UNITAR - Columbia Law School 2023 Series: Conflict Resolution, Mediation and Multilateral Negotiations

UNITAR

This groundbreaking series, taking place every Spring and Fall since 2016, UNITAR-NYO and the Columbia Law School Mediation Program, with the full backing of Columbia Law School and Columbia University, provide rigorous, intellectually engaging, interactive, custom programming delivered to United Nations diplomats and change agents around the world. Our individual, day-long courses leverage Columbia’s unparalleled strength in the area of conflict resolution, weaving it in with skills-building programming that acknowledges the 2030 Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals. Participants in these individual, day-long programs receive Certificates of Attendance signed by top-level officials at Columbia University, Columbia Law School, and UNITAR. The programs are designed for delegates at any level who wish to achieve mastery of negotiation, mediation, and multilateral conflict resolution processes, and implement them toward solving the world’s most difficult problems.

Each series, UNITAR–Columbia Programs are comprised of three one-day modules. Participants are encouraged to enroll in the entire series of training programs; those who do will be given the opportunity to come to a special invitation-only seminar, with no additional cost, at the Law School with leading conflict resolution, human rights, and other academics. Enrollment in individual modules is also available. The workshops deliver rigorous, intellectually engaging, interactive, custom programming for United Nations diplomats.

TRAININGS LED BY:

• Ms. Alexandra Carter, Clinical Professor of Law and the Director of the Mediation Clinic at Columbia Law School.

Alex Carter is an internationally renowned keynote speaker and negotiation coach, specializing in delivering research-backed, tactical, and approachable negotiation and leadership training. For more than a decade, she has been a professor at Columbia Law School and a leading keynote speaker to the Fortune 500, United Nations, and AmLaw 200 – helping companies achieve more from their negotiations from behind some of the biggest boardroom doors in the world. Her highly-rated keynotes and small group workshops cover topics such as strategic negotiation, self-advocacy, amplification, leadership, and executive presence.

Professor Carter has been training delegates at the United Nations since 2012.

Upcoming Courses for 2023

The workshops will deliver the most rigorous, intellectually engaging, interactive, custom programming for United Nations diplomats. Our individual day-long courses will leverage Columbia’s unparalleled strength in the area of conflict resolution, weaving it in with skills building programming that acknowledges the 2030 Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals.

The programs are designed for delegates at any level who wish to achieve mastery of negotiation, mediation and multilateral conflict resolution processes, and implement them toward solving the world’s most difficult problems.

A certificate will be awarded to each participating delegate at the end of the series. If one or two sessions are completed, the certificate will be signed by Professor Alexandra Carter, main guest speaker from Columbia University Law School and H.E Mr. Marco Suazo, UNITAR NYO Head of Office. If all three series are attended, the certificate will be signed by Ms. Gillian Lester, Dean of Columbia University Law School and H.E Mr. Nikhil Seth, UNITAR NYO Executive Director and Assistant Secretary General.

Click on the following workshops to register.

Spring 2023 Session:

6 March 2023: Workshop 1/3: Antiracism in Peace-Building and Conflict Resolution
3 April 2023: Workshop 2/3: Conducting Successful Virtual Negotiations
17 April 2023: Workshop 3/3: Conflict Resolution for Innovative Problem-Solving

Fall 2023 Session:

26 October 2023: Workshop 1/3: Ask for More: Master Diplomatic Advocacy Through Asking the Right Questions
20 November 2023: Workshop 2/3: Her Seat at the Table: Gender Equality in Peacebuilding and Conflict Resolution
27 November 2023: Workshop 3/3: Conflict resolution and Mental Health

Participants may expect:

Innovative, multidisciplinary teaching at an equivalent level to that seen in Columbia University and Columbia Law School degree programs
Access to the best Columbia Law School faculty and experts
Interactive exercises with individual coaching toward greater skills mastery
Rigorous programs delivering the latest in theory toward the achievement of the 2030 Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals

Event Focal Point Email: lea.beuzit@unitar.org

UNITAR

Past Sessions

Fall 2022 Session

26 October 2022: Empowering Women in the Peace Process

Negotiation is not a zero-sum game. It is an essential skill for your career that can also improve your closest relationships and your everyday life. Still, people often shy away from it, feeling defeated before they’ve even started. This is particularly the case with women professionals – who have been taught incorrectly that the loudest and most assertive voice prevails in any negotiation, or otherwise, both sides compromise, ending up with less. Instead, in this interactive workshop from the Columbia Law School Advanced Mediation Clinic, Professor Alexandra Carter and trained mediators underscored the tangible benefits that women bring to conflict resolution, highlighted the gendered differences that can arise in the workplace, and showed––through a powerful ten-question framework––that you get far more value by asking the right questions of the person you’re negotiating with than you do from arguing with them.

14 November 2022: Conflict Resolution in the Era of Political Polarization

As we entered Fall 2022, mediators and parties alike found themselves in a post-pandemic era of political polarization where there was widespread distrust of people with differing political ideologies. This age of political polarization impacts every aspect of negotiation, including self-mediator impartiality and the quality of the mediation process. In this interactive workshop from the Columbia Law School Advanced Mediation Clinic, participants revisited how to manage conflict with people who have differing political views. Additionally, participants examined how polarization produces negotiator bias and discussed best practices when negotiating in a polarized environment.

5 December 2022: Leadership & Self-Awareness

In this interactive workshop from the Columbia Law School Advanced Mediation Clinic, participants focused on developing negotiation fundamentals for diplomatic leadership. They expanded their conceptions of how one can negotiate thoughtfully and successfully, explored the importance of active listening for effective communication and dispute resolution, and understood the importance of questions and information gathering.

Fall 2021 Session