At the Consolidating Our Wisdom Conference that I attended in Keystone, Colorado at the beginning of October, a group of mediators crafted a Senior Mediators' Statement that many of us signed on to support. The statement reads:
"Given that the world is confronted with real and perceived threats from several international arenas we, the undersigned, urge that citizens of our nations insist their elected and appointed government officials immediately engage in honest, direct and unconditional negotiations with all authorities and powers who can resolve these pending crises in ways that are equitable and practical for all concerned without sacrifice to national sovereignty or security. As citizens of the world and as professional negotiators and mediators we urge that proven conflict resolution processes be employed now."
If you'd like to lend your support to the statement, either as a dispute resolution professional or a member of the public, you can add your signature here.
Growing out of the Keystone gathering and the energy around this statement, a new organization called the International Coalition of Concerned Mediators (ICCM) is being developed. ICCM is a global project that:
-encourages competent direct negotiations between nations, organizations and community groups; and
-encourages the use of credible mediation assistance.
To learn more, just visit www.concernedmediators.org.