the edited volume Friedensmediation: Spannungsfeld aus Methodik, Macht und Politik. An English translation of the volume is following soon!

PeacebyPeace · S3E4 | Deutschland & Friedensmediation (Teil 1): Zwischen Methodik, Macht und Politik

PeacebyPeace · S3E5 | Deutschland & Friedensmediation (Teil 2): Interview mit Niels Annen

Upcoming

Publications

18 Mar 21: Workshop "Dilemmata in politischen Krisen und Konflikten: Eine Navigationshilfe" at German Association for Peace and Conflict Studies Conference 2021
13 Apr 21: Seminar in "Theory and Practice of Conflict Resolution Course" with Mediation and Dialogue Research Centre at Kiev Mohyla Academy in Corridors Program 2021
Jun 21: Workshop "Inclusion Dilemmas in Ukraine" at swisspeace Summer School: Ukraine - Opportunities and Challenges for Dialogue
8 Jun-21 Jul 21: Course Conflict Analysis & Peace Mediation at Viadrina Summer School 2021
13-17 Sep 21: Peace Mediation & Crisis Diplomacy in Action Course 2021 Mediation and Dialogue in Polarized and Divided Societies with Training Academy for International Diplomats of German Federal Foreign Office

Past

24 Feb 21: Online-Dialogue "Wie sehen Sie das?" Online-Austausch zur Corona-Situation in Frankfurt (Oder)
4 Feb 21: Paper Presentation "This far and no further?" Dynamics of Red Lines in Peacemaking at Swiss Political Science Association Conference 2021
17-18 Dec 20: Module on Conflict Prevention and Management in Master of International Law and Humanitarian Law, LL.M.
9 Nov 20: Online Peaceland Talk "Inclusion Dilemmas in Peacebuilding & Dialogue in Ukraine", Mediation & Dialogue Research Center, Kyiv Mohyla Academy, Ukraine
5 Nov 20: Contribution to European Science Diplomacy Online Conference
26 Oct 20: Mediation & Dialogue Workshops at Ukraine Calling
17-18 Sep 20: Mediation Workshop at Mercator Fellowship on International Affairs
11 Sep 20: Input to Panel "Multi-track EU Mediation – Voices from the Field on Opportunities & Challenges" at Conference Mediation as a key CFSP Instrument of the German Council Presidency

31 Aug-4 Sep 20: Peace Mediation & Crisis Diplomacy in Action Course 2020: Mediation Responses to Conflicts in Times of Corona with Training Academy for International Diplomats of German Federal Foreign Office
25 Aug 20: Workshop on Conflict Mediation in the Context of Diversity at Viadrinicum 2020: Transsectoral Lab: (Post-)Migration. (Dis-)Integrative Encounters
24 Jul 2020: Online Discussion "Das Modell S? - Wissenstausch zwischen Diplomatie und Forschung", with FU Berlin, ISFH Hamburg and Division S03 of the Federal Foreign Office
18-20 Jun 20: Course Mediation in International Peace Processes at Viadrina Master’s Program in Mediation and Conflict Management
9 Mar 20: Center for Peace Mediation states Handlungsempfehlungen der Initiative Mediation Support at Unterausschuss Zivile Krisenprävention, Konfliktbearbeitung und vernetztes Handeln of the German Bundestag

Holper/Kirchhoff (2021): Rethinking the Professionalisation of Peace Mediation.
Holper/Kyselova (2020): Inclusion Dilemmas in Peacebuilding and Dialogues in Ukraine.
Holper/Kirchhoff (2020): (Dys-)Functions and Potentials of Norms as a Guidance System for Peace Mediators.
Holper/Kirchhoff (eds.) (2020): Friedensmediation - Spannungsfeld aus Methodik, Macht und Politik.
Holper/Kirchhoff/Leschinski/Röder/Vogt/von Dobeneck/Walter-Drop (2020): Impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on fragile contexts and foreign policy instruments / Auswirkungen der Covid-19 Pandemie auf fragile Kontexte und außenpolitische Instrumente
IMSD (2020): Konzept Friedensmediation in die außenpolitische Praxis umsetzen! Stellungnahme für den Unterausschuss Zivile Krisenprävention, Konfliktbearbeitung & vernetztes Handeln
Kraus (now Holper)/Frazer/Kirchhoff/Kyselova/Mason/Palmiano Federer (2019): Dilemmas and Trade-Offs in Peacemaking: A Framework for Navigating Difficult Decisions.
Federal Foreign Office/IMSD (2019): Methodology and communication tools in peace mediation.
Federal Foreign Office/IMSD (2019): The normative framework and the international legal basis of peace mediation.
Kirchhoff/Kraus (now Holper)(2018): "...es lassen sich, wie so oft in Konflikten, zwei komplett unterschiedliche Geschichte erzählen".
Kraus (now Holper)/Kyselova (2018): Doing Action Research on Dialogues in Ukraine.
AK Curriculum und Didaktik der AFK (2018): Mitteilung an den Wissenschaftsrat zur Evaluation der Friedens- und Konfliktforschung in Deutschland und Österreich