Elements of Integrative Mediation

Integrative Mediation has five mediation-related elements which can be used sequentially or individually to support local leaders. These elements are essential parts of our approach and are a fusion of ideas stemming from the facilitative, evaluative and transformative mediation traditions.  Through them mediators have the flexibility to design a process with various formats to meet different needs in communication, trust-building, problem-solving, networking, and capacity-building.  The elements are not static and can evolve and develop depending on the situation.

Stakeholder Consultation

Through consultation CSSP engages with all levels of governance and all stakeholders to assess the situation and to discuss possible CSSP contributions. More importantly, consultation is used to generate stakeholder acceptance of the process, to build trust, and to keep secondary and tertiary stakeholders informed of progress made or to identify obstacles for cooperation. At the municipal level CSSP consults with mayors, municipal presidents, heads of departments/members of the municipal boards of directors, religious leaders, political party leaders, business leaders, gender officers, IDP representatives, and often with unofficial, yet highly recognized community leaders. In our meetings we often provide these leaders with individual and personal advice/coaching to build their own personal skills and to empower them in their efforts for conflict transformation.

Conflict Analysis

The Conflict Analysis instrument is used both before joint meetings, mediations or Interactive Trainings and with the stakeholders themselves. Beyond research, the mediation team dialogues with the local stakeholders to identify what are conflicts within the area of competencies of local leaders and what is beyond their mandates and needs to be addressed at different levels. Collecting the results of these consultations from all Integrative Mediation processes together are used to identify systemic problems. Discussion papers are published on a variety of systemic issues such as conflict resolution processes, return, reintegration, anti-discrimination, local self-governance, and education. These papers highlight gaps in the peace process and offer ideas from the field on how to address structural burdens within the context of the overall peace process.

Inter-community Mediation

CSSP brings together communities to discuss and negotiate with each other and to resolve problems at the municipal level. It is a mediative process by which all stakeholders from the various ethnic, linguistic or religious communities at the local level are brought together to work on unresolved municipal conflicts. The goal of the mediators is to build coalitions which support peace and want to make progress on the issues. Through an omnipartial process it is possible to hear all sides and to engage them in the process. Inter-community mediation assumes that each ethnic group has its own collective perceptions and experiences with other groups that coexist with them. It is the gap in perceptions and understanding among these groups that underpin the conflict. As the gap widens there is a relative increase in the conflict over resources and power.

Interactive Training

Extending the inter-community mediation component, the mediation team complements its efforts with capacity-building for local leaders. The Interactive Training format allows participants to discuss issues in a less formal environment while at the same time strengthening their abilities to work through conflicts. The general methodology underpinning the workshops is based on interactive problem-solving workshops. Workshops become mediation processes themselves which allows brainstorming and options development. The stakeholders identify next steps and follow-up measures together with the mediation team.

The Interactive Trainings are followed-up by mediation sessions/joint meetings to incorporate the results of the training and to integrate the agreements into the formal decision-making process. Issues that are dealt with in the municipalities tend to be similar across all local communities, including property rights, proportional representation, return of IDPs, project funds, gender, infrastructure, decision-making, education, security and economic development. Following the “people, problem, process” model, mediators help to build the conflict management and transformation skills of the conflict parties.

Systemic Advocacy

Working closely with the conflict research component, Systemic Advocacy furthermore seeks to identify and communicate structural deficiencies and issues affecting the local level as a result of the implementation of peace processes. Systemic Advocacy is based on the assumption that local conflict resolution does not happen in a vacuum. Therefore all efforts must be integrated into the wider political, social, and economic context. Very often the authority to reform dysfunctional mechanisms and policies lies at a higher level of government or with the international community.