The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) works on the core of the increased and strengthened focus of the UN on Mediation Support. With its “Mediation Support Unit Project (MSU-project), the NRC has since August 2007 been in charge to recruit Senior Mediation Experts and contributed to establish the Mediation Support Unit Standby Team (MSU Standby Team).
The Mediation Support Unit
The Mediation Support Unit (MSU) in the United Nations Department of Political Affairs was established in 2006 due growing demand for professional, cross-cutting support to ‘good offices’ activities, including preventive diplomacy and the formal mediation of disputes. This demand came from many quarters, including Special Representatives and Special Envoys, as well as from the General Assembly, notably at the 2005 World Summit. Jan Egeland, the part-time Special Advisor of the Secretary-General on matters relating to the prevention and resolution of conflict, works closely with the MSU.
The MSU is designed to be a centre of expertise, best practice and knowledge management on mediation-related activities worldwide, serving the UN as a whole, as well as regional organizations and other peacemaking bodies. The Unit draws on the experience of the UN and its partners to provide both institutional and operational support to mediators and their teams. To that end, it develops guidelines, operational tools and training opportunities and manages an online databank of peace agreements and peacemaking experience (www.un.org/peacemaker). Above all, in close cooperation primarily with DPA regional divisions and DPKO, it supports ongoing mediation efforts in two main ways, namely: 1) country/region-specific operational support and 2) institutional and capacity-building support.
The Mediation Support Unit Standby Team
In March 2008, the country-specific support available from the MSU took on a new dimension with the launch of a full-time Standby Team of mediation experts. The team is administered on MSU’s behalf by the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) and reports substantively to MSU. The experts are available individually or as a team on short notice to assist UN (and UN-supported) good offices and mediation initiatives worldwide. Standby Team members cover the areas of expertise of:
- Team leader and expert in Mediation
- Transitional Justice and Human Rights
- Security arrangements
- Constitution-making in the context of comprehensive peace agreements
- Power-sharing arrangements
- Wealth-sharing and economic arrangements (the expert is still under recruitment)
Contact person at the NRC
Project manager Jochen Peters, e-mail: Jochen.peters@nrc.no