The Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD) is a pioneer of discreet, impartial and independent conflict mediation.
HD’s global reach and extensive networks allow us to work beyond the constraints of traditional diplomacy and engage all parties in pursuit of peace.
As we mark our 25th year, HD is active in most of the world’s conflicts with mediation projects in various parts of Africa, the Middle East, Eurasia and Asia.
Working at international, inter-state and local levels, we strive for comprehensive peace agreements that reduce the human suffering caused by war and create the conditions for stability and development.
To address the many dimensions of insecurity, our expertise includes digital conflict, inclusive peace processes, environmental peacemaking and healthcare challenges in high-risk areas.
HD’s Global Strategy 2024-2027reflects how we are adapting to rapid shifts in geopolitics and conflict to deliver valuable peacemaking results, strengthen the practice of mediation and ensure our resilience as an agile, effective organisation.
HD focuses on innovation, operations and accountability with rigorous monitoring and evaluation of results.
An international body with headquarters in Switzerland, HD is a non-profit organisation supervised by an independent board and funded by various governments and private philanthropy.
In 2022, HD was deeply honoured to receive the Carnegie Wateler Peace Prize in recognition of our record of conflict mediation since 1999.
In today’s turbulent and polarised world, the need for discreet diplomacy and dialogue has never been more important.
Click here to explore ways to support HD as we keep innovating to meet the challenges and achieve inclusive, sustainable peace.
HD runs multi-track mediation processes across Africa, the Middle East, Eurasia, Asia and Latin America. The map highlights just some of our work in more than 80% of the world’s violent conflicts.
Map of the world showing HD’s areas of work
1. Colombia
HD is working to strengthen the benefits of peace accords signed in 2016, including support for the Manigua de Paz (Jungle of Peace) sustainable bean-to-bar chocolate business run by former FARC guerrillas in the Meta and Tumaco areas.
2. Spain
For 15 years, HD discreetly and steadily helped to resolve decades of violence in Spain, starting in 2004 with confidential support for talks and ending with the Basque armed group ETA disbanding. ETA’s final declaration was made public in a ceremony at HD headquarters in Geneva on 3 May 2018.
3. Ukraine
HD has been active in Ukraine since 2014, positioning our teams to help set up civilian evacuation corridors and develop discreet channels for communication after the war started in early 2022. During talks between Russia and Ukraine to restart the flow of vital food shipments, our teams provided advice and close support to the Black Sea Grain Initiative led by the United Nations and Türkiye.
4. Sahel
In a region of widespread instability, HD supports a network of more than 2,000 agro-pastoral mediators in Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, Mauritania and Chad who resolve hundreds of conflicts over the sharing of natural resources every year. HD also mediates many local agreements to reduce the impact of conflict on communities and foster reconciliation.
5. Nigeria
HD is convening dialogue among various groups to address conflicts over land, water and political power in Middle Belt states. In 2021, HD secured the first social media peace accord between communities in conflict and has since achieved a peace agreement based on the sharing of natural resources.
6. Libya
HD brokered an immediate ceasefire in August 2020 and an agreement among major Libyan stakeholders to recommit to political talks. This led to a formal ceasefire and UN-brokered political deal with a new interim government, a roadmap for elections and substantial women’s representation in the future cabinet.
7. Tunisia
HD facilitated the Charter of Honour for Elections, an agreement between all major political parties in Tunisia that allowed the 2014 elections to proceed peacefully.
8. South China Sea
HD has convened two tracks of dialogue: On preventing violent escalation between coastguards and on avoiding a collapse in fish stocks. These resulted in operational principles to prevent incidents at sea
and in scientific consensus on fisheries management between China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines.
9. Philippines
Since 2004, HD has helped efforts to end the conflict in the southern Philippines. HD’s initiatives include support for successful peace talks in 2014 and ratification of the law establishing the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, along with community dialogue sessions and training of mediators.
10. Senegal
Since 2014, HD has managed efforts between Senegal’s government and the various factions of the Mouvement des Forces Démocratiques de Casamance to end Africa’s longest insurgency. After five years of discreet shuttling between the parties, HD facilitated a series of direct talks resulting in the laying down of arms by a first faction of the MFDC in May 2023.
