Peace diplomacy and geopolitical crisis

Organised by

• Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies

Norway has been involved as a facilitator in a number of peace processes and has gained experience as a practitioner. Many of these processes have been documented (such as the Oslo Process, Colombian FARC process or that of Sri Lanka) and analysed in academic works. The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs together with institutions like Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (the yearly Oslo Forum) and the Norwegian Center for Peacebuilding (NOREF) aimed to extract more generic experiences from the practice as a facilitator. The presentation will aim to revisit the diplomatic tools available for mediators based on Norway’s experience as a facilitator in internal conflicts. Ambassador Johan Vibe will particularly focus on the 2016 Colombian peace process with the FARC, where he headed the Norwegians efforts to assist with the implementation of the accords as ambassador in Bogota in the period 2016-2018. The presentation will also be open for a discussion of whether some of the diplomatic tools used in mediation of internal conflicts could also be relevant in the resolution of inter-state conflicts in the present geopolitical situation. 

Johan Vibe is the Norwegian Ambassador to Italy. He has previously held positions as Ambassador to Spain and Andorra, and Colombia, with special emphasis on the implementation of the 2016 peace accords between the Government of Colombia and FARC. He has also been Deputy Chief of Mission at the Norwegian Embassy in Washington DC, and Deputy Director General/Head of Section for Peace and Reconciliation at the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with responsibility for peace processes facilitated by Norway. He completed law school at the University of Oslo in 1989 before he joined the Foreign Service. Johan Vibe is fluent in English, French and Spanish and speaks Italian. Moreover, he has contributed to a number of publications on European Integration.