The Founder and Executive Director of ACCORD, Vasu Gounden, was invited to be a resource person at the Oslo Forum, which is co-hosted by the Royal Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue. The retreat was held from the 16th to the 18th of June 2009 in Oslo, Norway. The Oslo Forum invites senior mediators and peace process actors to reflect critically on current mediation practices and to explore innovative approaches to address the changing environment in which mediators are operating.
The retreat follows an informal format. Mr. Gounden was asked to prepare the briefing paper for the retreat focusing on the topic “The role and impact of regional mediators”. Mr. Gounden also led a focus session on the same topic.
In addition to the annual gathering in Oslo, the process also includes regional retreats that focus on specific issues in mediating conflict in Asia and Africa, among others. Mr. Gounden attended the African Mediators Retreat which was held in Zanzibar in March 2009.
