National Dialogue and peacemaking

This course is designed for individuals who are likely to participate in, contribute to the design of or provide support for a National Dialogue process. This includes:

• National stakeholders from countries considering or initiating a National Dialogue process to deal with a deep political crisis or political transition,
• Professionals from the diplomatic field, policy sector or peacebuilding organisations who are supporting or may support a National Dialogue process,
• Academics, practitioners and the peacebuilding community at large who would like to learn about National Dialogues and how they might contribute to conflict transformation.

This course offers the opportunity to expand your knowledge on both the theoretical and practical levels. This includes:

• Establishing a joint understanding of the purpose, key features and phases of National Dialogues,

• Situating National Dialogue in the broader conflict transformation landscape and how it links to other processes,

• Taking a closer look at some of the most critical aspects of National Dialogues such as agenda setting and mandate, inclusivity and ownership, participation and power dynamics, process design, implementation structures and follow-up mechanisms,

• Reflecting on common challenges and dilemmas and drawing lessons from past National Dialogue processes,

• Covering certain under-explored nexus areas and how to best integrate those topics in the design of National Dialogues,

• Bridging theory and practice through live expert sessions and real-world case studies,

• Contextualising the various aspects of National Dialogues to your own context for deep practical insights,

• Becoming part of a global community of practice through exchanging and learning alongside peers from around the world.

The Berghof Foundation has over 50 years of experience in supporting conflict transformation processes around the world, including peace mediation and National Dialogue support. We have worked extensively on supporting National Dialogue processes in various countries such as Lebanon, Yemen, Sudan, South Sudan and Ethiopia. In 2017, we published the National Dialogue Handbook: A Guide for Practitioners in collaboration with swisspeace. This Handbook is the most comprehensive publication on the topic and includes 19 cases studies. We have also developed and conducted many courses, trainings and workshops on National Dialogue, working with national actors, international organisations, ministries and academics. Drawing on this extensive experience, the course has been designed to provide participants with a theoretical framework and immerse them in real-world examples of National Dialogues.

This online course combines various learning formats and components to provide you an enriching opportunity to learn, exchange and become part of a global community of practice.

You will have a weekly unit assignment in our interactive e-learning tool that you can complete on your own time and pace. After each unit assignment, you will join a facilitated live peer exchange session online to discuss any open questions and deepen your understanding through structured group discussions, exercises and reflections. These facilitated peer exchange sessions will help you establish a solid understanding of the subject matter and its nuances and you will benefit from the perspectives and experiences of fellow participants from around the world. You will also have the opportunity to engage in a live expert session with leading international experts and practitioners, which will include inputs from our experts, case studies from different conflict contexts and Q&As. During these sessions, you will be able to connect the theoretical knowledge you gained before with practical experiences and examples from our experts.

You can download the course programme here.

The live sessions will take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 14:00-16:00 CET.

The course is co-led by Narine Karapetyan and Sonja Neuweiler.

Expert inputs by:

• Kasahun Dender, Senior Programme Coordinator, Berghof Foundation (tbc)

• Véronique Dudouet, Senior Advisor, Berghof Foundation

• Hans-Joachim Giessmann, Director Emeritus, Berghof Foundation

• Tatiana Mosquera Angulo, Director of the Strengthen Capacities Center, Transforma, Fundación Ideas para la Paz (tbc)

• Thania Paffenholz, Director and Founder, Inclusive Peace

• Katia Papagianni, Director Policy and Mediation Support Programme, Center for Humanitarian Dialogue

• Nang Raw, Peace Practitioner and Dialogue Facilitator (tbc)

• Pascal da Rocha, Senior Advisor and Trainer on Dialogue and Mediation

• Luxshi Vimalarajah, Senior Mediation Advisor - Track 1-1.5, Berghof Foundation

• Oliver Wils, Head of Department, MENA, Berghof Foundation

Application procedure

Please submit your application here by 30 June 2025.

Important: Applicants applying for the partial scholarship (see below) must submit their documents by 31 May 2025.

Tuition Fee

The tuition fee is 1,750.- EUR.

The Berghof Foundation aims to broaden access for more participants by offering a limited number of partial scholarships of 30 per cent (remaining tuition fee to be paid 1,200.- EUR). Special consideration is given to Master’s or PhD students, unemployed or individuals working in grassroots NGOs in related fields, who can demonstrate financial need and practical impact of course.

To apply for the partial scholarship, please complete the relevant section in the application form.

Upon successful completion of the course, you will be awarded a Certificate of Attendance.

In order to successfully complete the course, you are required to attend at least 85% of the live sessions (13 out of 15) and complete the e-learning units.