From Confrontation to Conversation: Strengthening Global Negotiation and Mediation in a Fragmented World
On 14 October 2026, the International Organization for Mediation (IOMed) and Global Neighbours will co-host a private, high-level dialogue in Vienna on a question of growing urgency: how to sustain dialogue when positions harden, trust erodes and the space for compromise narrows.
IOMed Secretary-General Professor Teresa Cheng will be joined by Ms. Jovanka Porsche, Founder and Chairwoman of Global Neighbours, and Mr. Siddharth Chatterjee, CEO of Global Neighbours, for this timely exchange with a select group of senior representatives from governments, international organizations and expert communities.
IOMed is the world’s first treaty-based intergovernmental organization dedicated exclusively to promoting the use of mediation in settling international disputes. It complements existing dispute settlement mechanisms as a new public good for the international community, providing a platform for State-to-State disputes, investor-State disputes, and international commercial disputes submitted by mutual consent.
At IOMed, we share the conviction that dialogue matters most when dialogue is difficult. Mediation does not ask us to ignore disagreement—it creates a structured space to address it.
We look forward to this timely exchange in Vienna.