The Bhutan National Legal Institute (BNLI) has begun a six-day online mediation course for the Local Government Leaders (Mangmis) today, with a total of 27 participants attending the course from their respective Gewog offices in the first phase. The course is being facilitated by respective Judges and faculties from the Institute. It is funded by Royal Government of Bhutan (RGoB).
From 2012 – 2021, the Bhutan National Legal Institute has trained a total of 2025 LG Leaders (Gups, Magmis and Tshogpas) of the first and second Local Government from 205 Gewogs. Since 2012, the LG Leaders have mediated a total of 39,823 cases in the communities. Therefore, conflict resolution is one of the primary functions of the local leaders.
As the Bhutanese proverbial goes, “even the scoops and stirring spoons get into conflicts when kept together for a long time”; conflicts and disputes are inevitable and persuasive aspects of life. And a conflict free harmonious society is impossible. Hence, mediation is one of the modes for attainment of peace and harmony in the society. It has gained immense popularity as effective mode of dispute settlement in the recent years thus enhancing access to justice. Besides, reducing the number of civil cases reaching the Courts, it also saves time and resources of the people and gives opportunity to live happily as families, friends and neighbors – ensuring a free, fair and a just civil society.
This course seeks to provide the participants with an in-depth understanding of the mediation process and equip them with the skills required to resolve the disputes in the communities. However, this time, the Institute has opted to conduct online courses to minimize in-person meetings and mass gathering of participants in view of the prolonged pandemic and to encourage the local leaders to leverage a digital technology to bring about a greater efficiency and resource optimization.
The course is designed in conformity with international standards which require a minimum of 40 hours of sessions to qualify as a mediator. The course will conclude on 14th May.