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FRIDAY, MARCH 14

round table 09.00am - 10.30am - Mediation and migration crisis

Thematic 5: Reducing tensions in the world, the power of mediation

Climate and ecological crises are profoundly redefining territories and lifestyles across the globe. These crises, whether in terms of preventing them, adapting to them or managing disasters, reveal the fragility of our globalised societies marked by growing complexity and multiple interdependencies. In the face of these challenges, can mediation be a lever for transformation, necessary for the adaptation of cities and the countryside or the preservation of resources and living organisms? Can it, at the same time, rebalance the asymmetries of power that the current upheavals reveal, and ensure justice and respect for human rights for populations that are victims of situations for which they are not responsible? During this workshop, four mediators working in different contexts but faced with the same emergency will share their experiences and perspectives on the role of mediation in addressing these crucial issues.

moderator

Nicolas LE MEHAUTE

Geographer, specialist in water and river management, mediator in multi-stakeholder consultation on environmental issues - France

Jacques BENARD

Environmental mediator Lecturer at the Université de Sherbrooke and the Université de Montréal - Canada

great witness

speakers

Ismael RINS

Alianza Global del Ombudsperson Local President (AGOL) - Argentine

Leonardo CARDOSO DE MAGALHAES

Federal Public Defender of Rights (DPU) - Brazil

Atman AOUI

Educational guidance counsellor, president of the Association for the Promotion of Mediation in Morocco (APMM), human rights activist and trainer - Morocco

round table 09.00am - 10.30am - Child protection and mediation

Thematic 4: Mediations: access to rights, public space, child protection. Tensions in public services

Mediation, a key but little-known role in child protectionIn France, more than 300,000 minors and 34,000 young adults are monitored by child protection services, at an annual cost of €10 billion (Source: Observatoire national de la protection de l'enfance). Entrusted to the départements, child protection intervenes when a child's best interests are at risk. The causes are manifold (abuse, neglect, insecurity, dysfunction within the family, conflictual separation of parents) and generate tensions between families and administrations, making various forms of mediation essential. Mediation makes it possible to re-establish dialogue between families and the authorities and within families, prevent conflicts from escalating and promote shared solutions in the interests of children. However, the role of mediators remains little known, due to a lack of information and recognition. Given the growing need for mediation, it is essential to raise awareness, increase access to mediation and support these practices, to ensure the well-being of children and the stability of families.

moderator

Amar DIB

Director of the Local Civil Service, Departmental Mediator (Rhône), International Judge-Mediator (International Court of Mediation and Arbitration) and Essayist - France

great witness

Adrien TAQUET

 State Secretary for Children and Families (2020-2022) - France

Florence DABIN

President of the Department of Maine-et-Loire, Vice-President of Départements de France, President of France Enfance Protégée - France

speakers

Amelia LOPEZ

Defender of the rights of children and adolescents in the province of Cordoba - Argentina

Guillaume BRONSARD

Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the University of Western Brittany

Eric DELEMAR

Children's Ombudsman, Deputy in charge of the defence and promotion of children's rights - France

Christine FROGER

Family mediators - France

Valérie JUST

Family mediators - France

round table 09.00am - 10.30am - Dare to mediate in situations of violence

Thematic 3: Generate trust to promote mediation

Far from being self-evident, the idea of creating spaces for dialogue in situations of violence is a complex subject that raises lively debate: asymmetry in the relationship; fear of revictimisation; privatisation of the crime (...) And yet, there are demands from both perpetrators and victims in this area, just waiting to be heard. In this context, the challenges facing mediators and mediation organisations are manifold, because they have to give a voice to the people affected and recognise their ability to determine what might be good for them, while also offering a quality service that provides them with the essential conditions of well-being and safety. Working in different countries and with different structures, our panelists' combined views will shed light on the choices made to meet these major challenges.

moderator

Marion TROTIGNON

Mediator and restorative justice project manager at AVIMEJ-France Victimes 77 - France

great witness

Catherine ROSSI

Professor, School of Social Work and Criminology, Université Laval - Canada

speakers

Claire-Marie CASANOVA

Restorative mediation, harassment between minors - France

Marie-Eve LAMOUREUX

EQUIJUSTICE Executive director - Canada

Thyl DAEM

Co-director of the La Valise association and specialist mediator - France

Alexane GUERIN

Restorative mediation, harassment between minors - France

PLENARY 11.00am - 12.30pm - Reducing tensions in the world, the power of mediation

Thematic 5: Reducing tensions in the world, the power of mediation

Chapter VI of the United Nations Charter for the peaceful settlement of disputes states that the parties ‘shall, in the first instance, seek a solution by negotiation, enquiry, mediation, conciliation, arbitration, judicial settlement, resort to regional agencies or arrangements, or other peaceful means of their own choice’. With few exceptions, armed groups eventually resort to some form of mediation to resolve their differences. As such, mediation remains the most effective means of reducing conflict and maintaining peace and security. It is the concrete manifestation of the growing power of peace diplomacy. Thanks to its confidentiality, impartiality and ability to listen to all the parties involved, it makes it possible to restore unity where there is division, to bring people together and define a common framework that broadens the vision to transcend the conflict and get the players out of the prison of a binary logic of win-lose and a zero-sum game. However, the new American administration has demonstrated a propensity to resolve conflicts it considers important bilaterally and by threatening to use economic or military force. What might this mean for mediation and international conflict resolution in general, and for the internationally recognised norms associated with the UN and its core mandate of maintaining international peace and security?

moderator

Andrew MARSHALL

Independent consultant with over 30 years of international experience and programme management expertise in armed conflict mediation, industrial mediation, hostage negotiations and major humanitarian emergency operations. Advises governments, multilateral organisations and non-governmental institutions on mediation, negotiation, peacemaking and political risk management - Canada

great witness

Jean-Pierre RAFFARIN

Prime Minister (2002-2005) - France

speakers

Panos MOUMTZIS

Executive Director of the Global Executive Leadership Initiative (GELI), UN Deputy Secretary-General (2013 - 2019) and Regional Refugee Coordinator for Syria (2012 - 2013) - Switzerland

Jordan RODAS

Former Human Rights Prosecutor of Guatemala - President of the Coepio Foundation - Guatemala

Alain LEMPEREUR

Mediator, affiliated professor at the European University Institute in Florence, administrator and faculty member of the Negotiation Program at Harvard Law School - France

Nashieli RAMIREZ

Défenseur des droits de l'homme, Présidente de la Commission des droits de l'homme de la ville de Mexico et Présidente de l’Institut international de l’Ombudsman - Mexique

closing 12.30pm - 13.00pm

speakers

Michel SAPPIN

President of the Association of Local Authority Ombudsmen - France

Christophe BECHU

Mayor of Angers and Chairman of Angers Loire Métropole - France

Florence DABIN

President of the Department of Maine-et-Loire, Vice-President of Départements de France, President of France Enfance Protégée - France

Serge CHARBONNEAU

Strategic advisor Equijustice - Canada

Sève CARREZ

Mediator, researcher and President of the International Institute for Ecological Negotiation - France

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