10 Reasons to Certify with IMI.
IMI is the international body that sets independent standards for mediation users, practitioners and organisations globally.
Certification with IMI is a testament to a practitioner’s professional competency, verifying that the practitioner has been independently assessed against internationally developed criteria and making that verification available to clients, organisations and institutions.
IMI Certified Mediators, IMI Certified Mediation Advocates/Advisors, and holders of IMI Specialised credentials are listed in the ‘Find a Mediator’ directory and carry a verified IMI credential linked to an active profile
I. Recognition and Standing.
To develop international mediation competency criteria, IMI assembles diverse international task forces of experts. They identify and document emerging standards. These standards are presented to the worldwide community for feedback before being finalised as IMI Competency Criteria.
IMI Certification is conferred only following independent assessment through an IMI Qualifying Assessment Program (QAP), measured against published international competency criteria. Institutions and users are accordingly able to treat the credential as an independent verification of skill, knowledge and professional competency.
To preserve its independence, IMI does not deliver training or assessment itself. Organisations submit their programs for appraisal against the IMI Competency Criteria, and quality is assessed by an independent international Appraisal Committee.
IMI Certification represents the closest equivalent that mediation has to a gold standard. It is conferred only on practitioners who have demonstrated competence against rigorous and independently applied benchmarks, and it distinguishes those who hold it both regionally and internationally.
Users of mediation services increasingly expect practitioners to demonstrate verified training and assessment, documented experience, and adherence to a published code of professional conduct. IMI’s user research indicates that over 90% of users hold this expectation. Since the adoption of the Singapore Convention, this trend has become more pronounced among corporate and institutional users, who are most likely to appoint mediators across jurisdictions.
Your Profile and Credential.
Since the launch of the new IMI website on 1 July 2026, every accreditation pathway carries a newly designed IMI logo. Each logo is linked to an active credential and may be embedded on websites, included in email signatures, or shared via social media.
Accessing the IMI logo takes clients and institutions directly to your verification page, confirming that your status is genuine, your listing is active, and that you are a mediator or advocate in good standing.
Each IMI credential is associated with a publicly visible IMI profile that records credentials, experience, languages, practice areas, and a direct point of contact, populated and customised by the professional and maintained by IMI.
A professional profile with IMI doubles as a personal website for practitioners to promote their mediation practice and offers visibility and a medium to connect with clients, other practitioners, and institutions.
IMI profiles also rank highly in web search results: where a practitioner’s name is searched alongside terms such as ‘mediator’ or ‘mediation’, the IMI profile commonly appears among the first results, frequently above other professional profiles.
The ‘Find a Mediator’ directory is the most visited section of the IMI website, and is used by businesses, counsel, courts, and institutions seeking practitioners with particular experience, languages, or sector knowledge. Some international corporate users consider only mediators listed in the IMI directory.
Find a MediatorCertified professionals may collect structured feedback from parties, counsel, and co-mediators through the IMI Feedback Digest, which is published on the IMI profile as it is received. Because the feedback is gathered and displayed by an independent body rather than selected by the practitioner, it provides prospective users with a verifiable account of the practitioner’s experience and attracts clients, other practitioners, and institutions, thereby fostering opportunities for collaboration.
Eligibility and Recognition.
Mediation centres, courts, and dispute resolution providers increasingly seek credentials that can be independently and instantaneously verified. The Singapore International Mediation Centre and the Florence International Mediation Chambers are among the institutions that recognise IMI Certification in selecting mediators for their panels. An IMI credential thereby removes the need to assess an unfamiliar practitioner qualified in an unfamiliar jurisdiction.h
While most mediation accreditations operate within a single jurisdiction, IMI Certification is recognised by institutions beyond IMI.
IMI Certified Mediators who move their practice to the United Kingdom may be registered by the Civil Mediation Council, the largest registering organisation for mediation in England and Wales, as practising commercial and workplace mediators, without demonstrating their previous experience or completing a UK CMC registered training course.
IV. Professional Development.
IMI accreditation is not confined to a single credential. The Intercultural Specialised Mediator and ODR Specialised Mediator credentials are recorded alongside IMI Certified Mediator status on the same profile, each independently assessed and each carrying its own logo and verification page. For practitioners working across cultures or in online proceedings, these credentials allow a specific, verifiable statement of expertise in addition to general certification.
IMI Certified professionals are eligible and are periodically invited to actively participate in IMI’s ongoing programs, activities, task forces, and working groups. Participation offers a role in the development of international mediation standards, along with sustained professional contact with practitioners and institutions that set such standards.
Get accredited with IMI.
Join a global network of independently assessed mediation professionals.