The IBA was established with the aim of protecting and advancing the rule of law globally, and to contribute to global stability and peace through the administration of justice. Mediation has a strong connection with the administration of and access to justice, indicating that it is consistent with and should have a significant role to play in advancing the aims of the IBA.

At a time when we witness inconsistencies between the perceived roles and principles of various governments versus their actual practises, including with the efforts of institutions such as the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice being ignored or treated with contempt, and with threats and intimidation directed towards their officers, which arguably interferes with their independence and adversely impacts the rule of law, do we simply accept that vested interest when combined with absolute power is unassailable and that the highest adjudicative facilities can in effect be rendered impotent? Does mediation have any role in such situations?  There may be no definitive answers, but the impact of current events on access to justice and the rule of law warrants engaging experts with experience on the frontline of intense international disputes to consider these questions.