ISLAMABAD: The ADR Initiative (ADRi) held its first certification ceremony for the ADR ODR International Civil Commercial Mediation Course on Feb 21, wherein speakers agreed that the alternative dispute resolution was the way forward for fair and speedy justice.
They presented its first batch of mediators with certifications from ADR ODR International which signifies that they are now CMC (UK) and SIMI (Singapore) Accredited Mediators.
The chief guest was Justice (r) Fazal Karim and other guests included Judge Shoaib Anwar Qureshi, senior instructor from the Punjab Judicial Academy and Umair Tamim, head of projects, Active Citizens, from the British Council.
The ceremony began with a short seminar by the Punjab Judicial Academy where Judge Qureshi presented his views on ADR in Pakistan and called it the need of the hour. He enlightened the audience about the current The Punjab Alternate Dispute Resolution Act 2019 and what responsibilities it places on the Pakistani legal system. He praised the ADR initiative’s work in the direction that was needed to help the current situation.
Umair Tamim shared the vision and history of their project, Active Citizens, a youth-empowering initiative designed to train the youth to give back to their communities. The head of the project suggested the potential to combine the vision of the ADR Initiative and the Active Citizens which could lead to a future where youth would be trained in conflict management from an early age.
This could lead to a greater understanding of dispute resolution among the next generations leading to a future where there is less backlog in the courts due to community-level dispute resolution.
The chief guest of the ceremony was someone who understood ADR better than most people in Pakistan. Justice (r) Fazal Karim highlighted what ADR can do for the justice system of the country and how the constitution accounts for fair and speedy justice. There are four constitutional provisions that support and promote ADR.
These provisions pertain to eradicating all forms of exploitation including those in the legal system (Article 3), right to a fair trial (Article 10), fundamental human right of equality (Article 25) and promotion of social justice (Article 57).
He went on to elaborate on these points and endorsed the need for speedy and efficient justice which should be available for the masses and saw ADRi as the way forward.
The ceremony ended with the founder of ADR Initiative, Syed Akbar Hussain, thanking the audience and the graduating students of the Mediation Course. He emphasised that they were the first batch of UK accredited mediators in Pakistan and thus pioneers of a new way of thinking who believe in ending conflict constructively and efficiently. He talked about the opportunities and upcoming projects of the ADR Initiative where more awareness campaigns, courses, and centres were a work in progress.
For the initiative of raising awareness and producing more accredited and UK qualified mediators, the next Civil Commercial Mediation Course will begin in Islamabad on April 17-21 and registrations have already opened.
