- International Mediation
- New U.K. statistics show that court processes are too slow, which the Courts Minister stated should be remedied by offering more opportunities for mediation, including telephone-based mediation. Bude People (January 12, 2012)
- A study by a U.K. group revealed that only five percent of employers have usedmediation to resolve workplace disputes, even though nearly 75 percent agreed thatmediation is a good workplace tool for resolving disputes. Fresh Business Thinking.com (February 2, 2012)
- A High Court judge in Ireland speaking at a mediation seminar criticized the delays and great expense of litigation, calling it the “nuclear option,” and urged use ofmediation and other forms of alternative dispute resolution, along with revision of court rules to help reduce some of the burden of litigation. Irish Times.com (February 27, 2012)
- The leading arbitration institution in Germany created procedural rules for mediationand other forms of alternative dispute resolution which are now available in English. German Institution of Arbitration’s ADR Rules; Dispute Resolution in Germany (January 25, 2012)
- Mediation legislation that Russia enacted in July 2010 has not changed the legal culture, so the Supreme Commercial Court has drafted new legislation that would have assistant judges, retired judges and other court personnel conduct mediations. Participation by parties generally would be voluntary, and the legislation would not exclude private mediation. Judicial mediation might help build skills and a culture ofmediation, which would encourage non-judicial mediation as well. Russian Law Online(February 28, 2012)
- The World Bank’s International Finance Corporation is funding a two year project by the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution (CEDR) to deliver mediation training, develop a network of master trainers and build institutional capacity in mediation centers in Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco, Pakistan and Afghanistan. SourceWire(February 9, 2012)
- A seven-day mediation skills training course for 30 judges in Pakistan was inaugurated by the Chief Justice of the Lahore High Court; the training was launched by the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution and the International Finance Corporation. Business Recorder (January 31, 2012)
- The Bahrain Chamber for Dispute Resolution has been involved in 47 cases with a value of $1.6 billion since it began in January 2010; it has over 150 trained mediatorsand a pool of 600 arbitrators in partnership with AAA. Gulf Weekly (January 18, 2012)
- Angola’s National Consumer Protection Institute used mediation to recover more than $265,000 for consumers in 2011. Angola Press (January 18, 2012)
- Mediation experts judging a mediation competition in India among 32 law school teams stated that they expect mediation will soon become a preferred choice for dispute resolution in India, making mediation a good practice choice for lawyers. The potential of mediation to reduce the burden of litigation in India will be realized by encouraging mediation to begin when a complaint is filed. The average length of a civil case in India is 15 years. Times of India (February 18, 2012); Times of India (February 19, 2012); The Indian Express (February 26, 2012)
- The High Court Mediation Committee and the District Mediation Monitoring Committee organized a mediation conference in Nagpur, Maharashtra, India in which judges and lawyers discussed mediation opportunities and challenges. A target was set for judges to refer four cases a month to mediation. Times of India (January 30, 2012)
- Haryana, India is getting its first district alternative dispute resolution center, with the first foundation stone set by a Supreme Court Justice for the building that will house the center. IBN Live News (January 25, 2012)
- The Mediation Service Center in one region of the Philippines Department of Environment and Natural Resources is fully operational with 18 accredited mediatorsand expects to be involved in over 100 public land disputes this year. Mb.com.ph(February 29, 2012)
- The Supreme Court of South Korea cleared the former head of the state-run Korean Broadcasting System of charges resulting from agreeing to court mediation of a tax dispute that yielded $160 million less than might have been achieved in litigation. The Korea Herald (January 12, 2012)
- Cuba is hosting the Sixth International Conference on Arbitration and Mediation from January 23-25. Prensa Latina News (January 12, 2012)
Mediator Petru Mustateanu
