Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Md Asaduzzaman. File photo

DHAKA, Aug 01, 2026 (BSS) – Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Md Asaduzzaman today said mediation should be the best option for resolving all kinds of disputes, except cognizable offences.
 
“Mediation is one of the dream programs of the government of Bangladesh to ensure justice to the poor, displaced and disadvantaged people of the country, to those who do not have any ability to afford any expensive legal services from expensive lawyers. Mediation should be the best option, the best part for resolving any kind of dispute, except cognizable offenses,” he said.
 
The minister made the remarks at the closing ceremony of the two-day "Basic Mediation Training for Legal Professionals" under the Development of Mediation and Civil Litigation Practices for Enhancement of Access to Justice Project, being jointly implemented by the Law and Justice Division and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) at Hotel Intercontinental, Dhaka, this afternoon.
 
Describing mediation as a win-win solution for both parties, the law minister urged legal aid officers and mediators to apply their judicious minds in resolving disputes.
 
“When disputes come before you, or when you learn of disputes that can be resolved through mediation, please apply your judicious mind. Use your own judgment to resolve them,” he added.
 
The law minister further said the best-performing mediators will have the opportunity each year to receive advanced training in Japan. 
 
“One male and one female mediator will be selected to receive advanced training in Japan. I believe this incentive will encourage mediators to perform their best,” Md Asaduzzaman said.
 
Describing mediation as a corruption-free mechanism, the law minister told the trainees, "If we can implement it successfully, I believe we can significantly reduce the backlog in our courts. The number of pending cases now exceeds 4.5 million, and mediation can help bring that figure down substantially."
 
JICA Bangladesh Chief Representative Junko Takahashi, Deputy Director General of the International Cooperation Department (ICD) of Japan's Ministry of Justice Kazunori Nose, and Director General of the Directorate of Bangladesh Legal Aid Md Monjurul Hossain were present at the function as special guests.
 
The programme was chaired by Project Director and Additional Secretary of the Law and Justice Division Md Khademul Quayes.
 
A total of 40 participants, including District Legal Aid Officers and lawyers from District Judge Courts across the country, participated in the intensive two-day training programme.
 
The training was conducted by Professor Masako Miyatake of Keio University Law School, Japan, who served as the programme's lead resource person.