About Us

About Us

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An emerging center of excellence for ethnic, racial, and religious conflict resolution and peacebuilding.

At ICERMediation, we identify ethnic, racial, and religious conflict prevention and resolution needs. We bring together a wealth of resources, including research, education and training, expert consultation, dialogue and mediation, and rapid response projects, to support sustainable peace in countries around the world.

Through its membership network of leaders, experts, professionals, practitioners, students and organizations who represent the broadest possible views and expertise from the field of ethnic, racial, and religious conflict, interfaith, interethnic or interracial dialogue and mediation, and the most comprehensive range of expertise across nations, disciplines and sectors, ICERMediation plays a vital role in promoting a culture of peace among, between and within ethnic, racial, and religious groups.

ICERMediation is a New York based 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization in Special Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).

Our Mission

We develop alternative methods of preventing and resolving ethnic, racial, and religious conflicts in countries around the world. We strive to help the United Nations and Member States to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 16: peace, inclusion, sustainable development, and justice.

Our Vision

We envision a new world characterized by peace, irrespective of cultural, ethnic, racial, and religious differences. We strongly believe that the use of mediation and dialogue in preventing and resolving ethnic, racial, and religious conflicts in countries around the world is the key to creating sustainable peace.

Our Values

We have adopted the following core values as the fundamental values or ideals at the heart of our organization: independence, impartiality, confidentiality, non-discrimination, integrity and trust, respect for diversity, and professionalism. These values offer guidance about how we should behave in carrying out our mission.

ICERMediation is an independent not-for-profit corporation, and is not dependent upon any government, commercial, political, ethnic or religious groups, or any other body. ICERMediation is not influenced or controlled by others. ICERMediation is not subject to any authority or jurisdiction, except to its clients, its members and the public to whom it is accountable as a not-for-profit corporation.

ICERMediation is founded on and committed to impartiality, regardless of who our clients are. In the execution of its professional services, ICERMediation’s conduct is at all times free from discrimination, favoritism, self-interest, bias, or prejudice. In compliance with established international standards, ICERMediation’s services are performed in ways that are fair, just, equitable, impartial, unprejudiced, and objective to all parties.

By virtue of its mission in preventing and resolving ethno-religious conflicts, ICERMediation is bound to keep confidential all information, arising out of, or in connection with, the execution of professional services, including the fact that a mediation is to take place or has taken place, unless compelled by law. Any information disclosed in confidence to ICERMediation mediators by one of the parties shall not be disclosed to the other parties without permission or unless compelled by law.

On no occasion or under no circumstance will ICERMediation withhold its services, or programs for reasons related to race, color, nationality, ethnicity, religion, language, sexual orientation, opinion, political affiliation, wealth or social status of the parties.

ICERMediation is strongly committed to earning the trust and building the confidence of its clients and beneficiaries of its programs and services, as well as in society as a whole, by diligently and professionally carrying out its mission with responsibility and excellence.

ICERMediation officers, staff and members will at all times:

  • Demonstrate consistency, good character and decency in daily activities and behaviors;
  • Act with honesty and trustworthiness without consideration of personal gain;
  • Behave impartially and remain neutral to all forms of ethnic, religious, political, cultural, social or individual influences during the process of decision-making;
  • Uphold and promote the Organization’s mission above that of personal interest and convenience.

Respect for diversity is at the heart of the mission of ICERMediation and guides the development and implementation of the Organization’s programs and services. In support of this guidance, ICERMediation officers, staff and members:

  • Identify, study, and help the public understand diverse values embedded in religions and ethnicities;
  • Work effectively with people from all backgrounds;
  • Are polite, respectful and patient, treating everyone fairly and in a non-discriminatory manner;
  • Listen attentively and make every effort to fully understand the diverse needs and positions of clients, beneficiaries, students, and members;
  • Examine own biases and behaviors to avoid stereotypical assumptions and responses;
  • Demonstrate respect for and understanding of diverse points of view by encouraging dialogue among and between differing constituencies, and challenging common current and historical prejudices, discrimination, and social exclusion;
  • Give positive and practical support to the vulnerable and victims.

ICERMediation shall exhibit the highest degree of professionalism in the provision of all services by:

  • Demonstrating commitment to ICERMediation’s mission, programs and services at all times;
  • Demonstrating high level of expertise and professional competence in the subject matter and implementation of ethno-religious mediation;
  • Being creative & resourceful in providing conflict prevention, resolution and mediation services;
  • Being responsive & efficient, competent, dependable, responsible, time-frame sensitive and result-oriented;
  • Showing exceptional interpersonal, multicultural and diplomatic skills.

Our Mandate

We are mandated to:

  1. Conduct scientific, multidisciplinary and result-oriented research on ethnic, racial, and religious conflicts in countries around the world;
  1. Develop alternative methods of resolving ethnic, racial, and religious conflicts;
  1. Nurture and promote a dynamic synergy among Diaspora associations and organizations in New York State and in the United States in general for a proactive conflict resolution in countries around the world;
  1. Organize peace education programs for students in order to strengthen peaceful co-existence amidst cultural, ethnic, racial, and religious differences;
  1. Create forums for communication, dialogue, interethnic, interracial, and interreligious exchanges through the use of modern technology, social media, conferences, seminars, workshops, lectures, arts, publications, sports, etc.;
  1. Organize ethno-religious mediation training programs for community leaders, religious leaders, ethnic group representatives, political parties, public officers, lawyers, security officers, physicians, health-care workers, activists, artists, business leaders, women associations, students, teachers, etc.;
  1. Promote and provide inter-community, interethnic, interracial, and interreligious mediation services in countries around the world, under unbiased, confidential, regionally costed and expeditious process;
  1. Act as a resource center of excellence for mediation practitioners, scholars, and policy makers in the area of interethnic, interracial, interreligious, inter-community and inter-cultural conflict resolution;
  1. Coordinate the activities of and assist existing institutions concerned with ethnic, racial, and religious conflict resolution in countries around the world;
  1. Provide professional and consultation services to formal and informal leadership, local, regional and international organizations, as well as other interested agencies, in the area of ethnic, racial, and religious conflict resolution.

Our Mantra

I am who I am and my ethnicity, race or religion is my identity.

You are who you are and your ethnicity, race or religion is your identity.

We are one humanity united on one planet and our shared humanity is our identity.

It is time:

  • To educate ourselves about our differences;
  • To discover our similarities and shared values;
  • To live together in peace and harmony; and
  • To protect and save our planet for future generations.