To the AMA

Global trends in mediation keep it up with modern creeds
It out trumps litigation, responds to social needs
Goals, objectives, values drive the mediation quest
Med-arb, arb-med, arb-med-arb, it’s a resolution fest
East and west, cross-cultural norms, acronyms fly fast,
CCPIT, DDR and ODR at last.
Where winds of change are blowing, when harmony’s at bay
Mediators find solace within the AMA
When mediators are jaded and scholars start to stray
We gain fine inspiration in the halls of AMA
Litigation ‘comes creative, metamorphises in its way
Competes through adaptation, case management holds sway
But resilience is the hallmark of mediation’s game
It dominates the global stage, not easy to contain
Cross-cultural mediation assumes dimensions of its own
Each jurisdiction innovates - it’s never just a clone
UNCITRAL pushes global med to take on NYC
CIETAC creates services for disputes oversea
Insights from the Philippines, Fiji and HK
Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and UK,
HKMAA, SMC, the acronyms abound
Cross-pollination is our creed, but there is much common ground
In all of this the lead comes wise from far Australia
But Wang Fang has better views - must stop before I’ve gone too far.
--Laurence Boulle, To the AMA presented at the Fourth Asian Mediation Association Conference, Beijing, 20-21 October 2016