European Negotiation Conference, Paris

Delighted to be invited to take part in the European Negotiation Conference hosted by Sorbonne University in Paris.

It focussed on how to bridge divides and build cooperation in humanitarian, multilateral and other complex situations where diplomatic tools need to be at their sharpest. Sport as means to resolve conflict sat alongside discussions on mediation and negotiation strategies, with community-based examples from Cyprus, Northern Ireland, Israel and the US.

Watching the UK news that week with headlines dominating from Northern Ireland, the US and Israel brought these examples into sharp focus. On the one hand, demonstrating the limitations of sport as a cure-all miracle form of diplomacy. But on the other hand and with a longer-term perspective, reaffirming to me that creative solutions to build and restore community cohesion are needed more than ever.  Kudos therefore to Francesco Marchi and the team for putting community sport on the conference agenda.