PRESS RELEASE
24 OCTOBER 2023
The Singapore International Mediation Institute (SIMI) has published the 8th volume of Contemporary Issues in Mediation (CIIM), a collection of thought-leadership essays on mediation. Officiating at the book launch on Tuesday, 24 October 2023, was Guest-of-Honour, Mdm Rahayu Mahzam, Senior Parliamentary Secretary at the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Law.
“The prominence of mediation as a dispute resolution mechanism has increased over the years. The Government will continue our work in developing the mediation sector, by ensuring that our regime and environment support mediation, and promoting Singapore mediation services locally and internationally through events like the Singapore Convention Week. As mediation continues to gain traction, I look forward to more exchanges on it, and more volumes of CIIM in years to come.” - Mdm Rahayu Mahzam, Senior Parliamentary Secretary at the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Law.
CIIM is a novel series with content that originates from SIMI’s annual mediation essay competition for law students. The series has found its way into the international academic publishing world through our partnership with World Scientific Publishing Co Pte Ltd.
The essay competition and the publication of CIIM aligns with SIMI’s mission to promote the development of professional mediation practice through research and thought leadership.
“It has been three years since the ratification of the Singapore Convention on Mediation (“SCM”). The SCM has arguably created a profound impact on thought leadership in the area of mediation and has since engendered rich discourse on its applicability and feasibility in the world of modern mediation practice. CIIM Volume 8 adds further food for thought to this rich discourse with essays that shed light on the diversity of issues and challenges that define the contemporary mediation landscape today,” said Prof Joel Lee, Chairman of SIMI and Co-editor of CIIM Volume 8.
The nine articles in CIIM Volume 8 have an international slant and cover professional practice issues, among other topics:
• Operationalising Art 5(1)(e) of the Singapore Mediation Convention
• The Hesitation of the European Union in Adopting the Singapore Convention on Mediation: Perspectives from International Relations Theory
• Navigating two different truths in family mediation: one size will not fit all
• In Pursuit of Therapeutic Justice: Mediation and Singapore’s Family Justice System
• The Fundamental Concept of Voluntariness in Mediation: Is Mandatory Mediation an Oxymoron?
CIIM Volume 8 has been edited by Prof Joel Lee, Chairman of SIMI, and Mr Marcus Lim, Adjunct Assistant Professor at the NUS Faculty of Law and Country Manager (Singapore) of LUPL, who are the general editors of the CIIM series. Previous volumes have also featured mediation professionals as guest editors, and the guest editor for Volume 8 was Mr Melvin Loh, Senior Lecturer at SUSS Law.
The book has received endorsement from an experienced academic, as well as a professional mediator. “This is a terrific array of topics that is sure to provide useful information and thought-provoking reflections for its readers,” said Ms Andrea Kupfer Schneider, Professor of Law, Cardozo School of Law & Director, Kukin Program for Conflict Resolution. “If I may offer one encouragement to all of us involved in mediation, it is to recognise the breadth of wisdom and learning across the whole mediation field - and beyond it - and to stay curious and open to what each of us can learn from others … CIIM helps us to do just that,” echoed Bill Marsh, International Mediator, SIMI Certified Mediator.
The CIIM series was launched in 2016 when the top entries from SIMI’s annual mediation essay competition were first published. It aims to develop greater interest in mediation among young professionals by encouraging them to think more deeply about mediation issues and providing them with a platform to have their works published.
"CIIM is premised on a vision that wisdom is not necessarily a function of age or experience and pieces that can meaningfully contribute to the development of the field can come from students. CIIM seeks to provide students the opportunity to showcase their work." – Prof Joel Lee, at the launch of CIIM in 2016
Resources
- For the full speech by SPS Mdm Rahayu Mahzam, please click here.
- Please see Annex A for the synopsis of the nine articles in CIIM Volume 8.
- For more information about the CIIM series, kindly click here.
- Copies of CIIM Volume 8 are available for purchase here.
Contact
Lim Su Lin
Senior Consultant (Part-time)
Corporate Communications
lim.su.lin@simi.org.sg
Alvin Sim
Executive Director
alvin.sim@simi.org.sg