Tenth successful training with ECOWAS representatives at Clingendael

From 27-31 October 2025, the Clingendael Peace Negotiations Programme welcomed a group of fifteen high-level representatives of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to the Hague. During this period, the group followed a comprehensive programme on negotiation and mediation. This year marked the ten-year anniversary of this specialized ECOWAS training at the Clingendael Academy. 

Over the course of five days, the group invested in acquiring practical negotiation and mediation skills through training and experience sharing, both in relation to their own regional context as well as more broadly. Specific sessions were co-facilitated by ECOWAS that allowed for explicit attention to the institutional context of this organisation.

In addition, the tenth edition of the training was unique, as it included a scenario-building module for the first time. This provided space to strategically reflect on opportunities and challenges for ECOWAS’ mediation support in a changing geopolitical environment. As one participant noted, “I’ve read many scenario planning reports as part of my day-to-day work, but this is the first time that I actually grasp the importance and value of the exercise.”

Clingendael is thankful for the experiences shared by ECOWAS during the training and is proud to have worked with this group of participants.