‘Oslo Forum’ – annual retreat on conflict mediation 18-19 June 2019

More than a hundred of the world’s most prominent conflict mediators, high-level decision-makers and other peace process actors will gather at Losby Manor outside Oslo for the 17th edition of the Oslo Forum. The forum is co-hosted by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD).

Participants at this year’s event will include high-level representatives from Ethiopia, Somalia, Sweden, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan. The African Union Commissioner for Peace and Security and the Executive Director of the World Food Program will attend, as well as the Special Representatives and Special Envoys of the United Nations Secretary-General for Libya, Syria, Myanmar and the African Union.

‘Peace and reconciliation is a cornerstone of Norwegian foreign policy, and the need for identifying effective ways of solving conflicts is becoming more urgent. The conflict landscape has become increasingly complex in recent years with a return of geopolitics, fragmentation of actors, porous borders and an influx of fake news. These are all complicating factors that make it necessary for all actors involved in peace processes to take a closer look at how we work to resolve conflicts, who should have a seat at the negotiating table and, not least, how to create more inclusive processes as a basis for sustainable peace. This is the objective of this year's Oslo Forum,’ said Minister of Foreign Affairs Ine Eriksen Søreide.

The overarching theme of the 2019 Forum will be ‘Rebooting mediation: connecting tracks, processes and people’, taking into account the growing fragmentation of conflict parties. Amongst others, the participants will explore how peace processes can efficiently accommodate multiple armed groups, and how to include the voice of civil society, and of women and young people in particular, in high-level processes. Dedicated sessions will be held on the situation in Syria, Libya, Venezuela, the Red Sea region, Myanmar and other hotspots.

Press access to Losby Manor

Kindly note that the Oslo Forum is not open to the press. Members of the press may have access to the press room on Tuesday 18 June from 08.00am- 12.00 noon (CET). The first part of the opening session will be livestreamed on regjeringen.no from 09.00am (CET). Media institutions that would like to have access to the livestream, may contact lars-svanberg.jakobsen@dss.dep.no for further details. There will be no joint press meetings, but it is possible to arrange for individual interviews. n Press photos wil be made available on Flickr.

For accreditation to access Losby Manor, please register here by the end of Thursday 13 June.

Press contact: Astrid Sehl, astrid.sehl@mfa.no , +47 922 84 752