The Judiciary of The Gambia has announced that it will mark the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Week, dubbed Mediation Week, with an inaugural conference on Friday, May 17th 2024, at the Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara International Conference Centre
The initiative is being supported by the American Bar Association’s Promoting Rights and Justice Project in The Gambia (PRJ).
The flagship ADR conference will serve as a vital platform for sharing insights, experiences, and best practices in ADR.
The conference will take a hybrid shape and will gather esteemed judges and legal professionals from Rwanda, Zambia, and the United States of America, renowned for their expertise in ADR. It will also introduce the newly trained mediators to the public.
“In recognising the importance of raising awareness about the newly functioning court-connected ADR system alongside the traditional litigation system amongst the public, legal practitioners, and potential court users and the need to ensure that the public understands its existence, the Judiciary of The Gambia plans to hold a MEDIATION WEEK from the 20th to the 24thof May 2024 to promote the enhancement of ADR mechanisms within our legal framework.
The primary objective of this week is to have our trained and certified mediators mediate many cases to deal with court cases that have been identified as suitable for mediation rather than litigation, and to enhance out-of-court settlement of those cases, as well as raise awareness about the recently established court-connected ADR system amongst legal practitioners, judiciary officials, and stakeholders in the Justice sector,” stated the press release from the Judiciary of The Gambia.
It indicated that the ADR Week will feature various other activities, including media engagements (TV and radio interviews), workshops, networking events, and community outreach programs, aimed at involving participants and the public in comprehensive discussions on ADR and settlement of disputes.
The institution therefore urges all stakeholders to participate actively and contribute to this landmark event in advancing ADR practices in the Courts and The Gambia.
Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) in the courts was introduced as an alternative to the court process and is seen as having the potential to address the backlog of cases in the courts and in general to improve access to justice.
Judiciary of The Gambia to Celebrate Alternative Dispute Resolution Week
