Mediation in Focus

The 2026 Geneva Peace Forum (GPF26) will host a dedicated track to a new initiative: Mediation in Focus, bringing together a series of events on mediation across the Forum programme.

What is Mediation in Focus ?

How can mediation adapt to an era of protracted conflicts, geopolitical fragmentation and growing pressure on multilateral action? At the 2026 Geneva Peace Forum, Mediation in Focus will bring together practitioners, policymakers, researchers and partners to examine the choices, dilemmas and practical approaches shaping mediation today.

Through a connected series of events, Mediation in Focus will provide space to exchange experience, test ideas and explore how mediation can remain effective, principled and responsive in complex conflict environments. The conversation will continue beyond the Forum through a dedicated podcast series, connecting live discussions in Geneva with audiences around the world.

Mediation in Focus Events during GPF26

Discover the Mediation in Focus events below (more details in the GPF programme).

The Peacemakers Podcast / Les faiseurs de paix

The series, hosted by Dr. Pierre Hazan, in colaboration with Le Temps mediation practitioner and author, will allow listeners to hear directly from negotiators, mediators, and practitioners involved in conflict prevention and reduction, and peace processes. 

Mediation in Focus and the Peacemakers / Les faiseurs de paix podcast are coordinated by Dr. Pierre Hazan, a practitioner and author working at the intersection of armed conflict mediation, transitional justice and international affairs in collaboration with the GPF. He is a senior adviser with the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue and has advised international organisations, governments and armed groups on questions including justice, amnesty, reparations and truth commissions. 

A former diplomatic correspondent for Liberation and Le Temps, Pierre Hazan is the author of Negotiating with the Devil: Inside the World of Armed Conflict Mediation (Hurst, 2nd 2026). His work brings together direct experience of peace processes with a sustained examination of the political, legal and ethical dilemmas faced by mediators.

Discover the episodes

Episode 1: Geneva Conventions for Star Wars?

The United States has just confirmed the deployment of weapons in outer space, foreshadowing a future and worrying "Star Wars" scenario. In this first episode of the podcast *The Peacemakers*, Pierre Hazan, a specialist in armed conflict mediation, speaks with Natália Archinard, who led the Swiss delegation for nineteen years in negotiations aimed at regulating the militarization of space.

Episode 2: Should one negotiate with the heirs of Pablo Escobar?

In this second episode of The Peacemakers podcast, conflict mediation expert Pierre Hazan speaks with Rafael Gude, who has spent more than a decade engaging in dialogue with criminal gangs in El Salvador and Colombia. Against the backdrop of contrasting approaches to organised crime in Latin America, they explore whether peace can be negotiated with criminal groups without undermining the rule of law. Drawing on his experience in El Salvador and Medellín, Gude reflects on the opportunities and challenges of dialogue, the fragility of these negotiations, and the political factors that often contribute to their failure.

About Dr. Pierre Hazan