Oscar, Project Associate, Mediation Support and Policy Unit, The Center for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD)

The Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD) aims to prevent and resolve armed conflicts around the world through mediation and discreet diplomacy. I am working within the Mediation Support and Policy Unit on the organisation of the Oslo Forum. In cooperation with the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, my team organises an annual event in Oslo bringing together mediators, high-level state officials, conflict parties, and experts to reflect on mediation practices and advance negotiations.

With closed-door discussions and a discreet atmosphere, the Oslo Forum offers a safe space for participants to share knowledge, discuss contentious issues, and work on practical ways to address conflicts and geopolitical tensions. In addition to the annual retreat in Oslo, we also organise regional retreats on mediation, such as in Oman and Mexico last year. 

I work mainly on managing the agenda and participation by following trends in the field and consulting with colleagues and other actors in the field. I also support the production of publications related to the Forum, including reports and papers on mediation. At the Oslo Forum, we are recording a podcast called The Mediator’s Studio which offers discussions with seasoned negotiators and key actors in the field of mediation and peacemaking. Guests share fascinating behind-the-scenes stories of major processes to end violent conflicts. 

This year, I led the preparation and release of season 6 of Mediator's Studio, which includes episodes with Head of the UN Mission in South Sudan Nicholas Haysom, Foreign Minister of Indonesia Retno Marsudi, and Former International President of Médecins Sans Frontières Joanne Liu. If you want to check it out, the new season is currently being released. 

Being at the Oslo Forum is the most exciting moment of the year. After working hard to organise the event and manage its details, it is really rewarding to see everything come together. The three days are filled with captivating sessions and insightful conversations about mediation, where I always learn a lot. I also enjoy the stimulation of running the event as a team, and managing relations with participants and partners. The relaxed, informal setting also gives me the chance to have meaningful discussions with diplomats, conflict parties, and experts on conflict resolution. It is fascinating to meet all these people, and I always come away full of inspiration.

My Dual Master’s Degree in "Human Rights and Humanitarian Action" at Sciences Po PSIA and "Conflict, Security, and Development" at King’s College London provided me with diverse perspectives. I enjoyed learning from both approaches to conflict prevention and resolution. Sciences Po offered more practical training, while the courses at King's were more theoretical. At Sciences Po, I discovered mediation in Charles Tenenbaum's course “Peace Mediation and Conflict Resolution”, and I became very interested in this topic.

What helped me the most was taking a gap year. Between my two years of Master’s degree, I did an internship at the International Crisis Group in Kenya, which enabled me to strengthen my skills in research and analysis of armed conflict. I deepened my understanding of a wide range of issues related to the prevention and resolution of armed conflict, including the link between climate change and conflict, electoral violence in Kenya, and the insurgency in northern Mozambique. I then undertook an internship at the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD), as part of the team I now work with. I learnt a lot from this challenging experience and, after completing my second year of Master’s, I had the opportunity to rejoin them as a Project Associate.

I would also recommend seeking professional and practical experience alongside your studies at Sciences Po. Working in cooperation with various NGOs as part of the Law Clinic and my voluntary activities has strengthened my project management skills and my resourcefulness. It also helped me to better understand what I would like to do after my studies.

Get inspired by the career paths of other people in the field you are interested in. Talking to various people helped me realise that there is a great variety of career paths, even in a specific field. LinkedIn is a valuable resource to reach out to people and ask them if they would be available to tell you about their jobs. In The Mediator’s Studio, the podcast of the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD), prominent peacemakers share their personal stories and retrace their career paths. They explain how they ended up in their positions and give behind-the-scenes insights on their jobs as negotiators or mediators of armed conflicts. If you are interested in peacemaking, the different episodes are great resources for understanding what it means to work in this field. You can listen to the podcast on all the podcast platforms.