Director of the Policy and Mediation Division at the UN Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, Teresa Whitfield, takes us through the highlights and challenges of her career in conflict mediation – starting with a chance encounter at the Havana Film Festival that led her to El Salvador in the middle of a civil war. She talks about her transition from journalism to peacemaking and the evolution of mediation support, including the deployment of digital technologies in Libya. And she explains why, despite geopolitical tensions making wars increasingly difficult to resolve, the values and principles of the UN remain a beacon of hope.