2025 ICC Mediation Week #ICCMW

I am excited to be serving again as one of more than 130 professionals at the 20th ICC International Commercial Mediation Competition taking place in Paris from 3 – 8 February 2025. The professional participants will mediate and judge 350+ students competing in 48 teams in more than 70 mock mediation sessions.

In addition to the competition, the 12th Mediation Roundtable for Professionals will take place towards the end of the week. I had the privilege of co-moderating the Roundtable last year along with fellow mediators James MacPherson, Ana Sambold and Jeremy Lack, when the topics of ‘Technology and Artificial Intelligence’ and ‘Mixed Modes’ were explored in the context of the overall theme of ‘The Future of Mediation’. See my write-up here: ICC Dispute Resolution Bulletin | 2024 Issue 1 p164; Copyright © 2024 International Chamber of Commerce (ICC): https://lnkd.in/e78vVb3K. The main takeaways included:

• ‘Technology and AI’: investment needs to be made in training mediators to gain new knowledge and skills, including ensuring that they are able to test technology in a safe space.

• ‘Mixed Modes’: there is a need to recognise a wide range of cultural differences and presumptions about what mediation is and how it can be combined with other dispute resolution processes (whether sequentially, in parallel or integrated). This will require greater diversity and understanding of new protocols for mixed modes to be used effectively and to flourish. ADR providers from around the world have a key role to play in developing mixed modes.

I am looking forward to comparing notes with others on the extent to which these issues have developed over the last year and to participating in both this year’s competition and Roundtable.