International roundtable ‘Creating infrastructure and procedures for conflict resolution at the university’

On 26 January 2024, the International Roundtable on Creating Infrastructure and Procedures for Conflict Resolution at the University was held, bringing together more than 100 people. For more than 3 hours, the participants discussed current formats of conflict resolution at universities, emphasising the challenges faced by the subjects of the educational process.

The first part of the meeting was dedicated to highlighting the various experiences of universities in implementing dispute resolution systems.

Natalia Krestovska emphasised that developing the right approach to conflict resolution in the educational environment requires attention to the multiplicity of norms governing these relations.

Henry Yampolsky shared the specifics of the activities of the Centre for Peace Studies and Violence Prevention (Virginia Tech, USA), among the important areas of which he highlighted the training of students to develop skills of effective conflict response to build constructive relationships.

Tetyana Tsuvina presented the experience of consensual procedures at the Yaroslav Mudryi National Law University, emphasising the role of the student ombudsman in this process.

Anna Tsybulko drew attention to the step-by-step conflict analysis carried out by the Educational Ombudsman of the University of Warsaw through diagnostics, coaching and decision-making on referring the case to mediation.

Ruslana Havryliuk and Lidiya Nesterenko presented the experience of implementing dispute resolution policies at the Yuriy Fedkovych National University of Kyiv. Thus, in 2015, they developed a policy of moral and ethical minimum, which formed the basis of the university's charter.

Diana Protsenko shared her experience of dispute resolution by commissions at NaUKMA.

Systematic provision of mediation services in higher education institutions became a topic of heated discussions and allowed to raise a more global topic of developing ADR culture in the educational environment.

The roundtable ended with a presentation of the concept of mediation services:

Natalia Mazaraki revealed approaches to the functioning of mediation services (MS). Among the models of MS she highlighted: in-house mediators, volunteer mediators, outsourcing.

Diana Protsenko presented the results of a survey of the participants of the educational process, emphasising the value of strengthening the atmosphere of understanding for them.

We would like to thank the co-organisers, the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, the State University of Trade and Economics, the National University of Odesa Maritime Academy, and the Yuriy Fedkovych Chernivtsi National University.

We would like to express our special gratitude to the partners of the event for their support: Center for Peace Studies & Violence Prevention at Virginia Tech (USA), University of Southampton (UK), NGO ‘Progressive’ (UA), Yaroslav Mudryi National Law University, Uniwersytet Warszawski, Faculty of Sociology and Law of Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute.

The roundtable was held with the financial support of the European Union provided within the framework of the project ‘CONSENT: Enhancing the role of alternative dispute resolution in Ukraine with a focus on mediation’, implemented by the Ukrainian Academy of Mediation.