ABSTRACT
This chapter outlines the role and functions, the attributes and the ethical responsibilities of the mediator. It reviews some of the inherent tensions in the mediatory role. The main functions of the mediator are those of catalyst and facilitator. The attributes of the good mediator, both personal qualities and qualifications, have long been recognized, as elucidated in Goethe's description of his character Mittler, in his evolutionary progress as a mediator: This singular gentleman was in earlier years a minister of religion. Impartiality is therefore essential to the achievement of the trust that the parties must have in the mediator if that intervention is to be effective. Impartiality vis-à-vis the parties must be distinguished from the separate issue of neutrality. There are major ethical responsibilities that the mediator carries. These are more likely to be fulfilled if mediators bear constantly in mind the nature of their intervention – as 'outsiders involving themselves in the affairs of others'.
