No: 210, 25 June 2014

Turkey supports the resolution of international disputes by peaceful means and attaches importance to preventive diplomacy and mediation to that end. Thus, the ‘Mediation for Peace’ initiative Turkey launched together with Finland in the U.N. in 2010 has gradually gained impetus.

In this context, the first Istanbul Conference on Mediation was held in February 2012 with a view to emphasizing the importance of mediation at the international level, followed by a second conference in April 2013. The Third Istanbul Conference on Mediation will be organized under the auspices of H.E. Mr. Ahmet Davutoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey, on 26-27 June 2014 under the theme “The Increasing Role of Regional Organizations in Mediation”. The main objective of the Conference is to contribute to building international capacity, particularly national and regional capacity regarding the resolution of disputes by peaceful means.

The mediating role of regional organizations which have achieved prominence on a global scale will be discussed during the conference. Moreover, the concrete example of the Mindanao Peace Process in the Philippines will be scrutinized with the participation of representatives of interested parties.

Representatives of the United Nations, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the European Union, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Economic Community of West African States as well as officials involved in the resolution of various disputes, international experts specialized in conflict resolution and representatives of NGOs will also participate in the Conference. An audience of 200 people, including experts from Turkey and abroad working in the field of peace studies, mediation and conflict resolution is expected at the Conference.

In addition to Minister Davutoğlu, H.E. Mr. Martti Ahtisaari, Former President of the Republic of Finland, will also address the high-level session of the Conference as speaker.