Mediation is a consent based alternative dispute resolution method.
In a mediation the parties meet together (either physically or electronically) with a third party called a mediator who assists the parties to settle the dispute.
Unless the parties reach their own agreement the dispute is not resolved.
If an agreement is made then the dispute can be settled in whole or part and the part that is settled can be enforced the same way as any other contract.
In the ordinary case a party can not rely on any matter which occured in the mediation at trial. Some exemptions to this rule apply.
A key difference between arbitration and mediation in which the arbitrator makes a binding decision which can then be enforced by a Court.