Peacemaking in a Time of Escalation with Paul Dziatkowiec

Paul Dziatkowiec was appointed Director of Mediation and Peace Support at the Geneva Centre for Policy Security in 2021. Prior to that, for nearly a decade he served as Project Manager in various roles at the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD), an organization that mediates between protagonists in armed conflicts.

At HD, Paul was involved in mediation efforts in diverse conflict settings including Nigeria, Myanmar, Thailand and most recently Ukraine, where he led HD’s efforts to help find a solution to the conflict in Donbas. He was also engaged in various regional and geopolitical dialogue initiatives.

Also at HD, for five years Paul managed the Oslo Forum, the leading international mediation event that convenes peacemakers, world leaders (up to head of state level), peace process actors and conflict parties.

Paul had previously served in the Australian diplomatic service for over a decade. He was Australia’s Deputy Ambassador in Nairobi and, as Deputy and Acting Ambassador, covered a range of countries including Kenya, Somalia, Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda and Burundi. Concurrently, he was Australia’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Nairobi.

During his diplomatic career, Paul engaged in various multilateral negotiations at the UN, in Geneva, New York, and Nairobi, which included negotiating resolutions and delivering statements on behalf of Australia, on political, security, human rights, and environmental questions.

Previously Paul was posted to the Australian Embassy in Tel Aviv, and acted periodically as Australian’s Representative to the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah, during the second intifada.

Paul has also represented the International Service for Human Rights in Geneva, and worked as a Human Rights Officer in the Australian Foreign Service, both during the formative years of the UN Human Rights Council. Earlier, after the signing of the Bougainville Peace Agreement he deployed as a Peace Monitor to Bougainville, Papua New Guinea, where he was involved in raising public awareness of the agreement, following up ceasefire violations, and arranging weapons disposal and community reconciliation processes.

Paul has a Bachelor’s degree in International Business from Queensland University, as well as three Master’s degrees in International Law, International Relations, and International Policy Studies from the Australian National University, the University of New South Wales, and the University of Sydney respectively. He has written a number of articles and publications on various aspects of mediation, humanitarian and human rights issues.