Over 300 mediation procedures have been conducted in Belarus since January 2014, Minister of Justice Oleg Slizhevsky informed journalists, as reported by a BELTA correspondent.
Over 300 mediation procedures have been conducted in Belarus since January 2014, Minister of Justice Oleg Slizhevsky informed journalists, as reported by a BELTA correspondent.
"During the period from January 2014 (when the Law of Belarus "On Mediation" came into force. - BELTA Editor's Note) to date, over 300 mediations have been conducted in Belarus. Of these, 117 concluded with a mediation agreement. If we are to say whether this is a lot or a little, then, of course, we would like more, because it is an important legal institution," the minister said.
The practice of mediation in the republic began to form with a legal experiment conducted from March 2011 to June 2012. The experiment showed that this is indeed a direction with a future.
Oleg Slizhevsky emphasised that mediation allows parties to significantly speed up the conflict resolution process and preserve relationships with the opponent. At the same time, there are some problems hindering the development of this legal procedure. Among them are low public awareness and low demand for mediation due to obstacles such as insufficient trust in the procedure.
The forum "Commercial Mediation in Eastern Europe and Central Asia" was held in Minsk from October 11 to 12. Its participants included representatives of justice bodies and courts from 11 countries (Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, Mongolia), as well as a delegation from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and international experts in commercial mediation. Representatives of republican state administration bodies, heads of commercial organisations, law firms, and practising mediators were invited to the event. For instance, international mediator Bill Marsh stressed that the development of mediation is not a one-day affair.
The forum provided an opportunity to share experiences in the development of commercial mediation, listen to international experts on key mediation issues, and develop new approaches and ideas in this area. The sessions were held interactively.
The organisers of the event were the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the Ministry of Justice of Belarus, and the law firm "Vlasova, Michel & Partners".