1. How we work with local facilitators
The Complaints Mechanism team works hard to tailor its dispute-resolution process to local cultures and traditions. We employ local professionals who know the culture, the languages and the context of the dispute. Most of our local facilitators are professional mediators. These facilitators improve and enrich our work.
The Complaints Mechanism is always trying to expand its network of local facilitators and mediators. We collaborate regularly with other independent accountability mechanisms to find local partners. We organize workshops in targeted regions and invite facilitators and mediators.
In 2023, we collaborated with the Office of the Compliance Advisor Ombudsman, which is the accountability mechanism for the International Finance Corporation and Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency of the World Bank Group, and with the accountability mechanism for the African Development Bank to organize a three-day workshop in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. This event brought together 17 mediators from West and North Africa. Participants learned how independent accountability mechanisms work, how to analyse conflicts, how to strengthen parties’ capacity to participate in a dispute resolution process and how to design a process that meets parties’ needs. The interactive workshop featured group exercises, role-playing and knowledge-sharing.
In 2025, we are working again with the Office of the Compliance Advisor Ombudsman and the accountability mechanism for the African Development Bank to organize a workshop in Tunisia with 15 mediators from the Middle East and North Africa.
2. How do local facilitators help us?
The local facilitators manage the dispute resolution process on the ground with help from the Complaints Mechanism team in Luxembourg. They are in frequent contact with the local parties to discuss the dispute and set up individual meetings with each party and then hold joint meetings to bring everyone together.
At the beginning of a process, local facilitators help the parties establish guiding principles for the dispute resolution process, decide on the process scope and design, and identify needs and interests. Throughout the process, they help parties have constructive dialogue and ensure that the discussions move forward. The local facilitators help parties make informed decisions to resolve the dispute. When an agreement is reached, they help the parties implement it.
3. Would you like to help us resolve disputes?
The Complaints Mechanism keeps a directory of facilitators and mediators across the world. The directory helps us find local experts when we receive new cases, especially in countries where our network is thin. Professionals with a deep understanding of core mediation principles and experience mediating multiparty disputes are encouraged to apply to join our directory by signing up here.