The United Nations Guidance for Effective Mediation is designed as a reference document, drawing on the experiences of Member States, the United Nations system, regional, sub-regional and other international organizations, non-governmental organizations, women’s groups, religious leaders, the academic community, as well as mediators and mediation specialists.

The Guidance identifies a number of key fundamentals that should be considered in mediation processes:

>> Preparedness
>> Consent
>> Impartiality
>> Inclusivity
>> National ownership
>> International law and normative frameworks
>> Coherence; coordination and complementarity of the mediation effort; and
>> Quality peace agreements

The 26-page UN Guidance for Effective Mediation is available in several languages - Arabic, Chinese, English, Finnish, French, Portuguese, Russian, Slovene, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish - and can be downloaded from the UN website - http://goo.gl/BJ4dXe