Current Trends in Mediation: MEND Key Findings

This policy brief presents key findings on the changing nature of peacemaking, based on the Mediation Event and Negotiators Database (MEND).

Peacemaking is increasingly shaped by crowded and competitive mediation environments, in which multiple third-party actors operate through parallel initiatives rather than coordinated multilateral frameworks. This proliferation enables conflict parties to forum-shop across competing processes.

The Mediation Event and Negotiators Database (MEND) is an evolving dataset by PeaceRep researchers at the University of St Andrews and the University of Edinburgh. MEND offers a comprehensive record of peacemaking efforts within major armed conflicts, systematically tracking all mediation and mediation-related events involving external third-party actors — regardless of whether these efforts result in formal peace agreements.