The International Training on Dialogue and Mediation (ITDM) programme was held in Uppsala, Sweden from the 23-27 August 2022. Jointly organized by the Department of Peace and Conflict Research at Uppsala University and the Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation, the ITDM is a specially designed programme for practitioners, policymakers, researchers, and mid-level leaders from international and regional organisations, civil society and universities with a particular focus on the use of dialogue in building and sustaining peace in developing countries and territories eligible for official development assistance.
The training was attended by 18 peacebuilders drawn from Latin America, Africa, the Middle East and Asia, in order to learn and share from their experiences on dialogue and mediation in addressing conflicts in their respective communities and regions, particularly in a world that is rapidly changing.
The ITDM ten-day programme took place in two phases, Phase I occurred on online platforms, from 7-11 June 2022, and focused on establishing working documents that would share and reflect on future and ongoing initiatives that each of the peacebuilders are engaged in, and; Phase II took place in Uppsala, Sweden from 23-27 August 2022, focused on capacitating the peacebuilders and sharing the latest research in the field of dialogue and mediation.
Drawing from the knowledge, lessons and information shared, each of the peacebuilders jointly reflected on their working documents and initiatives, improving the relevance and applicability of their ongoing work while developing a network of colleagues from other countries.
The ITDM programme builds on 45 years of peace and conflict research and education at the Uppsala University, combined with insights from the Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation’s ongoing engagement in international policy discussions on peacebuilding.
