EU Community of Practice on Peace Mediation 2026: Peace Mediation in the Age of Power Politics - Call for Session Proposal

Introduction
Organised annually since 2019, the EU Community of Practice on Peace Mediation (CoP) is the EU’s flagship event, bringing together government representatives, 
policymakers, mediation practitioners, experts and civil society representatives from around the globe. It enables knowledge exchange and constructive reflections on opportunities, challenges and best practices, feeding into EU peace mediation policies and practices. CoP stimulates peer learning, expands the global peace-building community and inspires creative thinking.
The next CoP will be held in Brussels on 20 – 21 October 2026.
Building on previous practice, this open call for session proposals seeks to offer civil society partners a platform to highlight their work, share lessons learnt and best practices for peace mediation practitioners and influence conversations on key issues impacting the EU and the community’s peace mediation practice. We welcome contributions that encourage action and collaboration.
CoP session selection criteria
All proposals will be assessed based on the following selection criteria:
o The session corresponds to the overarching theme/title ‘Peace Mediation in the Age of Power Politics’, with a focus on one of the following priority areas:
➢ Ceasefire mediation & long-term peace agreements: sequencing,
complementary and methodology - implications for mediators.
➢ Ensuring the physical protection, reputation and credibility of track 1
mediators and processes in a polarized world
➢ Engaging non-state armed actors in peace negotiations today
➢ Ensuring maritime security and global supply chains - entry-points and
obstacles to negotiations and dialogue.
➢ Increase of inter-state conflicts: implications for peace mediators
o The session highlights, reflects on and/or provides lessons learnt, emerging
needs, challenges, opportunities and options for action (see EEAS peace
mediation guidelines).

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o The session is gender-responsive both in terms of substance and composition (including no all-male/female panels).
o The session includes a youth perspective.
o The session is designed to maximise participation and engagement of mediation experts from governments and international/multilateral organisations; innovative and interactive formats will be prioritised.
o The session includes participants from non-EU countries, and/or is organised
jointly by European-based and non-European based organisations, with a focus
on participants from the Global South that work on peace mediation on the ground;
o The session relates to 1 or several specific geographic context(s).
The EU reserves the right to approve / reject any session proposal based on set criteria and EU priorities, and to propose a merging of sessions that overlap in substance.
What to expect as a session convener
As a convener, your role is to design, prepare, deliver and report on your session.
Design
o Design and propose a session that fits the above selection criteria of the 2026
EU Community of Practice on Peace Mediation.
o Define in detail the goal, objectives and format of your session and propose speakers.
o Be prepared to cover their travel expenses of speakers/participants and if relevant, support them in the visa application process. For exceptional cases, EU can cover the travel expenses of selected participants. Highlight if your speakers cannot join in-person (due to the limited number of rooms with hybrid equipment).
Prepare
o If your session is selected, or if the EU CoP26 team asks for more information,
be prepared to provide additional details.
o Invite your selected speakers and keep them informed about the preparations of the event.
o Ensure that your selected speakers sign up for the event.
Deliver
o Moderation or facilitation of your session: you can also appoint a moderator; in that case, you will need to secure their participation and brief them.
o Plan for an active engagement and encourage interaction among the participants throughout your session.

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Report
o Session organisers need to provide a note-taker.
o Following the event, our team will produce a report, which will be published by the EU online. Session conveners are expected to share their written inputs within a week’s time after delivering the session.
Session formats
We suggest a format allowing for interactive engagement with CoP2026 participants.
Session organizers should seek an adequate balance in terms of age, gender and profile (official v. non-official) of the speakers/participants.
The three (3) following formats can serve as a basis for your design.
Panel
o Description: a discussion-oriented format with a maximum of four (4) speakers
including moderator, typically used to reflect on high-level, strategic topics.
o Goal: to explore multiple viewpoints, stimulate dynamic discussion, and provide
insights that can guide future strategy and decision-making.
o Recommendations: allow time for Q&A and pre-define two (2) to three (3)
questions to facilitate focused discussion.
o Duration: 1 hour and 15 minutes
Roundtable
o Description: a participatory format fostering open discussions among all participants around the table, with a basic input or starting point to ensure the same point of departure for all participants.
o Goal: to generate collaborative dialogue, build a sense of community around shared interests or challenges, and draw actionable insights from collective expertise and experiences.
o Recommendations: ensure equality of participation, with everyone given an equal amount of time to speak. Use the facilitator/moderator to create a dynamic flow of the discussion.
o Duration: 1 hour and 15 minutes

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Workshop
o Description: a hands-on, interactive session where participants learn by doing, with a concept note or an introduction thesis to anchor the discussion.
Workshops often seek specific solutions to a given problem.
o Goal: to empower participants with new skills or knowledge and to collaboratively build actionable outcomes.
o Recommendations: emphasise equality of participation, aim for a specific result (like consensus or set of recommendations), and facilitate progress and sharing of a variety of ideas. Ensure a comprehensive summary at the end.
o Duration: 1 hour and 15 minutes
In-person vs. hybrid sessions
We strongly encourage in-person participation, while acknowledging potential limitations for some speakers to attend in person. Therefore, a limited number of rooms will be equipped for hybrid sessions (without online interpretation).
What to expect from the event venue
Rooms will be equipped with flipchart, facilitation materials, a laptop and a screen.
A selected number of rooms will be equipped for hybrid sessions.
The event’s main language is English. There will be on-site simultaneous interpretation in the plenary and a limited number of breakout rooms (languages tbd).
Kindly send the template for session proposals as a separate document to COP-EACEMEDIATION@eeas.europa.eu .
Deadline for applications: 15 June 2026