Recorded in June 2024 at the Oslo Forum, season 6 takes you behind the scenes of negotiations to end some of the most violent conflicts of our time. Over five episodes, prominent voices share their insights on their ways to engage with conflict parties. Guests in this season include state diplomats who navigate geopolitics in support of peace, a humanitarian paediatrician who stood up to the Obama administration, a government negotiator turned private mediator, and a veteran UN peacemaker who has gone through the thick and thin of major mediation processes.
Transcripts
Adam Cooper:
Hi, everyone. It's Adam Cooper, your host, here to let you know that season 6 of the Mediator's Studio podcast is on its way. The new season starts on 3 September. Over five episodes recorded at this year's Oslo Forum, I ask veteran mediators and government negotiators about what it really takes to make peace. Here are some of the voices of this season.
Retno Marsudi:
We are in the close contact with the de facto authorities, not necessarily recognise them. Because listening, engaging is very important in mediation.
Jonathan Powell:
We managed to bring them together to actually meet in person, which was difficult, of course. We did it in a former camp and they had me sit outside in a deck chair in the sun getting sunburned for three hours. They invited me in, and they said: "Right, we're going to dictate to you what we've agreed."
Molly Phee:
When the conflict broke out, I called both leaders, and we had regular conversations. In those discussions, at a certain point, I said: "This war will end, and you're going to need to talk to one another, and you know that."
Adam Cooper:
Please join us on 3 September for the first episode with Nicholas Haysom, the head of the UN mission in South Sudan, as he recounts his struggle against Apartheid in South Africa and his eventual role as Nelson Mandela's legal advisor. He reflects on a lifetime on the front lines of conflict, from navigating street politics in Khartoum to the implementation of the peace agreement in South Sudan, to the fate of negotiations in Afghanistan. Happy listening and thank you for tuning into the Mediator's Studio.
