Incorporating transitional justice in peace mediation: learning from regional women mediators’ networks

Session description: Integrating transitional justice in peace mediation and national dialogue is a complex, highly political and demanding task for mediators, facilitators, negotiating teams and mediation support professionals. This roundtable aims at tapping into the thematic expertise and contextual experiences of regional women mediator networks on the specific topic of transitional justice.

Moderator: Jonathan Cohen, Executive Director, Conciliation Resources will chair the roundtable 

Panellists:

• María Camila Moreno, currently Director of ICTJ Colombia, was appointed to be a member of the negotiating team that will help develop the peace dialogue table with the armed group Segunda Marquetalia in June 2024. She is a member of the Red Iberoamericana de Mujeres Mediadoras.

• Emine Çolak, member of the Mediterranean Women Mediators Network, co-founder of the Turkish Cypriot Mediation Association and former head of the Turkish Cypriot Human Rights Foundation (topics: TJ issues in negotiations in a “frozen conflict”: missing persons, restitution of property for displaced people, contexts: Cyprus). 

• Visaka Dharmadasa, mediator from Sri Lanka, founder and Chair of Association of War Affected Women and Parents of Servicemen Missing in Action, member of Women Mediators across the Commonwealth (topics: representation of victims, missing persons, cease fire agreements, contexts: Sri Lanka)

• Samrawit Tassew, Senior Consultant for ICTJ’s Ethiopia program, Member of the Network of African Women on Conflict Prevention and Mediation (FemWise-Africa)(topics: contexts, Ethiopia)

• Catherine Turner, Professor of International Law at Durham University (UK), and the Deputy Director of the Durham Global Security Institute (DGSI) Co-Chair of Mediation Northern Ireland (topics: transitional justice, inclusive approaches to peace mediation; contexts)