'Nepal ADR Week 2024' concludes with 13-point declaration

KATHMANDU: Nepal ADR Week 2024, organised by the Nepal International ADR Center (NIAC) in Godavari, Lalitpur, concluded on Sunday with the release of a 13-point declaration.

The declaration called for the signing and ratification of the Singapore Convention, supporting mountain conservation, promoting green arbitration, and developing online dispute resolution systems. It also urged forming a coalition of hill countries to protect mountainous areas.

Representatives from 17 countries attended the conference, which was held under the slogan ‘Modernising Dispute Resolution: The Role of ADR in Enhancing Access to Justice’. A special session on climate change was held on the final day.

ADR General Secretary Senior Advocate Matrika Prasad Niraula stated that the programme discussed issues such as contract disputes, development and construction disputes, investment disputes, UN model law provisions, and the judiciary's role in mediation and reconciliation.

Prominent attendees included Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, NIAC Chairperson Mukti Rijal, FNCCI President Chandra Prasad Dhakal, and former Supreme Court of India Justice S Ravindra Bhat. Dr Sapkota highlighted the impact of climate change on the Himalayas, noting significant annual economic losses.

Supreme Court Judge Sapana Pradhan Malla discussed technology's transformative impact on daily life, while other speakers, including NIAC Chairperson Mukti Rijal and legal experts, issued the declaration supporting ADR capacity building, knowledge exchange, and best practices development.

The declaration called on the Government of Nepal to urgently sign and ratify the Singapore Convention and urged other countries to do the same. It emphasised the importance of conserving the Himalayas and promoting green arbitration, encouraged the governments of the Himalayas, Bhutan, other hilly and landlocked countries, and the ADR community to engage in international rule-making processes.

Likewise, the Government of Nepal was urged to lead the formation of a coalition of hill states to protect the Himalayas and other mountainous regions. The declaration also called for the development of online dispute resolution systems and technologies to improve access to justice and establish an inclusive ADR system.