Over the transom from our good friends at the International Mediation Institute comes this announcement:<\/p>\n
The <\/em>Inter-Cultural Taskforce of the IMI Independent Standards Commission\u00a0(ISC)<\/em><\/a>, after a year of meetings and consultation, is publishing \u00a0for comment\u00a0<\/em>Draft Criteria for the planned IMI Inter-Cultural Competency Certification of Mediators.<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n Organisations approved by the ISC as an Inter-Cultural Qualifying Assessment\u00a0Program (ICQAP) will assess mediators for their mastery of inter-cultural\u00a0dynamics and qualify mediators for IMI Inter-Cultural Certification. The launch of this new initiative is planned for late 2011 following a public\u00a0consultation period and testing of the criteria in a pilot program.<\/em><\/p>\n This is the first I heard of this initiative, and all I know is what I read.\u00a0 From what I read….<\/p>\n The IMI seems to be concerned to address mediators who may hold themselves out as skilled in cross-cultural negotiation, while providing end-users with no ciiteria to demonstrate those skills.\u00a0 As I understand it, IMI seeks both to (1) promulgate objective criteria by which cross-cultural competencu can be measured, and (ii) designate provider or training rganizations which would apply those criteria to individual mediators, in effect certifying their cross-cultural competency according to standards that were both consistent and appropriate.\u00a0 (Links to the draft criteria, and to the\u00a0Taskforce that drafted them, appear at the top of this post.)<\/p>\n IMI is seeking comment on those standards.\u00a0 The announcement also states IMI’s intention to explain this initiative further at the ABA Dispute Resolution Section in Denver in April (at which, I am sure, they will get the views of many mediators but not necessarily many end-users).<\/p>\n