Mediators

Alexandra M. Dias

Categories: Africa’s security landscape, Amharic, Borderland groups, English, French, Horn of Africa, Mediation, Portuguese, Security actors, State-building/nation-building
Location: Portugal
Geographical expertise: Africa with a particular focus on the Horn of Africa
Topical expertise: Africa’s security landscape: State-building and nation-building; security actors ( state and non-state); mediation; borderland groups
Languages: Amharic (basic reading skills), English, French and Portuguese (native)

Alexandra M. Dias is an International Relations scholar and Africanist based at the Department of Political Studies of NOVA University of Lisbon (NOVA/FCSH). She is a researcher and member of the Board of Directors of the Portuguese Institute of International Relations (IPRI-NOVA). She has integrated and been the Principal Investigator of several research projects on Conflict, Peace and Security in Africa with fieldwork experience in the Horn of Africa. She has integrated the International Electoral Observation Missions of Somaliland Presidential Elections in June 2010 & November 2017. She is a founding member of the Mediterranean Women Mediators Network (MWMN). She joined the network because it engages with mediation across divides: societal, civilizational and gender-based ones; it is based upon the principle of bringing together different parties without advancing one party’s interests in detriment of the others; and it is gender-sensitive and through those lenses it engages with silenced topics in peace processes.

Alexandra M. Dias

Alexandra M. Dias is an International Relations scholar and Africanist...

Ayat Mohamed

Categories: Arabic, Dialogue, English, French, Hybrid mediation, Hybrid Mediation, Inclusive Peace Processes, Mediation, Mediation, Middle East, Peace Processes
Location: Egypt
Geographical expertise: Middle East, Syria
Topical expertise: hybrid mediation, mediation support, social dialogue, inclusive peace processes
Languages: Arabic, English, French (intermediate)

Ayat Mohamed is a Gender Analyst at the Office of the UN Special Envoy for Syria. She had previously worked on women and civil society inclusion in the Syrian political process with the Norwegian Centre for Conflict Resolution (NOREF). She is a strong proponent of women’s inclusion in political processes, mediation efforts and on all levels. Ms. Mohamed has experience in mediation support, social dialogue, inclusive peace processes. She has written on hybrid mediation and women in peace processes. She has experience working on Middle East contexts. Ms. Mohamed has an MA degree in political science, and speaks Arabic, English, and intermediate French.

Ayat Mohamed

Ayat Mohamed is a Gender Analyst at the Office of...

Claudia Maffettone

Categories: Africa, English, Europe & EU, French, High-level processes, Italian, Mediation, Mediation, Mena Region, Peace processes, Spanish, Track II diplomacy, USA
Location: Italy
Geographical expertise: MENA Region, Africa, USA, EU
Topical expertise: Mediation, Track II, high-level processes
Languages: Italian, English, French, Spanish

Claudia Maffettone is the Track II Mediation Program Manager at Search for Common Ground. She has led over 35 dialogue initiatives in support of US-Iran and US-Russian relations, the Syrian peace process, demining in Libya, and of broader inclusion in peace processes. She is an advocate for the advancement of the practice of mediation and leads an international consortium to support African insider mediators and their engagement in high-level processes. She is an experienced mediator, trained at the US Institute of Peace, PATRIR, Harvard Law School, and the New York City Bar. Previously, Claudia worked at Soliya, a pioneering organization in the field of virtual exchange and intercultural dialogue, advancing partnerships with educational institutions, NGOs and CSOs in the MENA Region, Asia, Europe, and North America. Claudia holds a BA in International Relations and Diplomacy from the Universita’ degli Studi di Napoli ‘L’Orientale’, in Italy, and a MA Conflict Resolution from the University of Bradford in the UK, where is studied as a Rotary Peace Fellow. Through her work, Claudia has had the opportunity to learn that while only a small number of women are mediators, signatories or negotiators in peace processes, the engagement of women in mediation makes peace agreements all the more likely to succeed.  Thus she is eager to ensure those numbers increase and that the women at the table may be equipped with the best tools to make a meaningful difference and increase the sustainability of peace agreements.

Claudia Maffettone

Claudia Maffettone is the Track II Mediation Program Manager at...

Dalal Iriqat

Categories: 3rd party role in negotiations, Arabic, Coercive Diplomacy, Diplomacy, English, French, Mediation, Nation Branding and Soft Power, Palestine
Location: Palestine
Geographical expertise: Palestine
Thematic expertise: diplomacy, state building, mediation and peace related topics, 3rd party role in negotiations, mediation and coercive diplomacy, nation branding and soft power
Languages: Arabic, English and French

Dalal Iriqat is the Vice President for International Relations and Assistant Professor of Conflict Resolution, Diplomacy and Strategic Planning at the Arab American University in Palestine since 2015. Since 2016, she has been a weekly columnist at AlQuds Newspaper. She has served as advisor of Strategic Communications at the PMO in 2017 and 2018, and as the senior policy consultant for writing the Human Development Report UNDP for Palestine in 2015. Prior to joining the Arab American University in Palestine, she taught at the faculty of law and Public Administration at Birzeit University. Throughout her academic career she has always been engaged being elected President of the Diplomatic Academy of London Students’ Association and a member of the students’ council at the University of Jordan. She is passionate about bringing change into the Palestinian society through education, and about improving Palestinian Diplomacy and better brand Palestine. She holds a PhD in Public Administration from Paris I Sorbonne 2011, a Masters degree in Diplomatic Studies from Westminster University in London 2004 and a Bachelor Degree in Political Science from the University of Jordan 2003. Being a strong believer in the individual role in bringing change and being very passionate about bringing change through education and especially through her background in conflict resolution, mediation and diplomacy, she joined the MWMN.

Dalal Iriqat

Dalal Iriqat is the Vice President for International Relations and...

Dilara Gök

Categories: Conflict resolution, English, Human rights, Mediation, Peacebuilding, Social Cohesion, Turkey, Turkish, Victim-offender Mediation
Location: Turkey
Geographical expertise: Turkey
Topical expertise: Conflict Resolution, Mediation, Victim-Offender Mediation, Peacebuilding, Social Cohesion, Human Rights
Languages: Turkish and English

Dilara Gök is one of the founders of Conflictus Training and Consultancy. She has been working in the discrimination, conflict resolution, mediation and peacebuilding fields for almost 7 years with many national and international organizations such as GIZ, UNHCR, RET International and etc. in Turkey. Currently, she has developed training programs, new modules, approaches and practical solutions in the conflict resolution field by engaging with social and disadvantaged groups, as a trainer. Together with this, after the Syrian crisis, she has also been working on social cohesion by handling this issue under the umbrella of conflict resolution tools. In this context, she has developed and applied trainings by working with both local and international organizations in cities which have intense Syrian population. In addition to this, she had worked as a program coordinator of the Young Mediators Program which was implemented under the support of U.S. Embassy in Istanbul. Now, Dilara is one of the founding member of the Turkish Antenna of The MWMN. Also, since 2016, she has been working as victim-offender mediator in Istanbul Courthouse. She is also trained in Women in Conflict 1325 Fellowship Program. https://tr.linkedin.com/in/dilaragok

Dilara Gök

Dilara Gök is one of the founders of Conflictus Training...

Elif Kalan

Categories: Central Europe, Community Mediation, Eastern Europe, English, French, Gender-sensitive conflict resolution, Peacebuilding, Refugee response programming, Social Cohesion, South-East Europe, Turkey, Turkish, Youth-specific conflict resolution
Location: Turkey
Geographical expertise: Turkey, Middle East and Central and South Eastern Europe
Topical expertise: Gender-sensitive and youth-specific conflict resolution and community mediation, peacebuilding, social cohesion, refugee response programming
Languages: Turkish (native), English (fluent), French (beginner)

Elif Kalan is a freelance consultant on conflict analysis and resolution, peacebuilding and community-based programs and initiatives with extensive experience working with international organisations, such as GIZ, UN agencies, the European Commission, IMC and Ret International. Recently, she consulted for UN Women Turkey in Gender Sensitive Refugee Response Program working with Syrian and host communities on gender in complex emergencies and conflict as well as on mitigation through local mediation practices and social cohesion approach. She has also organised trainings and workshops in numerous universities. She is a co-founder of Conflictus Consultancy on Conflict Resolution in Turkey where she has designed, maintained, developed and delivered several training programs and projects to boost the skills and knowledge of groups particularly on conflict resolution and community-based mediation. She has been active within the MWMN Turkey antenna since the beginning and has co-conducted a gender sensitive mediation training program titled ‘Women and Mediation’ reaching out to women working extensively in refugee response programs at CSOs and local authorities. She is highly motivated and interested in women and youth leadership in conflict resolution and mediation processes at all levels and in developing tailor-made and specific training programs through using gender-sensitive and youth and women-specific mediation methods. She holds an MA in Conflict Analysis and Resolution from Sabanci University in Istanbul and an MSc in Political Sociology from London School of Economics with Jean-Monnet scholarship as is part of the Women in Conflict 1325 Fellowship Program and the Legislative Fellowship Program supported by the US State Department.

Elif Kalan

Elif Kalan is a freelance consultant on conflict analysis and...

Esraa Saied

Categories: Africa, Arab region, Capacity Building, Development, Gender, International Development, Mediation, Mena Region, Peace and Security, Peacebuilding, Social Cohesion, Sustainable Development
Location: Egypt
Geographical expertise: Africa, MENA region, Arab region
Topical expertise: Peace, Conflict, Development, Gender, mediation, peacebuilding, social cohesion, WPS, capacity building, IHL
Languages: Arabic (native), English (fluent), Spanish (intermediate)

Esraa Saied is a peace and development consultant with extensive experience working with several international and regional organisations. Prior to that, she was a program manager for Peacemaking, Peacebuilding and Women Peace and Security (WPS) at the Cairo International Center for Conflict Resolution, Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding (CCCPA). She is also the former Secretariat of the International Association of Peacekeeping Centers (IAPTC).

Prior to joining CCCPA, she was a training manager at Sutherland Global Services for five years. She served in different duty stations including New York, Louisiana, Manila and Cairo.

She worked at CCCPA from 2014 to 2020, and her responsibilities included managing all capacity building and research activities in the areas of peacemaking, peacebuilding and WPS. She took part in developing many of CCCPA’s training manuals, including (Conflict Analysis, Dialogue, Negotiation and Mediation, Women Empowerment in Peace Processes, Preventing Sexual Exploitation and Abuse). She was also in charge of implementing all pre-deployment trainings conducted to the Egyptian peacekeepers. She has coordinated several high-level workshops in partnership with the African Union and United Nations (in NY, Addis and Cairo).

Prior to joining CCCPA, she was a training manager at Sutherland Global Services for five years. She served in different duty stations including New York, Louisiana, Manila and Cairo.

She holds a Master’s degree in Peace and Conflict Studies from the University of St. Andrews (UK, 2018). Her thesis focused on Methodologies of Evaluating UN Peace Operations. She holds a BA in Political Science from the Cairo University, 2009.

She joined the network because of her belief in the significant importance of women empowerment and the dire need for their inclusion in peace and development processes.

Esraa Saied

Esraa Saied is a peace and development consultant with extensive...

Jeta Krasniqi

Categories: Albania, Albanian, Dealing with the past, English, French, Italian, Kosovo, Mediation, Negotiation, Prevention and rehabilitation of CRSV, Serbo-Croatian, Turkish, Ukraine
Location: Kosovo
Geographical expertise: Kosovo, Albania, Ukraine
Topical expertise:: Prevention and rehabilitation of CRSV, Dealing with the Past, Negotiation & Mediation processes
Languages: English, Italian, Turkish, French (basic), Serbo-Croatian (basic), Albanian (native)

Jeta Krasniqi serves as a project manager at the Kosovo Democratic Institute (KDI) since 2016, focusing on the negotiations between Kosovo and Serbia by working with the parliament to strengthen oversight, transparency and accountability of the process. In addition to inciting internal social and political dialogue through meetings of relevant stakeholders with citizens and civil society, and research analysis. Mrs. Krasniqi is engaged by UN Women as an International Consultant on Prevention and Response to Conflict related sexual violence in Ukraine. At the same time, Mrs. Krasniqi is the deputy chair of the Governmental Commission for the Verification and Recognition of Conflict-related sexual violence victims during the War, representing civil society.

Previously, Mrs. Krasniqi served as Political Advisor to the President of Kosovo, Atifete Jahjaga, where she was engaged in the field of foreign policy, promotion of human rights and gender equality. Mrs. Krasniqi was the Coordinator of the National Council for Survivors of Sexual Violence during the War established by the then President of Kosovo, Atifete Jahjaga. Mrs. Krasniqi has a long-standing commitment to civil society organizations in advancing the role of women in society in Kosovo and Albania. Jeta Krasniqi graduated in International Affairs at the Johns Hopkins University, School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), and finished her undergraduate studies in International Relations at Eastern Mediterranean University in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

Krasniqi is a board member of the Kosovo Women’s Network and the Kosovo American Educational Fund (KAEF).

Jeta Krasniqi

Jeta Krasniqi serves as a project manager at the Kosovo...

Johanna Hawari-Bourjeily

Categories: Community Mediation, Gender inclusion and perspectives, Gender integration in peacemaking and peacebuilding, Gender-sensitive conflict resolution, Hybrid Mediation, Lebanon, Mediation, Mediation, Middle East, Negotiations
Location: Lebanon

Johanna Hawari-Bourjeily, Lawyer, Mediator, trainer in mediation and relational communication at St. Joseph University, the Catholic Institute of Paris and at the Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers in Paris. She is the Founder and Director of the Professional Mediation Centre at St. Joseph University. She is also the Founder and President of the Lebanese Association of Mediators without Borders, and a mediator with the Professional Mediation Centre and the European Association of Mediators.

Johanna Hawari-Bourjeily

Johanna Hawari-Bourjeily, Lawyer, Mediator, trainer in mediation and relational communication...