April 3rd Event: “Are NGO Mediators the Future of Peacemaking?” with Dr. Julia Palmiano Federer
Event Date: April 3, 2023 – 12:00 pm to 1:30 pm EDT
Location: FSS 4004
Presented by CIPS and Ottawa Dialogue:
Can informal actors such as NGOs mediate peace agreements? If so, how does it work and what are the consequences for international peace mediation? This book tackles these questions and more through looking at the role of nongovernmental (NGO) mediators in promoting “inclusive peace” to negotiating parties in Myanmar’s Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) negotiations from 2011-2015. This book shows that NGO mediators, traditionally seen as part of civil society or as weak mediators with little power or leverage, have become established mediation actors alongside more formal actors and are redefining the mediation field through norm promotion. However, even if NGO mediators can promote norms, the book questions whether they should promote norms in the first place, as the NCA process shows how the promotion of inclusivity contributed to a more exclusive outcome of years of peace negotiations in Myanmar.
*This event is in-person and in English
This event will feature Dr. Julia Palmiano Federer, Head of Research at the Ottawa Dialogue, with moderation by Dr. Peter Jones, Executive Director of the Ottawa Dialogue.