International NEWS

Over 250 People Attend International Mediation Conference in Bahrain

May 26, 2009 -- Over 250 people from around the world recently attended a conference in Bahrain, which focused on mediation as a choice dispute resolution mechanism for resolving international and domestic disputes.

The conference, held from March 30 to April 1, was sponsored by Bahrain's Ministry of Justice and Islamic Affairs, the American Arbitration Association (AAA), the International Centre for Dispute Resolution (ICDR) and the Dispute Resolution Committee of the International Bar Association (IBA) under the direction of Bahrain's Dispute Resolution Project head, James MacPherson (fourth from left in the photo).

Shown with MacPherson are (left to right), John Townsend of Hughes Hubbard & Reed and chair of the AAA's board of directors, AAA President and CEO Bill Slate, and H.E. Sheikh Khalid Bin Ali Al Khalifa, Bahrain's Minister of Justice and Islamic Affairs. All four spoke at the conference.

Conference attendees included attorneys, government officials, arbitrators, mediators and financial and insurance professionals from different countries. Presentations and discussions centered on the theme of "The Power of Mediation."

"The conference provided a unique opportunity to talk about the growing use of mediation, and to share best practices in mediation from the Middle East, Europe and the Americas," said Mark Appel, ICDR senior vice president.

The faculty was composed of leading corporate counsel, judges and government officials, including two justice ministers: Bahrain's Justice Minister, Sheik Khalid, and Slovenia's Justice Minister H.E. Ales Zalar. In addition to the conference, two workshops were also conducted.

The event served as a precursor to the October 2009 opening of the Bahrain Chamber for Dispute Resolution-AAA (BCDR-AAA), an arbitration and mediation center established by Bahrain's Ministry of Justice, the AAA and the ICDR.

"We were pleased by the level of support for the AAA/BCDR initiative expressed by leading members of the Gulf financial services and infrastructure communities. We were especially pleased at the large delegation of Saudi government, judicial and legal community leaders, perhaps resulting from early, active support for AAA/BCDR by Saudi Prince Bandar," said Appel.

The new center will administer the arbitration and mediation of commercial cases, including insurance, construction, financial services and energy disputes. Arbitrations and mediations will be conducted in Arabic, English, or any other language required by parties. There will also be a separate ICDR office in Bahrain, working side-by-side with the BCDR.