JICA trains legal professionals to strengthen Bangladesh's Special Mediator System

The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), in collaboration with the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, organised a two-day basic mediation training for legal professionals in Dhaka to strengthen Bangladesh's newly established Special Mediator system.

The training, held at InterContinental Dhaka on Friday and Saturday, brought together around 40 participants, including special mediators (lawyers), legal aid officers and officials from the ministry, the Directorate of Bangladesh Legal Aid (DBLA), the Judicial Administration Training Institute (JATI) and the Supreme Court of Bangladesh.

The programme was inaugurated by Law Secretary Liaquet Ali Molla, who underscored the importance of strengthening mediation services to improve access to justice and ensure the timely resolution of disputes.

The closing ceremony was attended by Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Md Asaduzzaman as the chief guest and JICA Bangladesh Chief Representative Takahashi Junko as the special guest.

Addressing the event, the minister described mediation as an effective, accessible and people-centred mechanism for resolving disputes. He expressed hope that the Special Mediator system would help reduce the backlog of court cases and improve access to justice.

He also urged participants to apply the knowledge and skills gained through the training in their professional practice and play an active role in promoting mediation across the country.

The training was conducted by Japanese mediation expert Prof Miyatake Masako and included lectures, role-playing exercises and mock mediation sessions. Participants received practical instruction on mediation principles, communication and negotiation techniques, mediator ethics and dispute resolution skills.

Under its Development of Mediation and Civil Litigation Practices for Enhancement of Access to Justice Project, JICA has been supporting the government in promoting mediation as an alternative dispute resolution mechanism.

Since April 2025, the project has implemented a pilot initiative in Narsingdi and Cumilla, training 44 lawyer-mediators at district legal aid offices. By April 2026, the initiative had facilitated the settlement of 898 cases through mediation.

Building on the pilot's success, the amended Legal Aid Services Act introduced the Special Mediator system, institutionalising the lawyer-mediator model developed under the project.

JICA said it is continuing to work with the DBLA and other relevant institutions to support the effective implementation of the new system through capacity-building, the sharing of Japan's mediation expertise and strengthened collaboration among justice-sector stakeholders.

The agency said the training marked an important milestone in enhancing the skills of special mediators and legal professionals and is expected to improve the quality of mediation services, expand access to justice and facilitate the efficient resolution of civil and family disputes across Bangladesh.

JICA also announced plans to organise advanced mediation training later this year to further strengthen the professional capacity of special mediators.