Peacebuilders are skilled communicators and mediators; negotiators and facilitators; trailblazers and change-makers. Peacebuilders are disruptors. 

“Disruptors: Leading Change in a World of Conflict” is the title and theme for the highly anticipated Mediators Beyond Borders 2019 Congress, which, in partnership with Rotary Districts 3410 and 3420 will take place from November 6 – 8 at the Bali Intercontinental Hotel & Resort in Indonesia. Organization leaders, academics, mediators, government diplomats, and conflict-transformation practitioners in all fields are invited to engage in this groundbreaking exchange of ideas as an international community. In a recent interview, Dennis Phua, Co-Chair of the Congress Planning Committee and member of MBBI, shared exciting details about how the Congress will set a global precedence for the next decade of peacebuilding. 

Enabling a Multilateral World Order

Working in tandem with Congress Co-Chair Veronica Jacob and Project Manager Bennett Seibert, Dennis represents a cohort of more than twenty dedicated MBBI volunteers from several continents. As a business entrepreneur and accredited mediator with the Singapore Mediation Centre and the Singapore International Mediation Institute (SIMI), Dennis brings an important perspective to his role.

“I come from Singapore, one of the smaller countries in the world, and we do not take our peace for granted,” he said. After watching the 9/11 attacks unfold on TV, Dennis remembers wanting to better understand the sociopolitical state of the world and “… to engage in community-building and social change activities.” Over the last ten years, he has dedicated his time to helping facilitate interfaith dialogues and other conflict resolution initiatives. From his perspective, mediation helps improve cross-border relationships and the health of societies, big and small, such that, “… it enables a multilateral world order where the concept of ‘might is right’ may be deferred.”

Dennis was drawn to the MBBI community because of its ability to promote authentic conversations. Hearing people’s stories helps to “… challenge my assumptions and shape both myself and my craft,” he described.

The 2019 Congress: A Focus on Capacity-Building and Impact

Dennis’s leadership in planning the 2019 Congress was a natural extension of his motivation to help conflict-transformation professionals connect, share, exchange, and, ultimately, collaborate on actionable solutions to present dynamics.

“As MBBI increases its engagements in Asia, we invite our valued friends from around the world to this Congress, which is being held for the first time in this region!” Following a pre-Congress specialized mediation training, MBBI will host world-class presenters and panelists throughout the weekend to discuss timely applications of collaborative peace-processes and what it means to be a disrupter, innovator, and leader in this realm. Nobel Laureate and Former President of East Timor José Ramos-Horta, award-winning author, and educator Dr. Nadja Alexander, and Kosovo independence leader Edita Tahiri are among the many distinguished speakers who will be sharing their perspectives and inviting participation from attendees. 

With its focus on capacity-building and community impact, Dennis made note, “I am particularly excited about the opportunity for the Congress to foster constructive dialogue on peacebuilding in Asia.” To this end, all attendees, sponsors, and partners will be recognized as a Founding Member of the 2020 Decade of Peace Initiative and as part of the global movement to advance UN Sustainable Development Goal 16: Peace, Justice, and Inclusive Societies.

Register Today

MBBI would like to thank Turkish Airlines, InterContinental Bali Resort, and KCBJ Tours and Travel for their exemplary services as well as its global partner, Rotary International, and regional collaboratives, SIMI and Bali International Arbitration & Mediation Center, for their support. 

For more information and to register for the MBBI 2019 Congress today, please visit http://www.internationalpeacecongress.com

Article by Juliana Heffern, MBBI Writer

Combining awareness-raising with skill-building to reduce conflict and stereotypes in Canada 

By having a conversation with MBB Canada leading members, the Chair of the Group Suzanne Sherkin and the co-Chair Kelly Rico, it stands out immediately that the Group relies on an effervescent and dynamic community of bright minds, eager to commit energies and skills to advance MBBI mission and vision in Canada. 

MBB Canada champions the building of a more peace “able” world, and does so through working with national and local issues. “A focus for MBB Canada is to develop projects that address Canadian-specific issues — specifically LGBTQ and Indigenous communities with communications and conflict resolution skills.” 

The Past: A Regional Group to connect like-minded individuals

The history of MBB Canada is quite recent. The Group was formed by Alicia Kuin, an ambitious, experienced conflict analyst and mediator in early 2015. The purpose was to develop a Canadian community in which topics at the heart of MBBI worldwide action could be discussed by like-minded people dedicated to peace-building from either inside or outside the mediation field. What is remarkable about MBB Canada is the nearly spontaneous way in which the Group emerged from the desire to be “impactful in the lives of others. Each and every member of our small but growing membership has a common passion: to help create a positive change in our country as well as contribute to positive change globally,” says Suzanne. 

In addition to spreading the overall values of MBBI, the Canadian group has focused its initiatives, meetings and discussions around three key areas:

• Enhancing networking and partnerships
• Continued learning and collaboration
• Supporting Canadian-specific issues

The Present: A Growing Presence

In the last few years, “the Canadian group has grown a lot – not only in terms of projects and initiatives but also in terms of communication among members and interchange of information and knowledge,” says Kelly. Kelly is very satisfied with the development of the Group and particularly with its capacity to provide various platforms. She notes that a strength of the Group allows practitioners and activists from across the country to bring forward issues from their local contexts, while others provide help through expertise and resound initiatives promoted as well as resource materials. Only in its fourth year, the Group is already planning their first project — related to teaching youth in schools about mediation — and facilitating discussions on the topics of restorative justice, circle processes, environmental disputes, and immigration and newcomer support.

For their first project of MBB Canada, Suzanne explains that “we’ve just started developing a program for youth. Our goal is to create a program, likely around concepts of mediation, that would help young people learn the tools to deal with daily problems such as bullying and harassment in schools. We have a long road ahead to develop this but we’re lucky to have a lot of passionate, smart people who want to dedicate time to providing this to youth around Canada. We have an amazing membership of decidated professionals. I feel lucky to be part of this work!” 

The Future: A vision for MBB Canada

There is no question that MBB Canada’s growth is a reflection of the energy and vision of its leader, Suzanne. She’s quick to point out that none of this would be happening if not for the original vision and drive of the creator of the Canadian group — Alicia Kuin. Alicia created it from ground zero and built a small but mighty group of Canadian members. When she passed the torch onto Suzanne, there was already a core of dedicated people willing to create Canadian-focused projects. Suzanne has brought her own brand of passion to the leadership role, such as introducing a more formal structure to how and when they meet.

They’re at a particularly exciting time as they move closer to becoming their own entity within MBBI. “Thanks to the dedication and time from Archana Medhekar, we’re on our way to becoming a not-for-profit group with charitable status.” Suzanne is very excited about reporting this. “These are exciting times for us,” she says. What started as an informal community of like-minded and passionate practitioners in Canada will soon become a formalized branch under the MBBI umbrella with enhanced capacities for developing and implementing projects in Canada and elsewhere.

In the vision of Suzanne, MBB Canada will undertake “a Canadian-based approach.” This means that the Group will appeal to the commitment of Canadians towards solving Canadian issues. In the near future, the Group is likely to give attention to a topic that is particularly keen to Suzanne: LGBTQ education. Speaking as a mother of a transgender son, “I want to help people better understand gender diversity so that there’s less stigma and more acceptance of this kind of diversity — in workplaces, in schools, in homes, and in communities. She notes that they have not yet formally discussed a project for the LGBTQ communities but Suzanne is hoping to put it on the agenda in the coming year. I want to help create emotionally safe spaces for Canadian people and communities.”  

When asked who should join MBB Canada, she responded that anyone interested in helping the Canadian group build communication and conflict resolution skills is completely welcome to join. The minimum requirement is a common purpose and heart to build a more peace “able” world. What you can give is far more important than what you are.

Written by Matteo Piovacari: MBBI Writer

Ken Waldron became involved in commercial mediation working between businesses and financiers as far back as the early 1990s. During his journey, he found himself holding executive positions in several large companies and later went into consulting where he specialized in the agribusiness sector. For the last 20 years through his entrepreneurial skills, Ken has founded businesses in both China and Australia.

Liaising Business Skills to Mediation

Ken has enjoyed assisting companies, businesses, and people in resolving disputes. So much so that he went back to school in 2016 and completed a masters in conflict management and resolution at James Cook University. He later discovered MBBI and he values the concept and its brand position of employing alternative dispute methods to resolve conflict internationally. He encapsulated his strong feeling towards mediation by attending the MBBI Peace Conference 2017 in the Hague, Netherlands.

Ken explained that he engages actively with MBBI for several salient reasons. He sees the emerging need for the principles of alternative dispute resolution in the Oceania region, which has led him to become active in the creation of the MBBI regional chapter there. Oceania has a unique set of issues; one of which Ken has identified as revolving around climate change challenges. With his accreditation in mediation, education in conflict management, and experience working across facilitation and negotiations, he sees the contribution he can make by applying his business building skills to the new chapter. He notes that most people “are motivated by doing good, but on its own isn’t going to build an effective organization.” This is where he believes he can apply his skills and contribute the most.

A Powerful Vehicle for Peaceful Resolution

Currently, the Oceania working group is composed of three members who are reaching out to the local ADR community and university students about MBBI activities. He stated that “If people are part of something that is important and beneficial, they will always find the time to commit.” Ken values the importance of having training programs on conflict management and resolution in schools. He indicated that “If we empowered the young people in our region with the skills to solve conflict through dialogue and mediation, we would make a powerful difference into the future.” For him, MBBI is in an ideal organization to teach these skills to the next generation of emerging leaders. He believes if you learn skills such as mediation at an early age these skills will stay with you for the rest of your life.

Independent of MBBI, Ken is actively involved with the climate change movement. As recently as June, he was a mentor at the Brisbane Climate Reality Training of 800 new climate ambassadors organized by former US vice president Al Gore.  He observes that climate is going to be one of the major determinants of future conflict. “Even if we were to change the policies immediately and start to bring the climate crisis back under control; the momentum is such that nations and countries and communities are still going to be affected by it.” He gave the example of the Torres Strait Islands just in the north of Australia which is already losing land. The islands are very low lying and the rise in sea level has resulted in losing hundreds of acres. It is a very real issue “If communities lose land, you’ve immediately got disruption. Once you’ve got disruption, you’ve got conflict,” he stated as a matter of fact.  Ken affirmed that whether it is climate change caused by man or just natural change, he understands the consequences of it. One of his agribusiness interests is in an area that is drought-prone. “We have water licenses but no water. Any water we can access is geared up for a contest between neighbors who want it just as much as us.”

Ken shared his conflict resolution philosophy expressing that when mediating, it is important to grasp that “you are negotiating of facilitating with people to understand the circumstances and the meanings and implications.” To resolve a conflict, one needs more than just mediation skills, negotiation and facilitation skills play crucial roles too. Ken’s philosophy is: mediation is a metaphor for finding a peaceful or dialogue-based solution to dispute, conflict or disruption.

Article by Kylea Shropshire, MBBI Writer

“I have been privileged to witness the light of awareness in people’s eyes when, through learning mediation, they realize their own empowerment to solve the issues at hand.”

In a career that spans more than 30 years, Lynn Cole has learned to recognize this awareness as an essential tipping point in the process of fostering community-driven peacebuilding. Among many pivotal roles, Lynn has served as an AV-rated trial attorney, an assistant United States attorney, a founding member of the Florida Dispute Resolution Center, a USAID mediation specialist, and the second MBBI President and Board of Directors Chair. Today, she is a full-time mediator, mediator trainer, and the CEO/President of BRDGES Academy, which is the first e-learning platform for building mediation discourse and cross-cultural competency for conflict resolution professionals.

Litigation and Mediation

Lynn recalls that her foray into the “legal world” came when her ninth-grade teacher initiated a classroom mock trial. With a smile, she described, “I was tasked to perform a cross-examination of one of my peers, and I remember loving it.”Lynn went on to complete a Bachelor’s degree at the University of Maryland followed by a Juris Doctorate from The John Marshall Law School in Chicago. In her first professional roles as an attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice and, later, with the U.S. District Court in the Middle District of Florida, Lynn supported the government and private clients while developing a practical understanding of the importance of procedure, evidence, and lines of questioning. However, she noted, “It was clear that litigation did not solve everything.” 

When she became Chair of the Civil Justice Reform Act Commission, Lynn explored various applications of alternative dispute resolution. This led her to recommend that the federal judges in Florida begin using mediation in their civil case management. Although no other federal district at this time had done so, Lynn’s idea prompted the founding of the Dispute Resolution Center for the Florida Supreme Court where she earned a leading role. “I became one of twelve people in the state of Florida to help start the center, and it was a reward to see other districts and states around the country follow suit.” Eventually, Lynn wanted to become a mediator herself. She sought out advanced certification programs through the Florida Supreme Court, Harvard University, and the International Mediation Institute in The Hague, garnering a perspective and skillset that would ultimately define her career.

Working with USAID

Lynn then launched into a thirteen-year span of assignments with USAID in Bulgaria, Jordan, Kosovo, and Sri Lanka where she facilitated trainings and partnerships to design and maintain court-related systems of mediation. She served alongside local judges, attorneys, mediators, and community representatives, which solidified her passion for this work. “At its heart, mediation is a peacebuilding tool carried from the community-up,” she said. 

In moments of great challenges, such as when she was serving in post-war Kosovo, Lynn was able to reflect on the core of this process. Specifically, she noted, “If you can get both sides in a disagreement to hear, just a little, there comes an understanding that it took two to build the conflict, and only a deep awareness of each other’s perspective will fix it.”

In this Globalized World

Among her recent accomplishments, Lynn has represented MBBI as President in a formal address the United Nations and she continues to advocate for and perform extensive global trainings on three main practice areas: commercial and court mediation, transformational mediation, and community mediation. She launched BRDGES Academy as a virtual education platform to help boost the accessibility of mediation training and to meet the needs of this globalized world. “Learning how to navigate cultural differences and sensitivities is important for all practi0ners in dispute and conflict resolution today,” she explained. BRDGES Academy is constantly expanding to adapt to present dynamics.

Lynn spoke with conviction about the role of MBBI as well — “MBBI is a leader. It does not compare to any other organization in terms of having people on the ground, and it is the basis of my philosophy on how to build and grow mediations throughout the world.”

Article by Juliana Heffern, MBBI Writer