Reflecting about the Past, Present, and Future of UN Mediation

What is it about?

This thematic issue explores the past, present, and future of UN mediation. Based on in-depth case studies of UN mediation in some of the most intractable contemporary armed conflicts, it shows the challenges the UN faces in contexts that lack consensus among different mediation actors and frequent disunity in the UN Security Council, as well as increasingly internationalized armed conflicts. At the same time, it highlights the UN’s legitimacy, expertise, and convening power, and its importance in the context of broader international dispute management systems. It also underlines the need to rethink how we measure success of UN mediation efforts and reflect on the consequences of normative plurality in world politics. Finally, this issue points to some areas for future research, including more critical mediation theory, reflections about the underlying worldviews of UN mediation, and innovative approaches related to the UN reform agenda.

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