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Alternative Dispute Resolution Practices Gain Momentum

Yerevan, Armenia – Today, Eurasia Foundation (EF) presented the results of
Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) projects supported by the Foundation.
As a result of these projects, the first arbitration court in Armenia was
established; over 500 entrepreneurs, lawyers and students received training
and free on-line and telephone consultations on mediation; a course on
mediation was introduced into the curricula of the Russian-Armenian Slavonic
University in Yerevan; and revisions to the existing law on Arbitration were
introduced to the government. Grantee organizations also conducted a large
public awareness campaign to raise the understanding of businesses, lawyers
and students of law on the benefits of ADR.

ADR refers to mechanisms for settling conflicts outside the court system. In
many countries, especially where corruption and bureaucracy in the judicial
system make court cases extensive and costly, ADR has become an effective
approach to resolving disputes among businesses. Representatives of EF’s
grantees – the Armenian Young Lawyers Association, the Defender of Rights
Union, and the Union of Builders of Armenia – were present at the conference
to answer questions about their programs in ADR.

Ara Nazinyan, Country Director for Eurasia Foundation in Armenia, described
the importance of promoting ADR mechanisms in Armenia as an effective
approach to the resolution of disputes. "The promotion of ADR in Armenia is
important because it reduces the legal and regulatory barriers for the
development of entrepreneurship in the country. When applied in conjunction
with an effective judiciary, ADR methods such as mediation and arbitration
support the development of small and medium enterprises by providing these
businesses with a means of conflict resolution, which may be tried before a
costly court case is initiated."

Grantee organizations were selected by EF through an open competition that
was publicly announced in April 2005. The competition and the three projects
were a follow-up to the Assessment of ADR Practices in Armenia, which was
initiated by Eurasia Foundation and conducted by the Advanced Social
Technologies NGO in November 2004.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress