Oslo Forum 2025:
All hands on deck – Mediation in a Changing World
News story | Date: 13/06/2025 | Ministry of Foreign Affairs
‘The world today is very different from the forward-looking optimism of the 1990s. We are witnessing growing great-power rivalries and increasing isolationism. Core international norms and values are being challenged – not only by authoritarian regimes, but also by actors closer to us. This makes the task of mediation and reconciliation more demanding than ever. That is why the Oslo Forum remains a vital platform where a broad range of people can come together and engage in dialogue’, said Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide.
On 11–12 June, Norway’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Espen Barth Eide hosted this year’s Oslo Forum – an annual gathering of peace mediators, decision-makers, and experts. The Forum brought together more than 100 participants from over 50 countries. The theme for this year’s Forum was “All hands on deck: mediation in a changing world.” The agenda featured sessions on key conflicts, including those in Ukraine, the Middle East, Syria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan, and Myanmar.
Among the high-level participants were: Minister of Foreign Affairs of Egypt, Badr Ahmed Mohamed Abdelatty; Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iran, Seyed Abbas Araghchi; Minister of Foreign Affairs of Oman, Sayyid Badr Albusaidi; Minister of Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud; Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of Syria, Asaad Hasan Al-Shaibani; Minister of the International Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (IDCPC), Liu Jianchao; and Secretary-General of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Kao Kim Hourn. Other participants included: Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the United Arab Emirates, Noura bint Mohammed Al Kaabi; Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs of Indonesia, Muhammad Anis Matta; Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Qatar, Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al-Khulaifi; Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs of Thailand, Russ Jalichandra; Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Türkiye, Burhanettin Duran; First Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine, Sergiy Kyslytsia; Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights of Ukraine, Dmytro Lubinets; Secretary of the Presidency of Uruguay, Alejandro Sanchez Pereira; and former President of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta.
The Oslo Forum is co-hosted by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD). It was organised for the first time in 2003.