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Alvaro de Soto

Conversations with Alvaro de Soto Series

CICR is pleased to work with Alvaro de Soto to host the ‘Conversations with Alvaro de Soto’ series, a program that engages high level figures from the domains of international mediation, international politics and conflict resolution in public discussions on their experiences and lessons for the field.

Alvaro de Soto is a Peruvian diplomat and renowned international mediator. He led the negotiations which brought an end to the war in El Salvador; he has also served as the political advisor to Boutros Boutros-Ghali, a United Nations Special Envoy in Myanmar, the Special Advisor on Cyprus, and the Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process.

The series began in March 2009 with a conversation between Alvaro de Soto and Shlomo Ben-Ami, the former Foreign Minister of Israel, and continued in events with figures such as Francesc Vendrell, Martin Griffiths, and the former President of Finland Martti Ahtisaari. Please see below for information about upcoming events and links to video of featured talks.

• “Negotiating for Palestine,” with Diana Buttu, a Palestinian-Canadian lawyer who previously served as legal advisor to the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) as well as legal and communications advisor to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
• “Wounds of Peace: The Arab-Israeli Conflict After Gaza,” with Shlomo Ben-Ami, former Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs (March 29, 2009).

• “Negotiating Peace to Civil War: Lessons from Central America and the Middle East,” a discussion with Francesc Vendrell (April 22, 2009). Francesc Vendrell is the former head of the United Nations Special Mission to Afghanistan, Secretary-General’s Representative in the Guatemala peace negotiations, and the Secretary-General’s Deputy Representative in the El Salvador peace process and Nicaraguan Peace Negotiations.

• “Peacemaking in the Post-Cold War Era,” with former President of Finland and Nobel Laureate Martti Ahtisaari (September 21, 2009).

• “International Conflict Resolution in the New Millennium,” with Martin Griffiths (October 28, 2009). Martin Griffiths is the founding Director of the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD Centre), one of the world’s leading conflict resolution organizations. Video forthcoming.