Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH —

The Ministry of Justice has organized an advanced training program for qualifying court mediators on best practices to settle disputes following international standards.

The program is part of the ministry’s initiative to activate the mediation system in Saudi Arabia.

“Mediation is a significant step to settling disputes according to Islamic law, and plays an important social role in maintaining the unity of the family and society,” said Vice Minister of Justice Saad Al-Saif.

“Reconciliation is also effective in reducing the influx of lawsuits,” he added.

“The courses allow trainees to go through practical workshops focusing on resolving real life scenarios through interactive discussions led by specialized international trainers,” said Raed Al-Mansour, the initiative director at the ministry’s Vision Realization Office.

Al-Mansour also pointed out that the eight-day program launched its first phase last October in Riyadh and was attended by 20 selected mediators. The second phase was launched last week in Al-Khobar in the Eastern Province.

And it is moving according to the plan being implemented by the Vision Realization Office for activating mediation in the Kingdom.

The goal is to train over 170 others in the future. Successful candidates receive certificates from the British University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, after completing 60 hours of training.