Nairobi, May 1 -- At a time when the global order feels increasingly uncertain, the question is no longer whether mediation is important, but whether it can still deliver.

This week, discussions at the Igad Mediation Reflection Conference brought this issue into sharp focus, not only for the Horn of Africa but for the broader future of peacebuilding.

We are living through a moment of transition. The international system that once sustained mediation, anchored in shared norms, functioning multilateralism and a baseline of trust, is under strain. Today's conflicts are no longer contained or straightforward. They are fragmented, prolonged and deeply entangled with geopolitical competition. Mediation, once insulated from these dynamics, is ...