Established in 2015, the Nordic Women Mediators (NWM) Network functions as a collaborative forum building on five national networks: Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. The NWM aims to support women’s inclusion in peace processes. The NWM gathers yearly, with this year’s meeting taking place on 11 October in Reykjavik, Iceland.
At the Annual Meeting in Reykjavik representatives of all five national chapters of the networks gathered to discuss the recent changes in the security environment in Europe and globally, and the challenges and opportunities for mediation. The 2024 NWM Annual Meeting comprised of a diverse program which addressed dynamic challenges and opportunities for women mediators in today’s evolving global security landscape. The agenda included a combination of panel discussions, group sessions, workshops, and internal discussions, all with a central focus on enhancing women’s participation in mediation and peacebuilding processes.
The program commenced with a panel discussion featuring peace mediators from regions including Africa, Asia, and Eastern Europe, who shared their insights on advancing women’s roles in mediation. Several panelists also represented other regional networks, including Bineta Diop from FemWise-Africa and Miriam Coronel Ferrer from the Southeast Asian Women Peace Mediators. The panel discussion was followed by group discussions exploring practical challenges in securing women’s inclusion in peace processes, especially within conflict zones like Palestine, Ukraine, and Sudan, and assessing the relevance of existing mediation tools. A subsequent workshop focused on evolving mediation practices, encouraging participants to make use of new mediation tools for the complexities of contemporary global conflicts and processes. The day concluded with an internal session on the future direction of the NWM, fostering collaborative strategies to strengthen Nordic cooperation in peace mediation.
The Annual Meeting was preceded by the Imagine Forum, which gathered academics, practitioners, diplomates and students to discuss mediation, dialogue and peacebuilding under the banner Bridging Divides – Fostering Dialogue for Peace. Torunn L. Tryggestad participated both as an operational partner and as a member of the Norwegian chapter of NWM together with Stine A. Bosheim, operational partner to the network.
