MAS ETH Mediation in Peace Processes

Why was the program established?

Andreas Wenger: The UN Guidance for Effective Mediation lists three indicators for effective mediation: first, the willingness of the parties to try negotiations; second, “a mediator must be accepted, credible and well supported”¹; and third, the regional and international support for the process. While the first and third factors are often difficult to influence, the second factor regarding how to better professionalize and support mediation can be shaped and advanced by institutions like ETH Zurich.

Although key elements of professional mediation are well established in interpersonal and business mediation, there are currently no in-depth master programs that focus on training mediators to work specifically on violent political conflict. The MAS ETH Mediation in Peace Processes seeks to fill this gap. It is built on the rationale that solid training is one of the key components of a professional approach to peace mediation along with other integral elements, such as mentoring programs, career path development, and appropriate institutional structures.

What makes the program unique?

In addition to being the only in-depth master’s program on international peace mediation, I believe the MAS ETH MPP is also unique because of its broad partnership structure. We believe firmly that the program provides foreign ministries and international organizations with a structured approach to increasing their mediation capacity at a globally leading university.

We are thus proud and privileged that the program has been built on a close partnership between ETH Zurich, the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), and the foreign ministries of Germany, Finland, and Sweden. These strategic partners send their own expert staff as well as provide scholarships to students from non-OECD countries, allowing for diverse participation from all parts of the world and various institutional backgrounds. The program is also supported by various international organizations, such as the United Nations (UN), the European Union (EU), and the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).

Furthermore, within ETH Zurich, we are happy to benefit from the support of broad institutional resources. While the program is located within the Department of Humanities, Social and Political Sciences (D-GESS), we benefit from the support and expertise of various departments and institutes, including but not limited to: Department of Management, Technology and Economics (MTEC), Department of Environmental Systems Science (D-USYS), Center for Security Studies (CSS), Center for Development and Cooperation (NADEL), Center for Comparative and International Studies (CIS), Transdiciplinary Lab (D-USYS TdLab).

You have called the MAS ETH MPP an academically based, but practitioner-oriented program. What do you mean by that?

The MAS ETH MPP seeks to bridge the theory-practice continuum in format, pedagogical approach, and curriculum. Set up as a continuing education program, participants come to the ETH Zurich for 15 weeks of face-to-face modules, spread over two years, allowing students to have time for self-study, write papers related to the program, and integrate what they learn in their professional contexts between the modules. The theory-practice continuum of learning is placed center stage also during the modules: theories and concepts help us make sense of reality, empirical overviews help us gain a sense of proportion for different phenomena and identify patterns, and practical experiences and case studies highlight how various factors are interrelated and need to be contextualized.

Bridging theory and practice is particularly important for us at ETH Zurich and the Center for Security Studies. The MAS ETH MPP program’s integrative approach to theory and practice follows the pedagogical approach of the Swiss educator Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi to combine the “head” (i.e. cognitive), the “heart” (i.e. affect, attitudes, values, motivation) and the “hand” (i.e. skills and techniques). This means that mediators need to understand how mediation works, approach actors in conflict with the appropriate attitude that respects their decision-making autonomy, and have the skills and techniques to design peace processes and facilitate communication between involved actors.

What is the program’s target audience?

The main target audience of the MAS ETH MPP are experts working in “Mediation Support Units” of foreign ministries, international organizations, regional organizations, non-governmental organisations, academic organisations and think tanks active in the field of mediation. It prepares experts to work in mediation and mediation support in various types of peace processes addressing violent political conflict, including also contexts where there is no formal mediator. Working in the team of a high-level mediation process requires considerable practical experience and is therefore likely to develop as an option in the later stages of a mediation expert’s career. The successful completion of the program – providing students with a certificate of “MAS ETH Mediation in Peace Processes“ – serves as one important building block along the way.

For the first cycle, running from 2017-2019, we received over 170 applications, which I believe speaks to the pressing demand for a program like MAS ETH MPP. In the end, we selected 18 highly qualified and seasoned experts from diverse backgrounds and organizations.

And, finally, can you say a bit about the first module that starts on November 13?

This module really sets the scene for the entire course by clari­fying the fundamentals of what mediators need to know and which methods they need to have at their disposal to mediate violent, politi­cal conflicts. A key principle of mediation is that the design of a mediation process is determined by the specific nature of the con­flict context. That is why conflict analysis forms the departure point for professional peace mediation and why the first module will focus heavily on various types of conflict analysis for the specific purpose of peace mediation. During the first module, the participants will also gain a deep understanding of where mediation stands within the context of other approaches for re­solving conflict and how these various approaches are shaped by the normative and legal context in which they are used. We will also introduce basic mediation skills, which will be deepened conceptually and practically throughout the entire course.

For more information about the program, please visit the program website

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Notes

1 - UN Guidance for Effective Mediation, 2012, page 5, online at external pagehttp://peacemaker.un.org/sites/peacemaker.un.org/files/GuidanceEffectiveMediation_UNDPA2012%28english%29_0.pdfcall_made