Mediation in 2025: Navigating overlapping conflict systems
Authors: Mateja Peter, Elisa D’Amico, Kasia Houghton, Sanja Badanjak
Mediation in 2025 reached an inflection point, with interstate mediation increasingly embedded within internationalised intrastate conflicts rather than operating as a standalone diplomatic tool. Such mediation activity increasingly reflected not discrete wars, but overlapping conflict systems characterised by escalation of risks, regional spillover, and multi-actor entanglement.
Drawing on the second release of the Mediation Event and Negotiators Database (MEND), this report analyses 1,344 mediation and mediation-related events across eight conflict affected contexts: Israel, Syria, Sudan, Libya, South Sudan, Yemen, Afghanistan, and Mali.
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. The MEND Data Series explores global insights into mediation and mediation-related activities in the previous year, focusing on third-party activities and any agreements reached.