65 years after the assassination of Folke Bernadotte

Folke Bernadotte’s brave efforts to find a solution to one of the most complex conflicts were to cost him his life. It is exactly 65 years ago to the day that he was ambushed and murdered in Jerusalem by Israeli terrorists. The assassination took place one day before he was due to present a plan for a political solution to the Palestinian question to the UN Security Council.

Folke Bernadotte was the first ever UN mediator. Bernadotte’s mediation mission formed the basis for the first UN peace operation, UNTSO (United Nations Supervision Truce Organization). The primary aim of the mission was and is to monitor agreements reached, and act as an intermediary between the parties to avert potential conflicts. Today, UNTSO monitors the truces between Israel, Lebanon and Syria and the peace agreements between Israel, Egypt and Jordan.

Three years prior, during the final years of the Second World War, he led the White Buses mission to rescue thousands of people from Nazi concentration camps in Germany.

Today, the 17 September, the FBA and the Consulate General of Sweden in Jerusalem arrange a ceremony to commemorate Bernadotte and his work to promote human dignity and peace.

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Justice for All – The Indispensable Role of Customary and Informal Systems

The global community should increasingly acknowledge the role of customary and informal justice systems upon which most people rely to resolve everyday justice problems in fragile and conflict-affected settings. At yesterday’s event at the UN, co-convened by FBA, attendees emphasized the need for a rights-based approach towards CIJ systems.

2023-10-24 11:53

On international deployment

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What is peace mediation? Understanding the sources of conceptual confusion in the practice and study of mediation.

Practitioners and policymakers must clearly define what they mean when using the term “mediation”. This is necessary to help conflict parties understand what to expect from third parties, to establish coordination and communication, increase the acceptability of mediation for conflict parties, and enhance learning across contexts. This brief first explains why this topic is of importance, then examines potential challenges in the definition of mediation, focusing on three tenets of mediation practice that distinguish it from other peacemaking activities: (1) a third party assists negotiations; (2) the mediator provides some minimal level of control or structure over the overall process; and (3) the parties consent to the involvement of the third party and the outcome of the process.

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By Govinda Clayton, Allard Duursma, Simon Mason
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2023

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