📅 Date: 20 May 2026
⏰ Time: 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM CEST
💻 Location: Online
The International Mediation Institute (IMI), in collaboration with Conflict Dynamics, invites you to attend an interactive workshop focusing on ethics in mediation and the proposed wording within the IMI Draft Code of Conduct for Mediators.
As IMI continues its Second Round of Public Consultations on the Draft Code of Conduct for Mediators, we are seeking the diverse expertise of mediators and professionals from around the globe. We believe this collaboration is essential: your unique perspective ensures the final Code remains balanced, relevant, and effective across all cultures and mediation contexts.
Session Objectives and Format
This workshop is designed to facilitate a practical analysis of the Draft Code through both academic presentation and applied case studies. Here is what you can expect:
- Contextual Overview: Get a comprehensive overview of the IMI Draft Code of Conduct, complemented by insights into current South African mediation practices.
- Ethical Dilemmas: The session will feature an analysis of three real-world ethical dilemmas presented by local practitioners.
- Collaborative Problem-Solving: Attendees will engage in structured group deliberations to evaluate these scenarios against the Draft Code’s standards.
- Expert Feedback: The workshop will conclude with a formal feedback segment led by members of the IMI Ethics Committee, providing commentary and guidance.
Speakers
- Ivana Ninčić Österle, IMI Executive Director
- Tat Lim, IMI Board Chair, Mediator and Arbitrator
- Professor Lola Akin Ojelabi, IMI Ethics Committee Member, Scholar and Mediator
- Marion Shaer, Conflict Dynamics Chairperson and Director
- Hendrik Kotze, Conflict Dynamics Mediator and Lead Trainer
- Hayley Galgut, Conflict Dynamics Mediator and Attorney
- Leigh de Souza-Spagnoletti, Conflict Dynamics Mediator and Attorney
Moderator
- Sophie Tkemaladze FCIArb, Independent Practitioner and Mediator
We believe that the best standards are built through community collaboration. We welcome all professionals with an interest in mediation to join the conversation!
Join the workshop free of charge. We hope to see you online!
About the Second Round of Public Consultations on the Draft Code of Conduct
In May 2025, the IMI Board approved the launch of a Second Round of Public Consultations on the Draft Code of Conduct and established the Board Sub-Committee on the IMI Draft Code of Conduct to provide guidance and recommendations in advancing ethical standards for mediators worldwide.
As part of this process, a questionnaire has been created to gather input from mediators, stakeholders, and the wider public. Feedback from mediators and professionals around the globe is crucial: Comments on both the substance and implementation of the Draft Code of Conduct are welcome now.
About IMI
The International Mediation Institute (IMI) is a Hague-based non-profit public interest initiative to drive transparency and high competency standards into mediation practice, worldwide. IMI was established in 2007 to set out internationally-applicable quality standards for mediators and an international mediator credentialing scheme. IMI continues to work with mediator credentialing institutions around the world to ensure and elevate quality in the field.
About Conflict Dynamics
Conflict Dynamics, based in South Africa, provides conflict management training and dispute resolution processes which are rooted in and indigenous to South Africa, and which have been nurtured and grown over our many years of working in the field.
The Conflict Dynamics vision is to achieve a society in which people, workplaces, and organisations are skilled in negotiation, conflict management, and dispute resolution. This is achieved by:
- Presenting training courses and workshops on employment relations, conflict management, and dispute resolution related topics, which are of high quality, cost-effective, learner-focused, and go above and beyond the standards of the National Qualifications Framework and international best practice.
- Conducting dispute resolution processes for parties in conflict and disputes, which are of high quality, cost-effective, and conform to local and international standards of service delivery.
- Advocating for appropriate dispute resolution in South Africa, and in other countries.
Conflict Dynamics was established by Felicity Steadman and John Brand in 1996 when the company won the tender to train the first cohort of Commissioners for the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration.
Conflict Dynamics is an IMI Recognised Training Program. Their program page is available here.
