International Congress on “European Mediation Degree: a new training model for mediators”

The International Congress on “European Mediation Degree: a new training model for mediators” will take place between 18 and 19 May, gathering about 130 participants from eight countries, such as Brazil, Tunisia, Germany, Spain, France, Italy, Luxembourg and Portugal. The event is part of the European project LIMEdiat, funded by the Erasmus+ programme and led by Ana Maria Silva, who at UMinho is a researcher at the Communication and Society Studies Centre (CECS) and an IE professor.

The opening session is on Wednesday, at 9.30 am, with the Director for European and International Development of the Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers (France), Carmen Branescu, the Councillor for Education and Social Cohesion of Braga City Council, Carla Sepúlveda, the Pro-Rector for Institutional Communication of UMinho, Teresa Ruão, and the Coordinator of LIMEdiat, Ana Maria Silva. The Assistant Secretary of State for Justice, Jorge Costa, will participate in the closing session, scheduled for Thursday, at 16h00, together with the Vice-Rector for Education and Academic Mobility of UMinho, Filomena Soares, the Director of CECS, Madalena Oliveira, and Ana Maria Silva.

“International mediation is on the agenda because of the conflict in Ukraine, but mediation applies to a wide variety of contexts, such as family, community, school, work, intercultural, criminal, sports, health, environmental …”, explains the event coordinator. Where there are people there are potential conflicts and mediation is an appropriate way of prevention, management and cooperative resolution of situations, which may involve companies, organisations and individuals or groups of people, she stresses. “It is very important, therefore, that mediators have know-how and legitimation for their work,” he adds. The congress will propose the creation of a European Degree in Mediation, still inexistent and considered essential for the training and professional recognition of mediators.

The event – which brings together the III International Congress of Social Mediation and the II LIMEdiat Transnational Seminar – provides three round tables, two conferences, poster presentations, simultaneous free papers and cultural moments. Among the twenty or so guest speakers will be the Deputy Director of the General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union, Justice and Home Affairs, Alain Pilette, the Vice-President for Labour, Vocational Training, Cooperation and Social Security of Sardinia (Italy), Alessandra Zedda, the President of the Federation of Associations of Social and Cultural Mediation of Ile-de-France (France), Bénédicte Madelin, the Italian MP Manuel Tuzi and the Catalan magistrate Pascual Ortuño Muñoz.

From Portugal, the highlights will be the interventions of the director of the Office for Alternative Dispute Resolution of the Ministry of Justice, Marta San-Bento, the president of the National Federation for Dispute Mediation, Maria João Castelo-Branco, and the president of the Ethics and Deontology Council of the Association of Dispute Mediators, Célia Nóbrega Reis. The congress will take place in a hybrid format and with simultaneous translation in Portuguese, Spanish, French and English.

[Posted: 17-05-2022]