Taking Mediation to the Next Level: UNCITRAL Academy Industry Capacity-Building Workshop 2021

We were privileged to be part of the Singapore Convention Week and UNCITRAL Academy 2021 on 7 and 8 September 2021, in partnership with the Singapore Ministry of Law and United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL). 

Some 30 senior executives and in-house counsel tuned in to the workshop, which was led by a carefully-curated slate of dispute resolution experts. 

We heard success stories on mediation from the perspectives of business executives, mediators and lawyers. This was followed by a live demonstration of a mediation in full swing. In the ensuing fireside chat, the speakers and participants canvassed the practical considerations in using mediation effectively. 

On air: Sharon Ong, Director-General (International & Advisory), Ministry of Law, and Chuan Wee Meng, CEO, SIMC.

Remote participation and pre-recordings for speakers who were unable to appear in-person live.

Prof Joel Lee, Chairman, Singapore International Mediation Institute leading the fishbowl.

Leading the fireside chat in studio (from left): Lim Tat, Founding Partner, Aequitas Law, and George Lim SC, Chairman, SIMC.

Preparing for the exchange session between governments and industry. From left: Nadja Alexander, Director, SIDRA; Wee Meng; Sharon.

The team behind the scenes.

After the workshop, we also organised a unique exchange session between corporate executives and government officials from around the world together with Singapore International Dispute Resolution Academy (SIDRA). One takeaway: while mediation is increasingly available as an option for complex commercial disputes, instituting frameworks to ensure the enforceability of mediated settlement agreements will be critical to promulgate the adoption of mediation as a first-port-of-call.

There is so much more to chew on. We are grateful to all our speakers, facilitators and participants for being provocative and authentic. This helps us as we work to take international commercial mediation to the next level. 

We thank all participants for being patient with the technical bugs – all part of our continual efforts to conquer technology!