Mediation helps parties to a conflict to achieve reconciliation faster and cheaper, Marie-Anne Birken, General Counsel at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), said in her welcome speech at the international forum Commercial Mediation in Eastern Europe and Central Asia in Minsk.
“The use of mediation in conflict resolution has various advantages. The parties to a conflict can get a result faster and cheaper than if they take their case to a court,” Marie-Anne Birken noted.
The EBRD General Counsel pointed out that Belarus could make a better use of the potential of this legal procedure, including for family and labor disputes.
In general, different countries face similar obstacles to the development of mediation. “We believe that for commercial mediation, it would be great to hold an event that would bring together representatives of different countries to discuss this issue. We hope that your participation in the forum will bring benefit to you and your country,” Marie-Anne Birken said when addressing the participants in the international forum in Minsk.
Mediation is a form of out-of-court settlement of disputes with the assistance of a third unbiased, neutral party (a mediator) who facilitates the resolution of a dispute or conflict.
Minsk is hosting the forum Commercial Mediation in Eastern Europe and Central Asia on 11 and 12 October. The event has brought together ministers of justice and judges from 11 countries, including Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan and Mongolia, an EBRD delegation, and international commercial mediation experts. Representatives of the Belarusian government agencies, heads of commercial organizations, law firms, and mediation practitioners have also been invited to attend the forum.
The international forum provides a unique opportunity to share the best practical experience and to get a knowledge about commercial mediation from recognized experts. The event is expected to develop suggestions for the promotion of commercial mediation in Eastern Europe and Central Asia.
The forum has been organized by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the Belarusian Justice Ministry, and the law firm Vlasova, Mikhel and Partners.