Nghe An summarizes 10 years of implementing the Law on Mediation at the grassroots level, honoring 112 outstanding grassroots mediators

According to the Report at the conference, over the past 10 years, the implementation of the Law on Mediation at the grassroots level in the province has always received attention and direction from local Party committees and authorities at all levels, thereby positively impacting social life, creating a complete, comprehensive and solid legal basis for mediation activities at the grassroots level to become systematic, unified and effective, contributing positively to ensuring security, order and social safety in the locality.

Mediation work has effectively supported local authorities in resolving conflicts, law violations, and small disputes in the community, maintaining social order and security, limiting petitions and complaints that go beyond the level of authority, and stabilizing the situation at the grassroots level.

Focus on strengthening and improving the quality of mediation teams and mediators.

The State management team on grassroots mediation is always concerned and strengthened. The network of mediation teams is regularly improved; attracting many components and participants, gathering core forces with experience in the community; ensuring close coordination between political and social organizations, organizations, unions and people in mediation work at the grassroots level.

Implementing Plan No. 401/KH-UBND of Nghe An Provincial People's Committee on implementing the Project "Improving the capacity of grassroots mediators in the period of 2019-2022" in the province, the Department of Justice has selected 12 commune-level units in 4 districts (Dien Chau, Hung Nguyen, Tan Ky, Quy Chau) which are localities with low mediation success rates and many obstacles in the implementation of the Law on Mediation at the grassroots level to review, assess the current situation and guide and improve the mediation team and mediators. Thereby, encouraging retired officials and civil servants to participate in mediation teams.

Currently, the whole province has 3,870 mediation teams, with 26,402 mediators; 55 grassroots mediation clubs, model mediation teams, community mediation teams... The annual successful mediation rate reaches 70-85% or more.

In order to improve the quality and effectiveness of mediation work, in addition to focusing on compiling and publishing documents for grassroots mediation work, every year, the Department of Justice organizes training courses on grassroots mediation skills for the team of Justice - Civil Status officials at the commune level.

The grassroots mediator team alone organized 100 professional training courses for more than 1,000 people; the application of information technology in propaganda, dissemination, and updating of new legal policies for this team is also of interest to all levels, sectors, and units.

Over the past 10 years, Nghe An Provincial People's Committee has successfully organized 2 excellent mediator competitions in the form of dramatization, attracting 28,000 mediators and people to participate; organized 3 conferences to honor outstanding mediators in the whole province.

In addition to the achieved results, there are still some shortcomings and limitations in the implementation of the Law on Grassroots Mediation in the province, such as: The team of mediators holds many different positions at the grassroots level, so the time spent on mediation is not much, and the quality of mediation is not high. The rate of successful mediation in some localities is still low. Disputes are increasingly diverse and complicated while the level of mediators still has certain limitations, so mediation activities face many difficulties.

Regarding State management, local Party committees and authorities in some places have not really paid due attention to the importance of mediation work. Funding for mediation work at the grassroots level has not met the requirements; social resources have not been mobilized for mediation activities at the grassroots level.

Some specialized cadres of communes, wards and towns have not done a good job of advising the People's Committees of the same level in grassroots mediation work, and still have the mindset of waiting and relying on the direction of superiors...

Application of digital technology in mediation and legal propaganda

Speaking at the conference, Comrade Hoang Thi Thu Trang - Member of the Provincial Party Committee, Director of the Department of Justice; Permanent Vice Chairman of the Provincial Council for Coordination, Dissemination and Legal Education highly appreciated the achieved results and the synchronous participation of the entire political system in implementing grassroots mediation work in particular and legal dissemination and education work in general in the province.

The Director of the Department of Justice requested that delegates representing agencies and units attending the conference promote awareness and responsibility, discuss, contribute ideas, and share experiences to replicate good practices and good models in grassroots mediation work.

At the same time, it is necessary to assess the reality, seriously and frankly point out the weaknesses, shortcomings and causes affecting the effectiveness and quality of legal dissemination and education activities, and mediation work at the grassroots level in particular, in order to have remedial measures.

The conference focused on discussing, determining the objectives, contents and main solutions for grassroots mediation work and legal dissemination and education in Nghe An province to continue to go into depth and meet practical requirements. These are:

- Improve the quality of activities and advisory work of judicial officers of wards, communes and towns; Regularly consolidate and improve the team of mediators, train and foster legal knowledge, mediation skills, provide documents for mediators; promptly commend and reward mediators who uphold the sense of responsibility, proactively and creatively perform their tasks, contributing to the socio-economic development of the locality.

- Continue to encourage and promote the role of the masses in mediation work. Mobilize the team of Lawyers, Attorneys, Judges, People's Jurors, retired officials... to participate in supporting mediators in mediation activities at the grassroots level.

- Focus on innovating the form of propaganda and selecting the content of propaganda, dissemination of legal education suitable for each target group, locality, field and social needs, ensuring focus, key points, practicality, quality and effectiveness. Promote the application of information technology, digital transformation in the work of disseminating and educating the law, mediation at the grassroots level and assessing and recognizing communes that have met the standards of legal access, meeting the requirements in the new situation.

On this occasion, 20 collectives and individuals with outstanding achievements in 10 years of implementing the Law on Mediation at the grassroots level were honored to receive Certificates of Merit from the Provincial People's Committee; 112 outstanding grassroots mediators in the whole province were commended and honored at the conference (including 20 mediators receiving Certificates of Merit from the Provincial People's Committee, 92 mediators receiving Certificates of Merit from the Department of Justice).