ELEMENTS OF INTEGRATIVE MEDIATION

Grassroots Mediation
Grassroots Mediation is a form of community mediation. It brings people around the table in various formats to discuss their issues and problems. Together with local groups the mediation team focuses on finding creative solutions to immediate problems. It includes various phases such as introduction and information, assessment, mediation, implementation, follow-up, and closure. The process works on developing transparency, democratic principles and structures, and problem-solving philosophy among the groups. It seeks to incorporate gender and ethnic perspectives that tend to be locked out of usual dialogues.

Grassroots mediation departs from traditional community mediation in two ways. First, mediators are not from the community and second, they are not strictly neutral. While it is important to have local mediators working on solving conflicts, experiences show that there are certain advantages to having international mediators working at the local level. Mostly these mediators bring with them a fresh perspective unburdened by the local daily conflicts and they also can contribute experiences and options used in other areas or conflicts.
With regard to neutrality, there are certain challenges for the mediation due to their commitment to respecting international accepted standards of democracy, human rights and governance.

Given the intensity of the conflict, local leaders are often exhausted and their creative potential is blocked. Therefore, the mediation team is active in supporting the search for joint solutions, exploring ideas and giving feedback. The local leaders themselves have substantial input on how much intervention is needed and how often mediation follow-up takes place. Grassroots mediation is based on the idea that it is an inclusive and result- oriented process that ensures local ownership.


Consultation
Consultation involves various aspects of advice, coaching and exchange of ideas. Before the situation reaches a crisis point, conflict parties could benefit from consultation and coaching on their interests. International organizations are not able to perform this role because they have their own institutional interest that can make them perceived as biased. What seems like a good idea to a local conflict actor might for other reasons be impractical for international or state actors. Best results are achieved when each side represents their interests and seeks to maximize mutual gains. To achieve this desired outcome, Integrative Mediation offers personal and ad hoc consultation.

Consultation is a one-on-one service to all conflict parties and stakeholders. It can take the form of a bilateral confidential meeting, assessments of difficult issues or coaching in preparation for mediation. Consultation aims to provide a supportive mechanism and environment for local parties to seek solutions for conflicts at the local level.


Facilitative Training
Local conflicting parties do not immediately change their attitudes to the conflict because a peace agreement or settlement has been reached. Even when there are official agreements at higher levels, implementation at the local level can be obstructed if local opponents block each other. In this case, the parties are not ready for negotiations because they do not value negotiations as such. A lack of negotiation skills often prevents improved relations between the previously conflicting parties. In most cases they continue to perceive the conflict through ethnic or group prisms and exclusively as a win-lose situation. Conflict parties have to be familiarized with problem-solving negotiation techniques and be trained to apply them. Integrative Mediation offers different forms of training aiming at relationship-building, capacity-building, and problem-solving. Overall the facilitative trainings complement the Integrative Mediation process by creating an environment outside the official structures in which creative solutions can be explored.


Research + Analysis
As CSSP works with local leaders, mediation teams are able to identify and assess problems with the implementation of international or top-down policies. These problems tend to reoccur in other local communities and can be attributed to systemic or strategic flaws. If these problems are not addressed they may lead to conflict escalation or obstruction wasting resources time and energy. For example, over-bureaucratic mechanisms, under-funded policies, unrealistic strategies etc.

The Integrative Mediation process is fertile ground for brainstorming options and solutions. Therefore, the CSSP team has the ethical obligation to write about its findings based on local experiences, field visits, and observations. Research and analysis is used to support CSSP’s advocacy, mediation and consultation elements to ensure that new policies do not inadvertently contribute to future conflicts. Documents in the form of assessments, trip reports, discussion papers and concept notes are published on a variety of issues such as conflict resolution processes, return, reintegration, anti-discrimination, local self-governance, education etc.

In addition to the analytical work for practical purposes, CSSP seeks to bridge the gap between academia and practice. Still too often practitioners do not use theoretical tools and academics have too little field experiences. Conflict resolution is not a laboratory and therefore practice should always inform theory. CSSP aims to use its experiences to inform academic and policy communities about practical problems and experiences to ensure that field experiences is transferred and reflected in their work and thereby breathing life into theoretically developed concepts.


Advocacy
CSSP’s practice oriented approach demands that its members bridge the gap between top-down policies and the local level. CSSP uses its wide network and contacts in the political, military, economic and diplomatic communities to highlight problems and inform responsible institutions and actors about potential problems and various options. Throughout the process of Integrative Mediation the mediation team continually meets with stakeholders at all levels because all local efforts must be integrated into the wider political, social, and economic environment.

In addition, CSSP advocates for confidence-building, relation-building and dialogue. Preventing conflict re-emergence must be pursued actively. The technical implementation of agreements neither guarantees conflict resolution nor promotes reconciliation. Trust-building measures can also be initiated to strengthen the peace process and by placing a particular emphasis on integration and reconciliation. Wherever we see good ideas we seek to advocate for them and build a network of pro-peace actors.

Part of our advocacy program includes reaching out to local mediation organization and creating a regional network of supporters of Integrative Mediation. Therefore, CSSP advocates for local groups, mediation frameworks, associations, forums and projects to deal with different problems, such as discrimination, ethnic conflict, neighbourhood issues, peace etc.