Turning Shared Experience into Stronger Practice at CAO Mediators’ Summit
From January 26 to January 30, 2026, CAO brought members of its global mediation network together in Santo Domingo for the 5th CAO Mediators’ Summit. Nineteen mediators from Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin America, and the Caribbean joined CAO staff to share lessons learned and strengthen skills in complex mediation.
Held every two years, the CAO Mediators’ Summit is a space for connection and community building. The Summit offers mediators the opportunity to strengthen their practice, learn from one another’s lived experience, and deepen collaboration around CAO’s dispute resolution practices and external experiences. Guided by the theme “Shared Lessons, Shared Futures,” which reflects on CAO’s 25th Anniversary, this year’s Summit focused on cultivating a strong community of practice and equipping participants with tools and strategies to respond to increasingly complex dispute resolution contexts.
Through interactive sessions, peer exchange, and hands-on learning, participants explored real-world challenges from their cases through simulations, peer clinics, and open-space sessions. Discussions explored power dynamics between companies and communities, group dynamics in mediation, approaches to gender-based violence, Indigenous conflict resolution practices, and the application of the mediation matrix in company-community disputes. These exchanges helped strengthen mediator confidence while ensuring safety, dignity, and informed participation of all parties.
“I am very proud of being associated with such an experienced, knowledgeable, and globally recognized network of professionals in this mediation space. The mediators’ professionalism and the extent of their experience are the bedrock of the work we do. I am excited for this year’s summit, whose content is largely led by the mediators, drawing from their cases and other mediation practices. The format is designed not only to share experience but also to build and sharpen the CAO mediation practice,” said Nokukhanya Ntuli, Manager for Dispute Resolution, CAO.
The Summit opened with reflections on CAO’s dispute resolution journey, including an interactive timeline exercise that invited mediators to situate their own experiences within CAO’s broader history. Participants also discussed the evolution of CAO’s work, recent institutional developments, and priorities for the years ahead.
“Having a mediators’ network is very useful and important. The summit itself is very good because it nurtures me and other mediators in the work that we do, helps us keep growing, and keeps us updated on changes in the world and within the institution,” said Ambrosius Ruwindrijarto, a CAO mediator based in Indonesia.
CAO mediators’ summits provide a dedicated space for mediators to step back from active cases, reflect on practice, and engage with peers working in varied and often challenging contexts. By combining structured dialogue with informal interaction, the summits support professional renewal and collective learning, reinforcing CAO’s investment in continuous learning and collaboration of mediators to enhance the quality and impact of its dispute resolution work.
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