Opening remarks at the forum were provided by Faisal Charania, VP and Associate General Counsel at Prime Communication, followed by Rehan Alimohammad, a partner at Wong Fleming, who spoke about the role of mediation and peacebuilding in the local community and highlighted the need for dialogue at all times.
Next, Judge Kamran Jiwani highlighted two key areas relevant to mediation — the role of pluralism and the need to recognize bias. To define pluralism, Judge Jiwani used an excerpt from a speech given by Mawlana Hazar Imam in Ottawa, Canada on November 15, 2017: “It (pluralism) does not mean that we want to eliminate our differences or erase our distinctions, what it does mean is that we connect with one another in order to learn from one another and to build our future together.”
Judge Jiwani summarized CAB’s purpose and how the platform offers value. He said, “Here in the USA, we mediate 150 cases per year using 54 volunteer mediators across the country. All our mediators across the globe are trained in a standardized 40 hours residential program, and all CAB mediations are pro bono.” Judge Jiwani’s session included a brief presentation on the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s gender-biased selection procedure which was eliminated using “blind auditions.”
Lori Laconta, Adjunct Professor of Business Management and Alternative Dispute Resolution trainer, moderated a panel during the forum, where panelists and experts discussed the concept of innovative practices in mediation, how to embrace pluralism, and how to recognize and overcome bias.
Panelists included Celina Shariff, Principal at Vertex Healthcare Management; Dr. Barbara Manousso, Head of Manousso Mediation and Arbitration, LLC; Melissa Back McAlpine, President at Back to Yes Mediation LLC; and Debra Berman, Director of the Frank Evans Center for Conflict Resolution. The panelists share a common thread of extensive experience in the field of mediation. In 2010, Dr. Manousso served as President of the Association for Conflict Resolution (ACR) Houston Chapter and is currently a board member.
Attendees were able to share knowledge on the Alternative Resolution field and gain insight into the role of CAB as a community-based mediation organization. During the roundtable session, experts shared various ideas through their panel discussions to address inherent challenges in the mediation process, engagement of participants, use of surveys, and solutions on how to encourage further joint sessions.
