On Monday, 9 December 2024, the Center for Conflict and Humanitarian Studies, in collaboration with the Doha Forum, organised the Qatar Mediation Forum. The event brought together senior diplomats and global experts in the field of mediation.
The Forum aimed to enhance mediation efforts by serving as a strategic tool for conflict resolution and promoting global peace. During the five thematic sessions, the honoured speakers and participants highlighted the increasing challenges faced by mediators amid the current international conditions, the progress made in using innovative approaches to achieving sustainable space, as well as the significance of diversity, technology, and humanitarian diplomacy in conflict mediation.
The Forum sought to provide a discreet, conducive environment that allowed participants to engage in comprehensive discussions and explore the current challenges facing mediators, address sensitive issues, and develop practical methods that contribute to strengthening mediation efforts in a changing global system.
The sessions began with an opening speech by His Excellency Dr Ahmed bin Mohammed Al-Muraikhi, the Special Advisor to the UN Secretary-General on Public-Private Partnerships and Islamic Social Finance, who emphasised Qatar's ongoing adoption of innovative approaches in mediation under the guidance of His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. He noted that Qatar not only acts as a mediator in conflicts but also seeks to support research and innovation in order to develop tools that assist mediators in tackling more complex challenges facing contemporary conflict resolution efforts.
Dr Ghassan Elkahlout, Director of the Center for Conflict and Humanitarian Studies, confirmed that the Qatar Mediation Forum is a reflection of Qatar's profound vision of mediation as part of its national identity. He explained that the Forum provides a platform for prominent mediators, diplomats, policy makers, and academics to exchange experiences and explore practical solutions in response to the most sophisticated conflicts of our time.
The Forum's five sessions discussed numerous key issues related to armed conflicts, which have reached unprecedented levels since World War II. Participants emphasised the urge for collective action in addressing the impacts of conflicts on civil societies and the need to enhance partnerships based on trust and shared values to achieve peace and stability.
In his closing remarks, His Excellency Dr Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al-Khulaifi, Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, reaffirmed Qatar's sustained commitment to mediation as a cornerstone of its foreign policy. He pointed out the significant breakthroughs achieved by Qatari mediation in regional and international crises, including those in Darfur, Afghanistan, Lebanon, and the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. His Excellency further emphasised that the Qatar Mediation Forum represents an extension of Qatar's efforts in developing innovative mediation methods, training new generations of mediators, and enhancing women's participation and humanitarian diplomacy.
The Qatar Mediation Forum concluded with several recommendations, including the necessity of searching for new ways to resolve conflicts, fostering dialogue between conflicting parties, working towards building more stable societies, and extending an open invitation for mediators and diplomats to unite efforts in building a peaceful future.