A total of twenty-four officers from the National Judicial Staff Services (NJSS) successfully completed a two-day Judicial Protocol training on 2 and 3 April 2024.

The workshop was facilitated for the support staff of the Asia Pacific Mediation Forum Conference 2024, which will be hosted in Port Moresby from 19 to 21 August 2024. The workshop marked the inaugural session of a comprehensive training series designed to prepare the officers for the international conference. Their goal is to become customer-friendly, competent, and fully immersed in their roles as attachés during the conference.

In his opening remarks, Chief Justice Gibbs Salika, elaborated on the need to understand and practice proper judicial and VIP communication protocol. He encouraged the participants to seize this training opportunity and learn as much as they can.

Justice John Carey, PNGCJE Judge Administrator, introduced the participants to the first session of the training. He emphasized the critical significance of the conference and highlighted international standards of protocol, etiquette, and diplomacy.

Ms. Debbie Laudiwana, the Research and Publications Manager at the PNG Centre for Judicial Excellence, provided insights on the relevance of gender equity, ethnicity and access to justice particularly in international gatherings.

The participants were also taught basic diplomacy skills by the NJSS Protocol Manager, Mr. Joshua Konga and the protocol team.

Ms. Vali Kila, PNGCJE program officer, and Ms. Deslyn Mihire from the Alternative Dispute Resolution unit, engaged participants in interactive discussions about the critical significance of crafting effective talking points related to the country and its court system. Additionally, they emphasized the essential adherence to proper dress code etiquette by the conference support officers.

The training concluded with participants given role plays to perform on how to receive important guests and delegates of the APMF conference.

There was a total of nine topics that were facilitated during the two-day training, and these included:

1. Introduction to the training;

2. Judicial and VIP communication protocols;

3. Understanding gender, ethnicity, and access to justice;

4. How to receive VIPs and international guests;

5. Developing practical skills in diplomacy;

6. Communication and networking;

7. Devising talking points;

8. Developing action plans; and

9. Problem solving during the forum.