mediation

Formally trained as a mediator, John Paul has participated in and facilitated a wide range of mediation processes. Over time, he found the dominant terminology and associated imagery did not match his experience or many of the practices innovated in settings of violent, protracted conflict. Professional mediation tends to build around formalized processes of impartial and neutral facilitation. Long-term constructive social change in settings of violent conflict requires committed relationships and the nurturing of a social mediative capacity. Often captured in the term ‘accompaniment,’ this approach requires creativity in the evolution of a wider range of roles. The content in this section spans the evolution of John Paul's practice and understanding of mediation, particularly between the late 1980s to the early 2000s, shaped by his early experiences in international high-level mediation and transformative learnings from local mediative processes in Central America.

journal article

Mediating Conflict in Central America

A study focusing on how mediation has been used in conflict management within Nicaragua with particular reference to the Esquipulas peace process.

1991

interview

Entrevista a John Paul Lederach por Rolando Luque Mogrovejo

An interview by Rolando Luque Mogrovejo on the occasion of the XI Congreso Mundial de Mediación y I Congreso Nacional para la Construcción de la Paz held in Lima, Perú in September 2015.

2015

interview

The Mediators: Views from the Eye of the Storm Vol. 1

An interview with Robert D. Benjamin for the film "The Mediators: Views from the Eye of the Storm" in which John Paul discusses formative and professional experiences from Belgium, the United States, and Central America.

2010