A Public Seminar on Mechanisms for Inclusive Dialogue in Peacebuilding, was held on 4 December 2023 at University College Dublin, to present the findings from the Talk4Peace Research Project.  

Focused on issues of inclusivity and transformative approaches in peace mediation, the Seminar brought together researchers and practitioners to discuss the shifting landscape of international peace mediation in response to the increasing complexity of contemporary conflict.

The event included contributions from Bronagh Hinds (co-founder of the Northern Ireland Women’s Coalition), Dr Walt Kilroy (Dublin City University) and the Keynote speaker was Dr Thania Paffenholz (CEO of Inclusive Peace).

The Talk4Peace project is led by Mitchell Institute Fellow: Religion, Arts and Peacebuilding, Dr Maria-Adriana Deiana and Dr Heidi Riley (University College Dublin).  It is funded by the HEA North-South Research programme, the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science and the Shared Island Fund. 

The Talk4Peace project explores the role of transformative mediation as a mechanism for peacebuilding internationally and on the island of Ireland.  Drawing on engagement with mediation practitioners, the project seeks to assess transformative mediation’s potential to promote an inclusive peace through the engagement of women and other minoritised groups as key actors, and to support dialogue and cultural understanding through a wide array of mediation techniques.  The project also explores the role of innovative tools used to maximise inclusion and outreach in mediation practices, including arts and cultural practices.

The briefing paper discussing the findings of the Talk4Peace project can be accessed here.

The seminar was hosted in collaboration with the Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies at University College Dublin.