Demonstrating the value of conflict mediation
Mediation offers a proven and cost-effective method for resolving armed conflicts. More than 70 per cent of conflicts which ended between 1985 and 2015 were resolved through an agreement. However, measuring the impact of mediation efforts remains a challenge for both practitioners and donors.
The mediation sector is in urgent need of monitoring and evaluation (M&E) tools which can effectively measure and report on the value of mediation initiatives in conflict. In the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue's (HD) latest publication released today - Valuing peace: delivering and demonstrating mediation results - Ian Wadley seeks to assist conflict mediators, and the donors who support them, in demonstrating the impact of peacemaking efforts more effectively.
The Adaptive M&E model suggested by the author is user-friendly and provides useful insights into mediation efforts, even in the most dynamic or sensitive environments, while imposing only a light reporting burden on mediation teams. It enables those closest to field operations to better articulate progress in their initiatives, even when the prospects for a final resolution of the conflict or crisis seem remote. Importantly, it allows mediation practitioners and donors to more effectively demonstrate the value of their work. The Adaptive M&E model proposed by Ian Wadley has been trialled at HD since 2013 and pursues three levels of inquiry:
- It assures the quality of the mediation teams' professional judgements through a process of peer review;
- It assesses the strategic logic behind the mediation initiatives as well as their implementation; and,
- It measures observable results wherever possible.
Dr Ian Wadley joined HD in 2013, where he oversees organisational strategy, evaluation and learning. He is a lawyer, as well as an accredited mediator and 'Gateway Review' team member. His professional experience includes working with the International Committee of the Red Cross, consulting on governance and rule of law projects for the United Nations Development Programme and the United Kingdom Department for International Development, and running parliamentary value-for-money performance audits.
Valuing peace: delivering and demonstrating mediation results is the seventh publication in HD's Mediation Practice Series, which was initiated in 2008 as part of the organisation's efforts to support peacemaking practice across the broader mediation community. The series draws on feedback from mediators, including those at HD, and seeks to respond to a need among mediators for insight into other peace processes.
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Valuing peace: delivering and demonstrating mediation results is available for download from HD's website at: https://www.hdcentre.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/HDC_MPS7_EN-REV2-WEB.pdfhttp://trk.cp20.com/click/lbsju-czd414-7fh5xs73/
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