Law professors participate in Istanbul workshop on mediation for conflict resolution

Faculty members of Birzeit University’s Department of Law participated in a seminar held in Istanbul, Turkey, by the Arab-German Young Academy of Sciences and Humanities (AGYA), themed “Mediation―Alternative Approaches to Conflict Resolution.”

The two-day workshop highlighted the increasing attention mediation has been receiving as a means to achieve lasting reconciliation between conflicting parties and analyzed different state practices, the role of mediators, and the method’s relationship with other areas such as international relations and literature.  

Khaled Talahma―an associate professor of law at Birzeit University, AGYA Member, and the organizer of the workshop―talked in his opening remarks about the importance of giving room for mediation to achieve lasting reconciliation between conflicting parties. He introduced the United Nations Convention on International Settlement Agreements Resulting from Mediation, adopted in December 2018 by the UN General Assembly in the context of trade disputes and also known as the Singapore Convention on Mediation, praising it as one of the most efficient tools to enhance the cross-border enforceability of mediated settlements.

During the workshop, Ahmad Nasra, a lecturer at the Faculty of Law and Public Administration, presented a paper themed “Settling Collective Labor Disputes by Mediation According to Palestinian Law.” Yaser Amouri, assistant professor of international law, explained the role of the Arab League as a mediator, and Mohammad Al Ahmad, dean of Student Affairs, presented hist study titled “The Role of Mediation in Resolving Student Strikes at Palestinian Universities: Birzeit University as a Model.”

The workshop gathered guest speakers and participants from, France, the UK, the UAE, Oman, Egypt, Turkey, Kuwait, Jordan, and Palestine to discuss topics such as key issues related to mediation in state practice, mediation as a means to resolve national disputes, the role of mediation in international relations, literature on mediation, and lessons drawn from previous mediation practices.

AGYA was established in 2013 as the first bilateral young academy worldwide. It brings together excellent Arab and German scholars to face shared challenges and develop solutions through research cooperation.