MiKK Global Ambassadors

MiKK Ambassadors Project (MAP)

Putting Cross-Border Family Mediation on the Map!

The MiKK Ambassador Project (MAP) was created in 2022 in order to respond to an increasing need and call for specialized cross-border family mediators (CBFM) in parental child abduction cases across the EU and internationally.

International stakeholders and the applicable legal framework, such as the new EU legislation (Brussels IIb Regulation) and the HCCH Guide to Good Practice Mediation by The Hague Conference on Private International Law recommend that child abduction and cross-border custody disputes should be handled by mediators with specialist knowledge and skills to handle these cases.

Given the new strengthened mediation provisions of the new Brussels IIb (recast) Regulation the need for specialized, intercultural and multilingual mediators is likely to continue to increase over the next years.

The project promotes specialist cross-border family mediation (CBFM) within the EU and internationally with the help and tireless efforts of ‘MiKK Ambassadors’. These MiKK-trained specialized CBFM Mediators are actively raising awareness, share best CBFM practices and help to increase expertise in CBFM in their respective countries across the EU and worldwide. It is envisaged that the MiKK Ambassadors will reach stakeholders in their respective countries, such as judges, lawyers, mediators, social workers, guardian ad items and NGOs.

The MiKK Ambassadors are in a unique position to help promote the specialist, cross-border mediation best practices, mediation models and tools developed, tried and tested by MiKK over the past 20 years. To name just a few, the 4B (bi-lingual, bi-cultural, bi-gender and bi-professional) MiKK Mediation Model, the AMICABLE Best Practice Tools and the Mediator-in-Court Model are considered as highly effective best practices and key resources by stakeholders worldwide.

The ultimate aim of the MiKK Ambassador Project (MAP) is to share expertise and to help ensure the prevalence of specialized mediators and national mediation structures in every EU States as well as globally – with the overarching aim of safeguarding the best interest of the child!

In 2022, five MiKK Ambassadors were nominated from Poland, Sweden, Greece and Austria.

In 2023, seven Ambassadors from Ireland, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Luxembourg, Spain and Japan were nominated.

The MiKK Ambassadors have so far been very successful in promoting cross-border family mediation and the international MiKK network by implementing a number of initiatives and activities in their country, such as:

✔ meeting with key national stakeholders, including their respective Central Authorities discussing steps to implement specialist mediation

✔ arranging speaking engagements at national conferences about CBFM

✔ organizing for MiKK to speak at national judges’ and lawyers’ conferences

✔ setting up a workshop with MiKK participation for judges supported by their national Central Authority

✔ publishing articles in national legal and mediation publications about the advantages of specialist cross-border family mediation in child abduction cases.

Later this month in November 2024, seven newly appointed MiKK Ambassadors representing Lithuania & Latvia, Belgium & Morocco, France & Tunisia, Denmark, the Czech Republic, Italy and India will meet in Berlin for a brainstorming workshop.

🔸Become a MiKK Ambassador in your Country 🔸

If you are a MiKK mediator wishing to apply to become a MiKK Ambassador in your country, then we would like to hear from you!

MiKK is now collating applications for interested MiKK mediators for 2025!

The Ambassador positions are open to all MiKK mediators actively listed on the MiKK website. If trained with MiKK but are not yet listed please see xxxx

🔹Not yet Part of the International MiKK Mediator Network?🔹

If you are a mediator and wish to train as a Cross-border Family Mediator and join the global MiKK Mediator Network, please see (Weblink) for upcoming MiKK CBFM trainings (in English, German and Spanish). Please note that our MiKK Spring Webinars and the MiKK Ongoing Trainings are open also to Non-MiKK Mediators.