Welcome back to our series on the upcoming 10th Asia Pacific Mediation Forum (APMF) Conference! In this second article, we will delve into the topics and subtopics of Session 5, scheduled for the second day of the conference. The sessions that will be covered during the second day of the conference include:

1. Appropriate Forums for Resolution of Environment and Climate Change related Disputes, with its subtopics:

• “Appropriate Resolution of Environment-Related Disputes: Framing the Forum to Fit Fuss” which will be chaired by Chief Justice Brian Preston of the New South Wales Land and Environment Court, Australia.

• “The Case for Resolution of Environment and Climate Change Related Disputes by Mediation”

This session will be chaired by Judge Laurie Newhook, retired Chief Judge of the Environment Court of New Zealand, Chief Freshwater Commissioner of New Zealand, and Alternate Environment Judge of the New Zealand Environment Court, along with Mr. Brian Speers, former President of the Commonwealth Lawyers Association (CLA) and Managing Partner of CMG Cunningham Dickey Solicitors, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom. The co-chairs for this subtopic will be Justice Joseph Yagi of the Supreme and National Courts of Papua New Guinea, and Mr. John McKendrick KC.

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.

• Policing and Enforcing Environment Rule of Law through Use of Technology and Mediation. Subtopics for this session include:

• Environmental governance indicators in Asia Pacific context,” which will be delivered by Dr. Srirak Plipat.

• “Eco-Cop: Environmental Policing and Police Mediation (The European Experience),” which will be presented by Dr. Antonio Berlanga, Police Inspector, Valencia Police, Spain.
• “Environmental Protection through the mediation tool: Experience in Spain and European Union,” which will be delivered by Professor Virginia Pardo Iranzo, University of Valencia, Spain. The session will be co-chaired by Hon. Justice Derek Wood, Supreme and National Court, PNG, and Mr. David Denniston, Special Counsel, Leahy Lewin Lowing Sullivan Lawyers, PNG.

• “Environmental Protection through the Mediation Tool: Experience in Spain and the European Union.”

This session will be delivered by Professor Virginia Pardo Iranzo from the University of Valencia, Spain. Co-chairs for this session will include Justice Derek Wood of the Supreme and National Court of Papua New Guinea, and Mr. David Denniston, Special Counsel at Leahy Lewin Lowing Sullivan Lawyers, Papua New Guinea.

• Use of Mediation in large scale projects, with its subtopics:

• “The Craft of Mediating Environmental Disputes,” which will be chaired by Ms. Susan Dixon, Senior Commissioner of the Land and Environment Court of NSW.

• “Ensuring cultural input in ADR of mining disputes” to be chaired by Dr. Judith Preston, Deputy Co-chair, Environment Law Committee, LAWASIA, and Chairperson, John Mac Foundation.

• “The Role of Multi-Lateral Development Banks in Supporting Dispute Resolution Mechanisms to Improve Development and Rule of Law Outcomes”
  This session will be chaired by Mr. Said Zaidansyah, PNG Country Director of the Asian Development Bank (ADB). Justice Vergil Narokobi and Mr. Nicodemus Mosoro, newly appointed Secretary of the National Judicial Staff Services, will co-chair the session.

• The Dynamics in Multi-Party Disputes and mediation in Environment and Climate Change Disputes with its subtopics:

• “The Asymmetry of Power in co-governance processes,” which will be delivered by Dr. Paul Gibson, Executive Director of the Centre for Conflict Management, and Principal of Gibson ADR, Australia.
• “Federal Court native title mediation practice: First Nation – led Mediation Process Design” by Mr. Simon Grant, Judicial Registrar, Federal Court, of Australia.

• “Indigenous Australians titled claims and Papua New Guinean customary landowner mediations, similarities, differences and lessons”, which will be chaired by Mr. Craig Jones, Director, RREDD, Mediator and Trainer, PNG and Australia.

• “A collaborative conversation on different approaches to Mediation in Asia.”

Mr. Steven Thiru will chair this topic, former VP Australasia CLA and Managing Partner of Steven Thiru and Sudhar Partnership, Malaysia. The session will be co-chaired by Deputy Chief Magistrate Josephine Kilage, and Mr Michael Wagambie, Lecturer at the UPNG School of Law.

• “Cross border environment and climate change disputes: The case for a multidoor specialist regional or international environment and climate change dispute resolution mechanism.”

Speakers for this topic will include Justice Vui Nelson of the Supreme Court of Samoa, Judge Lawrie Newhook, Alternate Environment Judge of New Zealand Environment Court and Ms. Briony Eales, Team leader for Judicial Capacity Building for Environmental and Climate Change, UN Environment Programme. The session will be co-chaired by Justice Jacinta Murray, Supreme and National Courts of PNG and Dr. Georgina Lloyd of UNEP, Thailand.

• “Enforcing Mediated Agreements and the Singapore Convention on Mediation: Regional Experiences.”

Speakers for this session will include Justice Leiataualesa Daryl Clarke of the Supreme Court of Samoa, Professor Kariuki Muigua of Kariuki and Co Advocates, Kenya, and Ms. Miriam Gotsiridze, Principal Research Fellow at the Singapore International Dispute Resolution Academy. The co-chairs for this session will consist ofJustice Nerrie Eliakim of the Supreme and National Court of Papua New Guinea, and Ms. Maria Muavesi, Head Environmental Legal Officer at the International Union for Conservation of Nature, Fiji.

• “The PNG Judiciary Project: reduction of carbon footprint and enabling prompt resolution of environment and climate change disputes.”

Speakers for this topic will include Deputy ChiefJustice Ambeng Kandakasi, Mr. Khachatur Matevosyan, Vice President of Justice at Synergy International Systems, Armenia, and Levon Kirakosyan, Senior IT Project Manager, Synergy International Systems, Armenia.

• “Cross Border Disputes and Online Mediation: Challenges and solutions”, which will be delivered by Mr. Antony Lo Surdo, SC, Court of Arbitration for Sport, Australia. The co-chairs for this topic will be Mr. Tomasi Bainivalu, Chief Registrar of the Fiji Judiciary, and Mr. Tony O’Gorman, Mediator, PNG and Australia.

Read next week’s court page for the final article on the APMF topics and subtopics.