Practicing mediators undergo training within scope of actions for development of mediation, and 24 participants complete qualification training course

Through the combined efforts of the Ministry of Justice, the Asian Development Bank, the United Nations Development Programme and the Council of Europe Office in Yerevan, the third training course was held for the qualification of mediators. More than 50 candidates applied to participate in the third training course organised after the legislative reforms made in 2022, and 24 of them were provided with the opportunity to participate in the course, which is developed by international expert-mediators and the duration of which is 33 academic hours.

In order to make the course more useful, the invited international and national experts and judges shared their valuable experience in the mediation sector and observations on the new legislative regulations. Director of the "Centre for Legislation Development and Legal Research" Foundation of the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Armenia Tigran Dadunts, Senior Investment Officer of the Asian Development Bank Armenia Resident Mission Narine Avetisyan, National Programme Manager of the Project "Support to Judicial Reforms in Armenia" Arman Zrvandyan, Constitutional Reforms Programme Officer of the UN Development Programme Anna Hakobyan and Director of the Arbitration and Mediation Center of Armenia Tatevik Matinyan greeted the participants having successfully completed the course and granted certificates of completion to them.

Tigran Dadunts expressed gratitude to his colleagues for helping organise the important course, noting that there is growing interest in mediation and that strong foundations are being laid for the development of mediation in Armenia. Tigran Dadunts also stressed the importance of development of the sector from the perspective of the Ministry of Justice, and for this, great efforts are being made and resources are being allocated to bring the reforms into compliance with the international best practice and criteria. Thanks to the ongoing courses and reforms, the community of mediators will have around 85 mediators by the end of the first semester of 2024.

Through the co-operation of the Ministry of Justice and the Arbitration and Mediation Center of Armenia, a training course-workshop for practicing mediators was held for the purpose of exchange of best practices and methods. Highly experienced Italian mediator Corrado Mora was hosted for the training course-workshop for practicing mediators; Mora shared information about the recent developments in the mediation sector and his practical experience. To make the mediation process more accessible and co-ordinated, the activities for the creation of an electronic platform for mediation at e-meditation.am are drawing to an end. The platform will provide the opportunity to co-ordinate the whole process online.