Cross-Cultural Insights for Contemporary Conflict Resolution in Australia

As conflict becomes more complex in today’s interconnected world, mediators, lawyers and practitioners are increasingly required to work across cultural, relational and collective contexts that extend beyond individualised and purely formal dispute resolution models.

This online session offers an international, practice-informed conversation on cross-cultural conflict resolution, drawing on African practice — including traditional and customary dispute resolution approaches — and their relevance to contemporary conflicts globally.

Comprehensive Mediation Services is pleased to host international ADR practitioner Isaac Asare, Founder and President of the Africa Centre for Collaborative Dispute Resolution (AfCCoDR) in Ghana, for this global, practice-informed dialogue.

With over a decade of experience, Isaac works at the intersection of formal ADR processes and traditional and customary systems, where legitimacy, community authority, social accountability and long-term relationship preservation play a central role. His practice spans family, labour, commercial, land, mining and community disputes, offering rare insight into how plural systems of justice operate side by side in real-world contexts.

Rather than focusing on theory or cultural generalisations, this session is grounded in applied practice. Isaac will share reflections drawn from his work with both customary and formal systems, exploring how different approaches to authority, consent and legitimacy influence whether outcomes are accepted and sustained over time.

This session is designed as a reflective, practitioner-level conversation, offering participants the opportunity to broaden their perspective, strengthen cross-cultural awareness, and engage thoughtfully with international practice experience.

Why this matters for Australian practitioners

Australian mediators and lawyers are increasingly navigating disputes shaped by culture, community expectations, power dynamics and collective responsibility — whether in family matters, workplaces, community settings or multi-stakeholder environments.

This session offers:

• insight into how customary and formal dispute resolution systems interact in practice
• a deeper understanding of legitimacy, authority and consent beyond individual agreements
• reflections relevant to working across cultural difference, community dynamics and complex relationships
• an opportunity to learn from international practice experience without importing models uncritically

The focus is not on replacing Australian frameworks, but on expanding professional judgment by learning from how conflict is addressed in other parts of the world.