osloforum

Oslo forum - A global series of mediation retreats

The Oslo forum is widely acknowledged as the leading international network of armed conflict mediation practitioners. The Oslo forum regularly convenes senior conflict mediators, high level decision makers, key peace process actors, analysts and experts from a variety of institutional backgrounds in a series of informal and discreet retreats.

Co-hosted by the Royal Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD Centre), the Oslo forum features an annual global event in Oslo and is complemented by regional retreats in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Participation is by invitation-only. All discussions are confidential and take place under the Chatham house rule.

Sharing experiences and insights

Mediation is increasingly seen as a successful means of resolving armed conflicts and the growing number of actors involved testifies to its emergence as a distinct field of international diplomacy. The pressured working environment of mediation rarely provides much opportunity for reflection.
With the Oslo forum series, the Royal Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the HD Centre, offer conflict mediation practitioners an ideal setting to openly reflect on and learn from their experiences to help improve conflict mediation practice and enhance the status of the profession.
 
Norway has been involved in a number of peace and reconciliation processes since the early 1990s. The nature of Norwegian involvement ranges from official facilitation of negotiations, to sponsoring back channels for secret negotiations, to taking part in and supporting international coalitions in such processes. The Norwegian work for peace and reconciliation is characterised by long-term contributions and commitments, flexible resources and close cooperation with national and international NGOs. A central element in Norwegian peace efforts is to support and strengthen the UN’s capability of responding to armed conflicts.
 
The HD Centre is an independent Swiss Foundation dedicated to helping improve the global response to armed conflict. It attempts to achieve this by mediating between warring parties and providing support to the broader mediation community.
The HD Centre is driven by humanitarian values and three primary goals: to reduce the humanitarian consequences of conflict, increase security, and ultimately contribute to the peaceful resolution of conflict.
The HD Centre began operations in 1999 and has since become one of the world's leading conflict mediation organisations.