We’ve reported previously on the church’s involvement in mediations (whether it’s been the Pope or the bishop of Coventry) now Justin Welby The Archbishop of Canterbury is taking a step into the growing world of mediation by joining 17 global leaders and experts at the UNs High Level Advisory Board on Mediation.
UN secretary general António Guterres established the board as part of the UNs “surge in diplomacy for peace”.
According to the UN press release Guterres is hoping that the board will bring together “an unparalleled range of experience, skills, knowledge and contacts,[which] will provide the secretary-general with advice on mediation initiatives and back specific mediation efforts around the world.”
The board will “work more effectively with regional organisations, non-governmental groups and others involved in mediation around the world”.
If the board wants to back the work at Northwest Mediation he is of course more than welcome.
The move is intended to strengthen the work of the UN in conflict prevention and mediation.
The Archbishop said he was “praying for [the board’s] contribution to global peace and reconciliation.”
The board members are Sri Lankan lawyer Radhika Coomaraswamy; former Kyrgyzstan President Roza Otunbayeva; former Indonesia foreign minister Raden Mohammad Marty Muliana Natalegawa; the former Deputy Prime Minister of Jordan, Nasser Judeh; Chilean President Michelle Bachelet; executive director of the Swiss-based Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue David Harland; 2011 Nobel Peace Laureate Leymah Gbowee;former President of Finland Tarja Halonen; Mozambique’s first education minister, Graça Machel; former Algerian foreign affairs minister Ramtane Lamamra; trustee of the National University of Singapore Noeleen Heyzer; former French diplomat Jean-Marie Guéhenno; the High Commissioner of Tanzania to the United Kingdom Asha-Rose Migiro; former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo; former Haitian Prime Minister Michèle Pierre-Louis; the former Guatemala foreign minister Gert Rosenthal; and the former Timor-Leste Prime Minister José Manuel Ramos-Horta.
Meanwhile an Indonesian class action against Australia brought by 115 claimants who were detained in adult centres while still children has been ordered to mediation.
At a hearing this week in the case which is worth over $103 million a court in Jakarta ordered the parties to seek a mediated solution. This was the first hearing at which the Australian government was represented (by counsel Togi Pangaribuan), previously refusing to attend on the basis that it does not recognise the court’s jurisdiction.
The cases all stem from when the immigrant children entered Australia illegally and were detained alongside the adult and sometimes hardened criminals for between 3 months and 3 years. The age of the children was (incorrectly) calculated by wrist xrays and where boat crew identified as children were sent back those determined to be adult were detained.
Again it’s more evidence that around the world it is agreed that whatever your dispute is you should seek mediation rather than the court process, or alongside the court process.
If you have a commercial dispute or a family argument that needs sorting out, contact Ed Johnson at Northwest Mediation on 07931318347 or via email at ed.johnson@northwestmediation.co.uk it’s never too late to begin mediation even after a hearing has been listed.