The Mediation Support Unit was established in 2006 within the United Nations Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs as an outcome of the 2005 World Summit, which included a call for the expansion of the UN's conflict prevention and resolution capacity.
The MSU serves as a central repository for peacemaking experiences and acts as a clearing house for lessons learned and best practices.
The unit also coordinates training for mediators and provides them with advice on UN standards and operating procedures.
[citation needed] The MSU manages the United Nations Standby Team of Mediation Experts, an on-call group of experts who assist mediators in the field that was established in 2008.
[2] The MSU also manages the online mediation support tool UN Peacemaker.