Community Mediation Centre achieves international accreditation, thanked volunteers as it turns 20 this year

05 OCT 2018

5 Oct 2018 Posted in Press releases

  1. The Community Mediation Centre (CMC) received international accreditation for its community mediation service and training, as it turns 20 this year. At its annual Mediators’ Appointment Ceremony and Appreciation Dinner this evening, Senior Minister of State (SMS) for Law and Health Edwin Tong, thanked the CMC’s volunteer mediators for their contributions. He also gave out the Minister for Law Community Mediator Award, the top honour given to volunteer mediators for their contribution to community mediation in Singapore.

  2. In his address, SMS Tong said, “The international accreditation is a major milestone for the CMC. It is an important acknowledgement of the quality of the CMC’s mediation service and also the skills and standards of our mediators. The CMC would not be where it is today without the tireless efforts of our volunteer mediators.”

  3. Set up in 1998 as a department under the Ministry of Law, the CMC provides an accessible, affordable and effective means for resolving community disputes. Over the last 20 years, it has mediated more than 9,000 cases; more than 70% were successfully resolved. The CMC taps on volunteers to mediate these cases. The number of volunteer mediators on the CMC’s panel has grown from 47 in 1998 to 153 in 2018.

CMC achieves international accreditation

  1. At the dinner, SMS Tong announced that the CMC has achieved accreditation by the Singapore International Mediation Institute (SIMI), the professional standards body for mediation in Singapore and the region. With this accreditation, both CMC’s community mediation service and training are now recognised as meeting international standards. Moving forward, the accreditation will allow the CMC to train and accredit its own mediators under SIMI’s accreditation framework.

Minister for Law Community Mediator Award

  1. At the dinner, SMS Tong also presented the Minister for Law Community Mediator Award. The award is the top honour given to volunteer mediators for their contribution to community mediation in Singapore. It recognises the important role that volunteers play in helping to resolve community disputes and fostering social cohesion.
  1. The first recipient of this prestigious award is Mr G. Anthony Samy, aged 83. Mr Samy has been a volunteer mediator with the CMC for the last 19 years, contributing more than 1,000 hours of his time. During this period, he mediated 560 cases, the highest number of cases mediated by a volunteer at the CMC to-date. He also helped to coach newer mediators and played an instrumental role in promoting mediation, especially in schools.
  1. Two other mediators, Mr Ameerali Abdeali and Dr Lee Chuan Guan, received the Distinguished Service Award and the Outstanding Newcomer Award respectively, for their exemplary performance. The CMC also appointed 13 new mediators, re-appointed 90 existing mediators, and promoted four mediators. For their years of volunteer service, 10 mediators received the 20 Year Appreciation Awards while six mediators received the Five Year Appreciation Awards. For a detailed list of the award recipients, please refer to Annex (0.4MB).

For more information on the CMC, please refer to the Factsheet (0.5MB).

Last updated on 12 Oct 2018