Pilot Mediation and Dialogue Skills for CSDP Crisis Management Activities Course

>Ireland, 19 -23 May 2014.

The Course.

The aim of the Course is to give students an understanding of mediation and negotiation and allow them acquire a facility to be able to apply these techniques in CSDP crisis management operations and missions. The EU now engages alongside other international actors, in complex multi-faceted mediation activities.  In addition, these instruments are required at all stages of a CSDP Crisis Management Operation or Mission.  They may be needed by the mission leadership when dealing with stakeholders, or, at the working level, by EU police, military or civilian personnel, at isolated outposts, when trying to control an incident or interceding in a local dispute.

This Course will teach students to negotiate for themselves and then to use the mediation process, which includes negotiation, to help other parties to prevent, to manage and to resolve conflict. The course is open to both civilian and military personnel from EU‐Member States, EU Institutions and Agencies, candidate states and selected third countries and will be strictly limited to 30 participants

The content of the Course will be highly interactive with a strong emphasis on inter-personal engagement and learning by doing. The concept underlying the Course is to teach and practise students to be able to negotiate for themselves and then to use the mediation process, which includes negotiation, to help other parties prevent, manage and resolve conflict.

A large scale mediation simulation is the keystone aspect of the Course. It will be conducted in conjunction with the Irish Defence Forces.  

To add authenticity to the Simulation, the faction leaders will be role- played by personalities from relevant civil society, academic and military backgrounds.  The Course will be supported by a staff member of the Baltic Defence College.