Mediation Program
Established in 2018, the Kroc Institute's Mediation Program brings the resources, expertise and academic foundation of the Institute to bear in the field of mediation. It focuses, in particular, on conflicts where violence is present or imminent and aims to build synergy between mediation research, teaching, training, policy and practice. Themes of peacemaking, preventive diplomacy, conflict resolution, negotiations and national dialogue are threaded throughout the program, which also houses the Kroc Institute's Afghanistan Program for Peace and Development (AfPAD).
The Mediation Program works at the international level, with partners including the United Nations, the African Union, the European Union, and a number of governments. It has also worked with civil society groups in many countries, including Ethiopia, Germany, North Macedonia, Mozambique, South Africa, South Sudan, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
In fall 2024 the Mediation Program launched a new research project on international mediation in intra-state conflicts that have significant regional conflict dimensions. The project is a partnership between the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) and the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, supported by the Cross-border Conflict, Evidence, Policy and Trends (XCEPT) research program and funded by the United Kingdom government.
At the local level, the Mediation Program has developed a partnership with the South Bend City's Division for Community Initiatives, offering mediation training to violence prevention officers and community activists.
For more information, please contact Program Director Laurie Nathan, lnathan@nd.edu. You can also read the latest Program news and access resources, including Nathan's latest publications and scholarly activities.