Barriers for Peace Mediators when shifting to an online environment: A Case Study of The UN in Yemen

This research focuses on the opportunities and barriers of virtual peace diplomacy, examining thedifferent aspects of this approach and analyzing its potential impact on the peace process. In anera where conflicts have evolved into new forms of warfare, the complexities of mediation haveintensified. Furthermore, the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, together with the widespreadavailability of digital tools, has transformed peace diplomacy and, therefore, the role of mediators.The research aims to discover what influence the changing environment surrounding peace processeshas on peace negotiation and how mediators can adapt most effectively to that environment. Thiswill be done by looking at all the tracks introduced by the Multi-Track Diplomacy Framework,where the differences in approaches between the tracks will be highlighted. The research will providean in-depth analysis of the complications regarding virtual trust-building in peace negotiations inthe context of Yemen. This will be facilitated by examining previous peace attempts by the UN inYemen and by analyzing the current landscape in Yemen.