Amplifying Inclusive Insider Mediation: Why Women and Youth Are Essential to Lasting Peace

The UNDP guidance note argues that peace efforts are stronger and more sustainable when insider mediation includes women, young people and other marginalized groups who already play vital but often invisible roles in resolving conflict. By addressing power imbalances, managing risks and supporting inclusive leadership, insider mediation can better tackle root causes of conflict and build lasting peace.

An UNDP guidance note begins from a stark reality: the world is becoming more unequal, more polarized and more violent. Conflicts today are harder to resolve and peace agreements often collapse within a few years because they fail to address the everyday grievances of communities. In this context, insider mediation, peace work carried out by trusted local actors, has become increasingly important. Unlike external mediators, insider mediators are embedded in the social fabric of their communities. They understand local histories, relationships and power dynamics, allowing them to defuse tensions early, build trust and prevent violence from escalating. Yet despite their importance, insider mediation remains shaped by narrow ideas about who counts as a “legitimate” mediator.

The Hidden Exclusion at the Heart of Mediation

A central message of the guidance note is that women, young people and other marginalized groups are already mediating conflicts across the world, but their work is rarely recognized or supported. Deeply rooted patriarchal, ageist and elitist norms mean that mediation roles are often reserved for older, powerful men. As a result, entire categories of conflict, such as gender-based violence, youth grievances, or identity-based discrimination, are ignored or mishandled. This exclusion is not only unjust but ineffective. Evidence shows that peace processes that include diverse voices are more legitimate, address a wider range of problems and are more likely to last. Treating inclusion as a symbolic gesture or a box-ticking exercise, the report warns, does more harm than good.

Inclusion as Power, Not Participation

The guidance note makes clear that inclusion is not just about adding more people to the table. It is about power. True inclusion means recognizing that exclusion is often layered and intersecting: a young woman with a disability, for example, faces very different barriers than an elite woman or an unemployed young man. The document describes a spectrum of inclusion, ranging from sensitive approaches that acknowledge difference, to responsive approaches that address specific needs, and finally to transformative approaches that actively dismantle the structures causing exclusion. Only this last approach, UNDP argues, leads to lasting peace. Inclusion works best when marginalized groups are not treated as beneficiaries but as co-designers of mediation strategies and knowledge.

Making Mediation Safer, Fairer and More Effective

Supporting inclusive insider mediation requires deliberate action at every stage. Conflict analysis must include the perspectives of those usually left out, otherwise key grievances remain invisible. Risk management is equally critical. Insider mediation is dangerous work, and women, youth and LGBTQI+ mediators face heightened risks, from physical violence to online harassment and stigmatization. The report stresses that risk is not a reason to exclude people; rather, it is a reason to build strong protection systems, including secure communications, psychosocial support, legal aid and realistic workloads. Financial and practical barriers also matter. Without support for transport, childcare, accessibility or lost income, many potential mediators simply cannot participate, no matter how capable they are.

What Inclusive Mediation Looks Like in Practice

Through case studies from countries such as Liberia, Colombia, Yemen and Papua New Guinea, the guidance note shows that inclusive mediation works. Women-led Peace Huts in Liberia have successfully complemented male-dominated traditional systems by addressing disputes that affect women and families. Young people in Colombia have used social media to mobilize public support for peace agreements and counter misinformation. In conservative settings like Yemen, women have mediated water disputes by building on culturally accepted roles rather than confronting tradition head-on. These examples demonstrate a common lesson: when marginalized groups are trusted, protected and properly supported, they expand the reach, relevance, and credibility of peace efforts.

The guidance note calls for a fundamental shift in how insider mediation is understood and supported. Peace cannot be sustained if it is built on exclusion. By placing women, young people and other marginalized groups at the center of mediation, not as symbols, but as leaders, insider mediation becomes a powerful force for addressing inequality, rebuilding trust and anchoring peace in everyday life.