Can politics and religion really mix? The Tony Curtis Debate
CIArb News / 27 November 2009
The old saying is that politics and religion don't mix. But what about if mediation is added in - can it help to resolve complex political and religious conflicts?
That is the question that will be debated at the next Tony Curtis Debate on Wednesday 2 December, at Bloomsbury Square, organised by MATA in partnership with the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb) and In Place of Strife, the Mediation Chambers.
Speakers include The Revd Ian Paisley MP, former first minister of Northern Ireland; Andrew Acland, one of the founders of mediation in the UK, former aide to Terry Waite and now environmental mediator; Kenneth Cloke, US mediator, arbitrator and author on conflict and Canon David Porter, Director for Reconciliation Ministry at Coventry Cathedral. It will be chaired by John Sturrock QC.
The speakers are uniquely placed to give their perspectives on peace negotiations and conflict resolution. Their wide-ranging experience of conflict resolution covers political, social, environmental and religious concerns. All the speakers have been involved in mediation as a means of resolving complex conflicts.
The Revd Ian Paisley MP and Canon David Porter will give their unique perspectives on the conflict and peace process in Northern Ireland. As the then leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), the largest single grouping in the 2007 elections to the Northern Ireland Assembly, the Rt Hon Revd Ian Paisley was elected First Minister of Northern Ireland, playing a key part in the peace process.
Canon David Porter, an experienced community relations activist and community theologian, was appointed in 2007 to the independent Consultative Group on the Past, to advise the British government on dealing with the legacy of the conflict in Northern Ireland.
Andrew Acland was one of the pioneers of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) in the United Kingdom and a former aide to Terry Waite. He is a founding member of The Environment Council's stakeholder dialogue practice and has worked internationally with government and non-governmental organisations on many controversial issues such as transport of nuclear waste, road schemes such as the construction of the Newbury by-pass and genetic modification.
Kenneth Cloke is Director of the Center for Dispute Resolution in the USA and specialises in resolving complex multi-party disputes particularly in labour-related and public policy disputes. He is also a leader of the Mediator Lobby at the Copenhagen Environment Conference in December.
The event will be chaired by John Sturrock QC, an internationally recognised coach and facilitator in the fields of negotiation, mediation and communication. He was one of the principal speakers and organisers of a major conference on peacemaking and conflict resolution in churches held recently in Scotland and is working with the Scottish Government in promoting collaboration in business and the economy and in its climate change initiative, through which he is attending the forthcoming summit in Copenhagen.
David Richbell, Director of MATA said: "With the backdrop of the global terrorist threat and religious and political conflict around the world, the subject of our Tony Curtis Debate is extremely relevant to all of us. We thought it was important to explore how the principles of mediation could be taken to many different levels, in helping to resolve complex social, religious, political and environmental disputes. Although we hold a number of debates on mediation, the subject-matter of this winter's Tony Curtis debate is a departure for us and we anticipate that it will provide an opportunity for practising mediators and non mediator guests to extend their knowledge of mediation to new areas."
The Tony Curtis Debate was founded in memory of Tony Curtis, a mediator and trainer with MATA who died in 2003.
The Chartered Institute of Arbitrators is hosting this event at 12 Bloomsbury Square, London, WC1A 2LP at 16.30 - 18.30, to be followed by drinks and refreshments.
It carries 2 CPD points and is open to practising mediators at a cost of £50 + VAT per delegate (with a guest included for free).
To book, please complete the registration form