On May 27-30, 2022, mediators from Bolnisi, Kutaisi and Batumi participated in a four-day training to refresh their mediator skills, as they are about to commence mediations at the newly opened court-annexed mediation centers at the courts in those cities.

The training was led by local trainers Eter Chachanidze, Sopo Chachava and the USAID Rule of Law Program Advisor Sophie Tkemaladze. In the course of the training, the participants discussed challenges that may come up at different stages of mediations, sharpened their active listening skills, and led mediation sessions in a simulated dispute setting.

Reflecting on the training, one of the participants and mediator from Bolnisi, Mariam Tabagari, said that she is “extremely grateful to the USAID Rule of Law Program as well as to the Mediators’ Association of Georgia for this opportunity. I feel more confident now to mediate a case when it comes.” 

“Mediation is a skill, and when not practiced that skill tends to blunt. I took my mediator training over a year ago, and since then did not have a chance to conduct a mediation. Now that the mediation center in Kutaisi has opened, we will be receiving cases to mediate. As a result of this training, we are all better prepared for the job,” said Nino Zukhbaia, training participant and mediator from Kutaisi.

The participants of the training were identified with the help of the Mediators Association of Georgia (MAG), which keeps track of all mediators across Georgia. Presently, there are six mediators registered in Kutaisi, six in Batumi, and three in Bolnisi, and the number of mediators continuously increases as new mediators pass MAG’s accreditation. The mediation centers in Bolnisi and Kutaisi opened in December 2021 and January 2022, respectively, and the mediation center in Batumi is expected to open during 2022.

At the end of the training, a semi-formal meeting between the judges of Batumi City Court and the local mediators was held. The meeting allowed the judges and mediators to get to know each other, talk about their expectations, and discuss both the stages when and methods by which parties to a dispute can be persuaded to try mediation.