MBBI at 2016 World Mediation Summit, Madrid, Spain
By Florence de Vesvrotte (co-organizer of the World Mediation Summit)
MBBI Board Member Elodie van Sytzama with Florence de Vesvrotte and representatives of the International Mediation Institute and AMI
MBBI attended the 3rd World Mediation Summit in Madrid this June.
The conference featured workshops and panel discussions on the various facets of mediation around the world and across all sectors.
MBBI, represented by board member, Elodie Van Sytzama, was a key player at the conference, and it was good to see the organization shine among European mediation professionals, as MBBI is currently expanding its operations in Europe.
In line with our values, Elodie presented on the power of mediation as an intersection between: community needs, business interests, governmental accountability and socially responsible development. She also powerfully advocated for an inclusive space for women in our field, introducing our ITI program. Span-English collaboration in the field of mediation is just in its infancy in Europe. But with little, the World Mediation Summit managed to gather professionals from more than 20 countries, and create a discussion within Spain about the need for practitioners to convene and share good practices.
Workshops on medical, commercial, family and political mediation, among others, gathered professionals eager to get out of their comfort zones and learn from one another to become the best conflict resolution experts, able to deal with any types of conflicts.
As my expertise is in politics and international development I was certainly happy to see representatives from The Club de Madrid, The Dialogue Advisory Group, Mabel Gonzalez Bustelo and Elena Baixauli engaging on this issue, followed a couple of hours later by a heated debate with diplomats on the need to help elected representatives engage in dialogue better.
The World Mediation Summit is a very promising opportunity for mediation, Spain, and MBBI’s European branch. If you are in Europe and are interested in joining MBBI, please contact Elodie van Sytzama directly.