The Papua New Guinea Judiciary will be hosting the 10th Asia Pacific Mediation Forum Conference 2024, under the theme “Regional Challenges, Regional Solutions, Global Outcomes: Using Mediation to Resolve Environment and Climate Change Dispute”. The conference will be held at the APEC Haus from the 19 to 21 August 2024

The main objective of the APMF Conference is to facilitate the exchange and development of knowledge, values and skills of mediation and other conflict transformation processes, in any form, including inter-cultural, interpersonal, inter-institutional and international, within and between the diverse countries and cultures in the Asia-Pacific region.

The Conference theme has been chosen to enable meaningful exchange of information and ideas by expert speakers, facilitators, and conference attendees. The Conference speakers include leading Judges, scholars, and experts from all over the region, and will focus on both the science of climate change and approaches to managing, transforming or resolving associated conflicts. The presentations will cover global trends on the planetary crises and how mediation, and other ADR approaches are being used or can be used to resolve disputes.

The APMF Conference will be set in sessions for each topic and subtopic to be chaired by leading judges, scholars and experts.

This week, we take you through the parallel session topics for the first day of the conference which will include:

1. Climate Change Emergency an Existential Threat Challenges and Solutions, with its subtopics:

• “Advanced Environmental Rule of Law through courts and tribunals: Global trends and opportunities” which will be chaired by Mr. Andrew Raine, who is the Deputy Director of the Law Division at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

• “State of the Rule of Law” which will be chaired by Dr. Srirak Plipat, who is the Asia Pacific Regional Director of the World Justice Project.

The co-chairs to these topics will be Hon. Justice Ambeng Kandakasi CBE, Deputy Chief Justice of Papua New Guinea and Dr. Peter Maynard, President of the Commonwealth Lawyers Association (CLA) Managing partner, Peter D Maynard.

2. Role of Judges and Courts as Gate keepers in Climate Change and Environment Litigation and Mediation, with its subtopics:

• “Delivering environmental justice through the Judicial Process” which will be presented by Judge Mugeni Siwale Mulenga, Judge of the Constitutional Court of Zambia.

• “Delivering environmental justice through other Adjudication Schemes” which will be delivered by Mr. John McKendrick KC, Attorney General of Anguilla, Deputy English High Court Judge, International Arbitrator and Mediator.

The subtopics will be co-chaired by Acting Chief Justice Petunia Tupou of the Supreme Court of Tonga and Justice Berna Collier of the Federal Court of Australia and the National Court of Papua New Guinea.

There will also be parallel sessions which will include topics that will be presented by Judges, accredited mediators, Human Rights specialists, academics and senior Court officials.

3. Expanding the mediators tool kit for resolution of environment and climate change related disputes, with its subtopics:

• “Using Science for effective resolution of environment and climate change related disputes” which will be delivered by Peta Stilgoe, President of the Land Court of Queensland, Australia.

• “Using Creative Arts for resolution of environment and climate change related disputes” which will be presented by Dr. Charalee Graydon of Euclid University, Republic of Gambia.
• “Women Mediators in Environment and Climate Change Disputes – Locally Rooted, Globally Connected: Why It Matters” will be delivered by Ms. Visaka Dharmadasa of War Affected Women, Sri Lanka. The session will be co-chaired by Justice Oagile Bethuel Key Dingake of the PNG National and Supreme Court, and Mr. Andrew Kwimberi, a PNG lawyer and mediator.

4. Impact of Climate Change on the Elderly, Children Indigenous Peoples, with its subtopics:

• “Elder Mediation: Addressing the impact of climate change on older people and their families” which will be presented by President of the APMF, Professor Dr. Dale Bagshaw.

Additional topics to be covered during Session 4 on the first day of the conference include:

• “Intergenerational Climate Justice and Children’s Rights by Ms. Fiona Ey, Council member of the CLA, and the Honorary Consul for Papua New Guinea in Samoa; and,

• “Pacific customary dispute resolution as a blueprint for mediation of environmental disputes” by Ms. Nynette Nelson and Ms. Fiona Ey.

This session will be co-chaired by Mr. Ronald Prakash, Registrar of the Nauru Courts, and Mr. Nicholas Mirou, Deputy Executive Director of the PNG Centre for Judicial Excellence (PNGCJE).

Read next week’s court page for August 20th’s topics and subtopics that will be presented at the APMF conference.