Published on 15 July 2025

Mediation and dialogue

Mediation is part of Switzerland's good offices and is a foreign policy priority. Switzerland either receives requests for mediation from parties to a conflict or offers its services as a mediator. It can either act as mediator itself or it can support negotiating parties and a third-party mediator. Switzerland also works within the international community to promote the professionalisation of mediation activities.

Juan Manuel Santos, the president of Colombia, and FARC leader Rodrigo Londono seal the peace treaty in June 2016 in Havana in the presence of Raoul Castro. — © Presidenza di Messico/Ecuador/Colombia e FAO Colombia

Switzerland has a long tradition of international conflict mediation, which is deeply rooted in its political culture of dialogue and consensus-building. In recent years, Switzerland has supported over 30 peace processes in more than 20 countries as an internationally recognised and valued partner.

Switzerland mediates both directly with the conflicting parties and indirectly by providing experts who mediate and support peace processes on behalf of international organisations such as the UN or the OSCE.

In agreement with the parties to the conflict, Switzerland creates the necessary space for negotiations. It helps the parties to identify the reasons for the conflict, to set out their positions and to define solutions. Switzerland's inclusive, consensus-based political system contributes to the appeal and credibility of its good offices. Switzerland has a global impact, providing professional, efficient services, usually behind closed doors.

There are five different types of mediation:

• 1. Dialogue support

  Switzerland facilitates and shapes dialogue between conflicting parties in order to improve mutual understanding. For example: in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Switzerland is supporting dialogue between communities, local authorities and security forces, helping to facilitate coexistence and prevent armed or political violence.

• 2. Facilitation

  ‘Mediation light’: as a facilitator, on request Switzerland supports talks in order to clarify the parties' concerns and prepare for future peace processes. For example: in the Syria negotiations, Switzerland is supporting the peace process under the auspices of the UN. Among other things, this process led to the convening of the Constitutional Committee in 2019.

• 3. Negotiation support

  Switzerland supports conflicting parties to better prepare them for negotiations and offers substantive advice. Examples: peace negotiations between the Colombian government and the FARC guerrilla group from 2012 to 2016 in the Cuban capital Havana.

• 4. Mediation support

  Switzerland supports mediation processes led by other actors such as the UN, the African Union or other states by providing advice, expertise and financial support. For example: negotiations mediated by the EU to normalise relations between Kosovo and Serbia.

• 5. Mediation

  Switzerland leads the mediation process at a strategic and substantive level, while at the same time bringing its thematic expertise to the table and working with the negotiating parties to develop substantive options for solutions. For example: mediation between the government of Mozambique and RENAMO, which resulted in an agreement in 2018.

Focus on religion, politics and conflict

As part of its commitment to mediation and dialogue, Switzerland pays particular attention to the topics of religion, politics and conflict. The proportion of armed conflicts in which religion plays a role has multiplied over the last 50 years and now accounts for more than half of all conflicts. The reasons for this are not primarily to be found in religion, but in the clash of different world views. At the centre of Switzerland's peace policy work on religion, politics and conflict is the search for concrete solutions that will lead to a renunciation of violence and peaceful coexistence between people of different world views. To this end, Switzerland adopts a neutral stance towards different religious traditions and develops joint projects for concrete cooperation and confidence-building between universities, NGOs, religious and civil society communities as well as political parties and governments. Switzerland supports peacebuilding projects with a religious dimension worldwide, with a particular focus on East Africa and the Horn of Africa.

Links

• Foreign policy strategy
• Mediation Support in Peace Processes CSS/ETHZ
• MAS Mediation in Peace Processes
• swisspeace
• Conciliation and mediation
• Mediation support UN
• Mediation OSCE

Documents

• Mediation as part of Switzerland’s good offices

  PDF182.37 kB18 March 2025

• Swiss Peace Mediation

  PDF2.75 MB31 July 2025