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Mediation Skills Training

Date: 7-9 June, 2011.

Location: Manama, Bahrain.

PRESS RELEASE

Sunday 12 June 2011.

BCDR-AAA identifies mediation experts in Bahrain

The Bahrain Chamber for Dispute Resolution (BCDR-AAA) completed a three-day workshop on Mediation Skills Training last week aimed at developing and promoting Bahrain's capability for resolving domestic and international commercial disputes through mediation.

The workshop brought together representatives from commercial, financial and government sectors within Bahrain to demonstrate the benefits of mediation as an alternative method to settle disputes.

The training session was conducted by international arbitration expert, Mark Appel, Senior Vice President of the American Arbitration Association (AAA) and Deputy Head of the International Chamber for Dispute and Resolution (ICDR), and Ali Al Aradi, Chief Registrar and Assistant Chief Executive for Mediation at the BCDR-AAA, and was attended by over fifty professional representatives.

Following the conclusion of the workshop, Mark Appel said: "Bahrain has a long history and culture that lends well to mediation due to its generations of traders and commercial business. Negotiation is the oldest form of commercial dispute resolution; mediation is simply an extension of that. By growing this capability in Bahrain, the BCDR-AAA is providing a further attractive element to those seeking to do business in the Kingdom."

The workshop included lectures on the process for carrying out mediation along with discussion of the cultural and ethical issues that must be taken in to consideration along with true-to-life role-plays. Ali Al Aradi said: "Our aim is not only to identify a pool of accredited mediators from the group, but also to create a forum of qualified professionals who are willing to participate in future training and workshops. They will also be natural ambassadors as we seek to increase understanding of the benefits of ADR and further Bahrain's status as a financial and commercial hub within the region."

Summarising the important role mediation plays, Mark Appel said: "Bahrain, as with many countries throughout the world, has hundreds of disputes that await resolution in the courts, many of which go unresolved for years. Mediation is for the benefit of all parties involved. It is based on negotiation and mutual agreement, with most disputes resolved in one day, as opposed to lengthy litigation battles. As the saying goes ‘justice delayed is justice denied'."

The training session, the second of such sessions for BCDR-AAA, is part of a long-term programme of engagement and education of alternative dispute resolution in Bahraini society. The chamber plans to hold an arbitration workshop later in the year.

ENDS