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DOHA: The joint initiative between the Qatar Financial Centre Civil and Commercial Court and the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution (CEDR) to offer mediator training in Qatar is an innovation in terms of an international court integrating mediation services from the outset of its activities, said CEDR Managing Director and CEO, Karl Mackie said yesterday.

UK-based CEDR, an independent non-profit organisation is the leader in the development of neutral-assisted dispute resolution. Its mission is to encourage and develop cost effective dispute prevention and dispute resolution in commercial and public sector disputes and in civil litigation.

Mackie said that this course, the first time CEDR training has been made available in the region, offers Gulf-based professionals the opportunity to receive training and assessment for CEDR Accredited Mediator status, and thereby to become one of the pioneers in this emerging field of dispute resolution within the region. e added that the growth in interest in effective dispute resolution brings with it an increased demand for qualified and experienced dispute resolution professionals, both to act as mediators and to assist their organisations or clients in achieving maximum value from the process.

“The mediation process internationally has been recognised as a useful complement to the justice systems around the world,” he said, noting that mediation is very much about assisted negotiation and differs from litigation and arbitration. Mackie pointed out that mediation allows parties in quite complex business situations to get the help of a third party to structure the negotiations. “You can restore relationships that are faltering or you can help people divorce more amicably by the use of mediation,” he said.

He added that mediation is much more cost effective than waiting out for the full process of the litigation system or full process of international arbitration which sometimes take if not months, years before resolution. Very often people would spend a lot of money and time to get to that point. “Mediation is a very complimentary option for people to see they can rescue themselves from the impasse sooner than latter and that is what mediation offers,” said Mackie.

He also noted that sometimes mediation can help the parties in dispute forge a new deal and new way of working together.