PRESS RELEASE | 4 Apr 2024

Less than two weeks to go: International peacemakers to gather in Berlin

The Humboldt Forum in Berlin will host The Berlin Moot from 17- 18 April 2024.

Numerous high-ranking guests are expected to attend this year's inaugural event, including government representatives.

On 17 and 18 April 2024, the Berghof Foundation, with support by the German Federal Foreign Office and other partners, will host "The Berlin Moot: Reshaping Peace", a conference that convenes global experts and mediators to develop new approaches to peacemaking.

Numerous high-ranking guests are expected to attend this year's inaugural event, including government representatives, peace experts, and international representatives from academia, civil society and business.

Speakers include:

Alar Karis, President, Republic of Estonia
Andreas Kravik, State Secretary, Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Annette Weber, EU Special Representative for the Horn of Africa
Barney Afako, Commissioner, Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan, OHCHR
Bineta Diop, Special Envoy of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission on Women, Peace and Security
Chernor A. Bah, Minister, Ministry of Information and Civic Education, Republic of Sierra Leone
Christoph Heusgen, Chairman, Munich Security Conference (MSC)
Hans Grundberg, UN Special Envoy for Yemen
Huiyao Wang, Founder and President, Centre for China and Globalisation
Miriam Coronel Ferrer, Founder, Southeast Asian Women Peace Mediators
Neha Sanghrajka, Senior Advisor for Mediation, United Nations and Co-Founder, Women Mediators across the Commonwealth
Nicholas Haysom, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General and Head of the UN Mission in South Sudan
Rodrigo Londoño Echeverri, signatory of the 2016 Colombian peace agreement and president of the Comunes party
Susanne Baumann, State Secretary, German Federal Foreign Office
Tetiana Kyselova, Consultant, Ukrainian Community of Dialogue Practitioners

Constructive dialogues will reference mediation experience from various conflicts and provide new impetus for sustainable peacemaking.

At the conference, participants will develop concrete and actionable recommendations for policy and practice and forge new alliances for action.

Last call: Press accreditation is still possible up to and including 16 April 2024 via the Berlin Moot website. In addition to a well-equipped press centre at the Humboldt Forum, accredited press representatives will also have the opportunity to conduct background interviews with speakers and participants.

The programme of the Berlin Moot: Reshaping Peace

Panel discussions – a selection of which will also be broadcast live on the Moot website – will address topics such as the impact of geopolitical shifts on the field of peacemaking, how human rights can advance mediation, the role of women in reconstruction and reconciliation processes, the relevance of truth-seeking in sustainable peace endeavours, and the role of climate change in exacerbating conflicts. The conference will draw on concrete examples from countries such as Ukraine, Sudan and Yemen to advance discussion.

In addition to the main panels, interactive workshops (or "PeaceLabs") are also planned in smaller groups and open to accredited participants. The workshops will address topics such as the influence of the private sector on conflict parties, findings from neuroscience that can advance negotiation practice, and scenario-based simulations for addressing conflict.

The Berlin Moot is supported by the German Federal Foreign Office as well as the Robert Bosch Stiftung, Stiftung Mercator, the Gerda Henkel Stiftung and the LOTTO-Stiftung Berlin. The programme is being developed with contributions from various partners, including ACCORD, BMW Foundation Herbert Quandt, Beyond Conflict, Fraunhofer Institute IML, University of Oslo and Principles for Peace.

Press contact

If you have any questions, please contact the Berghof Foundation press office.

Florian Lüdtke, Media and Communications Manager
press@berlinmoot.org
+49 (0)177 7052758

Social media and livestream

For updates and insights, follow @BerghofFnd on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and LinkedIn and sign up for the newsletter. To join the conversation online, use the hashtag #TheBerlinMoot and link @BerghofFnd.

Selected panels will be broadcast via livestream.

About the Berghof Foundation

As an international, independent, non-governmental and non-profit organisation with offices in Berlin, Beirut and Mogadishu, the Berghof Foundation has more than 50 years of experience in conflict situations and works worldwide to bring parties in conflict together and promote peace. The organisation is currently active in various countries including Ethiopia, Lebanon, Somalia and Yemen.