Mediation in a Globalizing World:
Challenges to Multiculturalism, Peacebuilding and Religious Tolerance
The serious contradictory outcomes
brought about by globalization in human society – affluence and poverty,
economic growth and deprivation, cultural homogeneity and increased awareness
in socio-cultural heterogeneity, and ecological restitution and damages, among
others – have divided the world between pro-globalization group and
anti-globalization lobby. For over 20 years, scholars from various fields and
disciplines have vigorously debated on issues and concerns confronting
globalization focusing on its powerful economic, political, cultural, and
social dimensions (Belk, 1996; Castells, 1996; Featherstone, 1990, 1995; Ger
and Belk, 1996; Liebes and Katz, 1993; Robertson, 1992; Landes 1999; Sklair,
2002; Waters, 1995; Matei, 2006; Scholte 2000).
Anthony Giddens adds an important feature
to the picture of globalization by describing it as having interactive and
dialectical dimensions wherein worldwide social relations are intensified and
“local transformations are lateral extensions of social connections across time
and space… local happenings may move in an obverse direction from the very
distanced relations that shape them” (1990: 64). Joseph Stigliz, a Nobel Prize
winner in economics, sums up globalization itself as “neither good nor bad. It
has the power to do enormous good. But in much of the world it has not brought
comparable benefits. For many, it seems closer to an unmitigated disaster”
(2002: 20). Barnet and Cavanagh (1994) contend that the process of
globalization is inherently disruptive and that an increasing incidence of
conflict is an inevitable bi-product of it. Globalization, thus, is both
creative and destructive; it promotes security and increases risks; it makes
the world smaller but disintegrates people; renders national borders irrelevant
and yet tribalisms of all kinds flourish and irredentism thrives.
The socio-cultural and politico-economic
conflicts in the world made mediation in its various forms imperative. As
argued by Mazzella (2004), mediation processes are abundant in the context of
globalization. While Mazzella is interested in the processes of mediation in
ethnography, he views the process of dialogues, which can have positive or
negative results in the settlement of disputes, create more value than would
have been created if the underlying dispute had not occurred.
Globalization and mediation are
intricately interlinked. While the former generally refers to the process of
international integration arising from the interchange of world views,
products, ideas, and cultures; the latter relates to the process that leads
institutions and individuals to reflect and react on a given social
dispensation, identify their roles within it, and gives meaning and value to
their everyday practices and participation in a specific set of modes of
intercession. Globalization and mediation as social processes have influenced
the quality of peoples’ lives; they contain far-reaching implications to
virtually every facet of human life. Thus, they have to be viewed not simply as
opportunities for countries and citizens to be mindful of the impact of their countries
actions and policies, but also in shaping and reshaping social relations within
all countries, and across sectors between and among countries.
Mediation, which broadly refers to any
occurrence in which a third party helps others reach agreement, possesses a
structure, timetable and dynamics that ordinary negotiation lacks. The process
is voluntary, participatory, private, confidential, and possibly enforced by
law; and the mediator acts as a neutral third party and facilitates rather than
directs the process. In as much as all forms of mediation involve dual
relations, processes and measures can be effective instruments not only in
raising public and political awareness to respond to socio-cultural and
political conflicts, environmental disasters, and inequalities. These also deal
with disputes that employ approaches relevant to multiculturalism, peace
building consensus, inter-faith discourses, and other discords that aid parties
reach a settlement to address their differences amicably and in a just manner.
In this regard, disputants may mediate disputes in a variety of domains, such
as commercial, legal, diplomatic, workplace, community, as well as household.
The effectiveness or ineffectiveness of
mediation measures in multiple domains depends much on the mediator's skill and
training. As the practice gained popularity, training programs, certifications,
and licensing followed that produced trained, professional mediators committed
to the discipline and vision in developing, refining, improving, and promoting
a dispute management system capable of addressing conflicts and disputes in
various fields.
As the pace of global change is
accelerating over time and across space, tensions associated with social
changes have been largely inevitable, some are undoubtedly creative in their
effects. These put great stress on individuals, social institutions, and
governments. Unless human needs and rights issues involved are not adequately
addressed, the incidence and intensity of social conflict concomitant with globalization
are likely to increase steadily in the years ahead. A comprehensive and an
inclusive institutional and policy reforms have to done to help individuals and
societies adjust to change. However, measures taken so far have not provided
adequate solutions to the perceived and felt problems.
Indeed, if the processes, practices, and
theories and concepts of mediation have to respond effectively and mitigate if
not completely answer the multi-dimensional aspects of disputes, new thinking
about these old questions is essential.
It is against backdrop that this 6th Asia-Pacific
Mediation Forum Conference is called.
- Barnet, R.J. and Cavanagh, J. 1994. Global Dreams: Imperial Corporations and the New World Order. New York: Simon and Schuster.
- Belk, R.W., 1996. Hyperreality and globalization: culture in the age of Ronald McDonald. Journal of International Consumer Marketing 8 (3−4), 23−37.
- Castells, M. 1996. The Rise of the Networked Society, Oxford: Blackwell.Featherstone, M., 1990. Global Culture: Nationalism, Globalization, and Modernity. Sage Publications, London.
- Featherstone, M., 1995. Undoing Culture: Globalization, Postmodernism and Identity. Sage Publications, London.
- Ger, G., Belk, R.W., 1996. “I‘d like to buy the world a coke: consumptions capes of the ‘less affluent world’‘‘. Journal of Consumer Policy 19, 271−304.
- Giddens, A. 1990. The Consequences of Modernity. Stanford: Stanford University Press.
- Landes, D. (1999) The Wealth and Poverty of Nations. Why some are so rich and some are so poor, London: Abacus.
- Liebes, T., Katz, E., 1993. The Export of Meaning: Cross−cultural Readings of Dallas, second ed. Polity Press, Cambridge.
- Matei, S.A. 2006. Globalization and heterogenization: Cultural and civilizational clustering in telecommunicative space (1989−1999) Telematics and Informatics 23 (2006) 316−331
- Mazzarella, W. 2004. “Culture, Globalization, Mediation” Annual Review of Anthropology Vol. 33. pp. 345−367.
- Scholte, J. A. 2000. Globalization. A critical introduction, London: Palgrave.
- Sklair, L., 2002. Globalization: Capitalism and Its Alternatives, third ed. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK.
- Stiglitz, J. 2002. Globalization and its Discontents. New York: W.W. Norton and Company.
- Waters, M., 1995. Globalization. Routledge, London.
SUB –TOPICS
Topics to be explored through
presentations, panel discussions, open forums, and group dialogues during the
conference include:
- Business
and Mediation
- Mediation
and Conflict Resolution/Transformation of Religious, Ethnic, Ideological,
and Resource Management conflicts and disputes.
- Mediation
and Politics
- Mediation
and media
- Mediation
and Public Policy Making
- Mediation
and Peace and Security
- Mediation
and Human Rights
- Mediation and Education
- Mediation,
Gender and Development
- Mediation
and Family Violence (Violation against Women and Children).
- Mediation
and the Courts
- Mediation
and Armed Conflicts
- Global Trends in Mediation
OBJECTIVES
- To advance the participants' knowledge and skills , enhance collaborations, build networks and promote
cross-cultural awareness, and understanding of mediation and other
conflict transformation processes across the Asia Pacific Region.
- To extract and gather the collective
depths of the summit delegates’ expertise and skills in order to inspire
strategies for change that can advance mediation, and other conflict
transformation processes, and promote peace across the Asia Pacific
region.
- To facilitate effective themed
action plans from cross-cutting and focused roundtable discussion that can
be implemented by delegates, and which have real potential to advance
mediation and other conflict transformation processes in culturally fluent
ways across Asia Pacific region.
- To inspire and support initiatives
to advance mediation and other conflict transformation processes.
PARTICIPANTS
(a)
Participants/people
coming from the highest political executive, legislative, and judicial
government offices/departments of participating countries and from the
Philippines.
(b)
Participants/people
coming from the business and private sectors of participating countries and from
the Philippines.
(c)
Participants
coming from the civil society organizations (i.e. local NGOs and CBOs, INGOs,
faith based organizations, IP organizations, religious groups), who are more or
less involved in any kind mediation work across levels, and across issues from
participating countries and from the Philippines.
(d)
Participants
from inter-governmental bodies ( i.e., UN Agencies, EU, ASEAN, World Bank and
ADB, etc.)
SUMMIT REGISTRATION RATES ONLINE
Non- Student Rates:
Participant Categories
|
Standard Rate
|
Late Registration
|
Delegates from
OECD Countries
|
US $ 500
|
US $ 550
|
Delegates from
Non-OECD Countries
|
US $ 450
|
US $ 500
|
Local
Philippine based Delegates
|
US $ 350
|
US $ 400
|
Student (Full – Time) Rates:
Participant Categories
|
Standard Rate
|
Late Registration
|
Delegates from
OECD Countries
|
US $ 250
|
US $ 300
|
Delegates from
Non-OECD Countries
|
US $ 200
|
US $ 250
|
Local
Philippine based Delegates
|
US $ 150
|
US $ 200
|
ON-SITE REGISTRATION RATES
Non
– Students Rates:
Participant Categories
|
Rates
|
Delegates from
OECD Countries
|
US $ 600
|
Delegates from
Non-OECD Countries
|
US $ 550
|
Local
Philippine based Delegates
|
US $ 450
|
Note: This includes 10% surcharge fees for administrative
cost.
Student
(Full –Time) Rates:
Participant Categories
|
Rates
|
Delegates from
OECD Countries
|
US $ 330
|
Delegates from
Non-OECD Countries
|
US $ 275
|
Local
Philippine based Delegates
|
US $ 220
|
Note: This includes 10% surcharge fees for administrative
cost.
Registration Fees covers conference day lunch, welcome
cocktail party (gala dinner), coffee/tea breaks, conference publications, kits,
and materials, transportation (shuttle bus) from your hotel to the venue, and a
cultural evening at the conference venue. This also includes and will cover the
two-year APMF membership fee. However, the registration fee does not include
the accommodation cost, and cost of the pre-summit mediation activities (pre-mediation
summit field trips).
IMPORTANT
DATES:
Early Registration
online
|
March 9 – June 9, 2013
|
Regular Registration
online
|
June 10 – October 9,
2013
|
Late Registration
online
|
October 10 – November
9, 2013
|
Deadline of the
Registration online
|
November 9, 2013
|
On the Site
Registration
|
December 9, 2013
|
