ALTERNATIVE DISPUTE RESOLUTION

The Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Center provides training and technical assistance in the growing area of dispute resolution. The ADR Center is based on the premise that effective dispute resolution can occur outside of courts and alternative dispute resolution makes an important contribution to commercial and economic development. The Center emphasizes the resolution of commercial and investment disputes including through arbitration and mediation.

The ADR Center offers several training seminars, including: "Arbitration and Mediation", "Advanced Arbitration and Mediation" and "Oil & Gas Contracts and Dispute Resolution." These seminars offer a sound grounding into the theory and procedures that compromise the legal structures of arbitration and mediation and provide an opportunity for practical experience through mock arbitration and mediation sessions. The Center has developed special programs for judges, to assist them in their critical tasks of overseeing and supporting ADR regimes in their countries.

The ADR Center also offers programs around the world, including at the International Law Institute’s (ILI) overseas centers. For nearly ten years it has offered a program in international commercial arbitration at ILI's Centre of Legal Excellence in Uganda. Within recent years it has presented programs in Nigeria, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Chile and Turkey. Depending on the needs of the countries where it works, ILI's programs may involve intensive training of mediators and arbitrators.

The ADR Center also advises lawyers and government officials on the drafting of mediation and arbitration laws and the implementation of alternative dispute resolution frameworks. Recent projects include a new mediation law for Bulgaria and a new arbitration law for the Republic of Georgia. Projects of this nature involve educational seminars for potential ADR users in the countries involved, to insure that the new laws are put into practice. Typically, these projects are funded by international development agencies.

The work of the Center is led by the Center's Director, Anne Marie Whitesell (former Secretary General of the ICC International Court of Arbitration), working with ILI staff and with the active and substantial participation of members of the Center's Advisory Committee, all of whom are experienced practitioners in the fields of domestic and international arbitration or mediation.


Resources: Research Guide for International Commercial and Investment Arbitration

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