The U.S. Institute of Peace introduces The Peacemaker's Toolkit, a new
series of handbooks for practitioners and educators about the art of mediation available online for free! Each handbook focuses on a particular facet of the mediator's trade, distilling practical guidance from a wealth of experience and expertise. Slim enough to fit into a pocket but packed with ideas, options and examples, the handbooks lay out the key steps to success. Five handbooks have now been published, focusing on relevant subjects such as how to manage a mediation process, debrief mediators and manage public information during a mediation process. All are available online and in print -- and all are free.
In coordination with the United Nations Mediation Support Unit and in collaboration with a number of other mediation institutes and experts, USIP has developed a series of "best practices" handbooks on key aspects of mediation and peacemaking. The series is being designed for experienced mediation practitioners and negotiators, but will be a valuable resource for students and policymakers. Future handbooks include: negotiating with Terrorists, Dealing with the Impact of an International Tribunal on a Peace Process; and Coordinating Track I and II Efforts.
Current Handbooks Include:
- Managing a Mediation Process
August 2008 | Practitioner Tool by David R. Smock and Amy L. Smith Managing a Mediation Process is the first handbook of the Peacemaker’s Toolkit series. This handbook provides a methodology for mediating interstate and intrastate conflicts. Each of the six chapters covers a different step in the process, identifying what needs to be done at that step and how best to accomplish it. By consolidating the practical wisdom of managing a mediation process into an easily digestible format, Managing a Mediation Process is designed to help mediators identify areas where they may need more research or
preparation, as well as develop options and strategies relevant to the particular case on which they are working. | Download the handbook (PDF/856 KB)- Access the Managing a Mediation Process Web Handbook
The web version of Managing a Mediation Process allows readers not only to view and search the full text of the handbook but also to link instantly to more detailed resources, including analyses, educational materials, tools, and news.
- Access the Managing a Mediation Process Web Handbook
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Managing Public Information in a Mediation Process
February 2009 | Practitioner Tool by Ingrid A. Lehmann
The second handbook of the Peacemaker’s Toolkit series, Managing Public Information in a Mediation Process helps mediators identify and develop the resources and strategies they need to reach a variety of audiences, from governments and rebel forces to local and international media, NGOs and IGOs, divided communities and diasporas. It highlights essential information taks and functions, discusses key challenges and opportunities, and provides expert guidance on effective approaches. Examples from past mediations illustrate how various strategies have played out in practice.
Download the Handbook (PDF/1.31 MB) - Integrating Internal Displacement in Peace Processes and Agreements
April 2010 | Practitioner Tool by Gerard McHugh
Leading experts on mediation and the plight of internally displaced persons (IDPs) collaborated to produce this handbook, which gives mediators the tools they need to incorporate IDPs' concerns into peace processes and agreements. Achieving such integration will not only safeguard the rights and interests of IDPs as stakeholders in a peace process but will also help mediators reach a negotiated and lasting settlement for all the parties involved in a conflict.
Download the Handbook (PDF/2.03 MB) - Debriefing Mediators to Learn from Their Experiences
April 2010 | Practitioner Tool by Simon J. A. Mason and Matthias Siegfried
This handbook examines interviews conducted with mediators to learn lessons about their mediation “method.” These methodological debriefings are typically conducted by individuals who have not been
directly involved in the mediator’s work but who want to learn the mediator’s perspective on what was done and why it was done. This handbook enhances the practice of mediation by showing how lessons from individual mediators can be identified and made available both to their organizations and to a wider practitioner audience. It also gives guidance to staff debriefing mediators who are or have been directly
involved in peace negotiations. | Download the Handbook (PDF/1.54 MB) - Timing Mediation Initiatives
April 2010 | Practitioner Tool by I. William Zartman and Alvaro de SotoA mediation initiative cannot be launched at just any time if it is to succeed. The conflict must be ripe for the initiation of negotiation. Parties resolve their conflict only when forced to do so-when each party’s efforts to achieve a unilaterally satisfactory result are blocked and the parties feel trapped in an uncomfortable and costly predicament. This toolkit lays out five steps mediators can take to assess whether a stalemate exists; interpret the parties’ perception of where they stand in the conflict; and encourage a ripe moment for mediation. | Download the Handbook (PDF/1.28 MB)