Mediation

Qualifying university teams announced for 2014 Mediation Competition

  • 31 October 2013
Chairmanship and Secretary General

ICC has announced the 66 university teams who have made the grade to compete in its biggest educational event of the coming year: the 9th ICC International Commercial Mediation Competition.

Jagiellonian University of Poland celebrated winning the 2013 Mediation Competition but who will take the title in 2014?
Jagiellonian University of Poland celebrated winning the 2013 Mediation Competition but who will take the title in 2014?

Having made it through a competitive selection process from applications from leading universities worldwide, the teams will now go on to compete in what is likely to be the most arduous educational challenge they will face as law and business students.

Featuring teams from 33 countries, the Competition is set to be the most diverse to date, with teams from Bahrain, Kenya, Romania, Turkey and Trinidad and Tobago among the 17 universities debuting in the event.

“Just 14 teams from six countries took part in the inaugural Competition back in 2006. Since then we have seen the Competition grow both in popularity and prestige”, said Hannah Tuempel, Manager of the ICC International Centre for ADR, the administrative body that oversees the application of the ICC Amicable Dispute Resolution (ADR), Expertise, Dispute Boards and DOCDEX Rules and that organizes the Competition. “We are thrilled to also see increased interest in organizing national pre-moots, which support our efforts to raise awareness of mediation as an alternative and dynamic means of resolving commercial disputes.”

The Competition is one of the world’s leading mediation capacity-building events and will set teams complex, international business problems, based on real cross-border commercial disputes, which they must attempt to resolve by mediation conducted under ICC’s new Mediation Rules, set to enter into force on 1 January 2014. Also new to the event is the opportunity for teams to have two coaches instead of only one.

Last year’s Competition featured over 140 mock mediation sessions and was won by Jagiellonian University of Poland.

“The Competition sees former participants, who have chosen a career in international dispute resolution, coming back in the role of coach or professional and is a unique place for experienced professionals and students to share ideas and experiences,” Ms Tuempel said.

The Competition attracts participation from some of the world’s most accomplished commercial mediators. Trained and experienced mediators are invited to participate in the 2014 event, as mediators in mock mediation sessions or as judges to evaluate and score student performance, and have until 8 November to apply online.

The Competition is one highlight of ICC’s Mediation Week which welcomes over 500 participants eager to discuss developments in alternative dispute resolution, and to engage with peers from more than 40 countries.

Mediation Week 2014 will get underway with ICC’s first International Mediation Roundtable on 6 February 2014. The half-day international roundtable will be a unique forum for mediation practitioners and ADR academics to share best practices and new techniques within a dynamic, interactive environment.

Mediation Week activities can be followed on ICC’s Facebook, Twitter, Goole + and LinkedIn accounts using @ICCMediation, hashtag #ICCMW.

For more information visit ICC Mediation Week