The overloading of courts and the lack of judges significantly influenced the increase of trust in the field of alternative dispute resolution, said the director of the Center for Alternative Dispute Resolution Maja Golović Vojinović, stating that the number of proceedings before the Center is increasing.
Golović Vojinović said this at the annual conference of mediators organized by the Center for Alternative Dispute Resolution.
The Center for Alternative Dispute Resolution announced that the focus of the conference was on the current state of the mediation system, legal solutions and the promotion of best practices.
They said that the focus of the conference was to spread the mediating culture, as well as to raise awareness so that mediation would be not only an alternative, but the first and dominant choice in resolving mediated disputes.
Golović Vojinović pointed out that the overloading of courts, as well as the lack of judges, have a significant impact on increasing trust in the field of alternative dispute resolution.
"The data that a total of 30.559 proposals were submitted to the Center for Alternative Dispute Resolution last year and this year, of which 2.004 were court proposals and 28.555 were submitted by the parties, is a confirmation of the necessity and need for alternative dispute resolution," said Golović Vojinović.
She stated that in this way the courts are relieved, which enables them to provide effective access to justice for all citizens.
"It is evident that the number of proceedings before the Center is increasing from year to year, as well as that the professional and lay public have recognized the work of the Center and the benefits that mediation provides in resolving disputes," said Golović Vojinović.
She said that alternative dispute resolution enables the avoidance of lengthy, expensive, ineffective and often stressful court procedures and thus represents an economical and efficient alternative for achieving fair solutions in disputes of their interest.
The announcement states that the implementation of strategic documents contributed to the establishment of a quality normative framework for alternative dispute resolution, aligned with the development of the professional capacities of mediators.
"Also, the public's awareness of the mediation institute and its benefits compared to court proceedings has significantly increased," the announcement says.
It is stated that, in addition, significant progress has been made in improving the relationship of institutions towards mediation, which has made this institute a recognizable and important element in the legal system of Montenegro.
"Understanding the importance of relieving the burden on the courts and resolving disputes effectively, which creates legal security for citizens through the application and implementation of mediation, we have received great support from the relevant entities," said Golović Vojinović.
As announced, she highlighted the support of the Ministry of Justice, court representatives, the Protector of Property and Legal Interests, local self-governments and insurance companies, who recognize the importance of this process for improving legal security and the efficiency of the judicial system.
"I want to point out that the work and advocacy of mediators have profiled mediation as one of the key and successful segments in the story of alternative dispute resolution in Montenegro, with which we have gained the trust of the end users of this legal institute," stated Vojinović Golović.
Minister of Justice Bojan Božović pointed out that the department headed by him, as a legislator and initiator of reforms, regularly monitors the state of application of the law in the direction of continuing to improve that important area, which affects the efficiency of the judicial system.
As he said, the Ministry brought the second Alternative Dispute Resolution Development Program for the period from last year to next year, which contains a whole set of activities that are expected to directly influence the further development process in this area.
Božović said that the Council for Alternative Dispute Resolution was formed, whose task is to encourage the further development and application of mediation and other alternative ways of resolving disputes and which, as an additional incentive mechanism, will regularly analyze the situation and give adequate recommendations for further strengthening and development.
He emphasized that the Ministry of Justice will persist in the intention that the subject area is continuously improved and that alternative dispute resolution is recognized as a high-quality and relevant way of ending disputes.
The announcement states that in the second part of the conference, eminent experts such as Gordana Ristin, vice president of the Association of Mediators of Slovenia, presented their observations, experiences and meetings with the mediation institute, as well as their further vision of development.
"As well as the representatives of the Center for Peaceful Dispute Resolution in Croatia, in front of whom Ana Niseteo Rako provided an insight into the situation and challenges in the field of alternative dispute resolution in that country," says the announcement.
It is stated that it has been established that it is important to exchange experiences and analyze, as well as to compare the development path of mediation and current conditions more often and more intensively, given that different systems recognize the advantages and disadvantages of different outcomes in practice and in this way harmonize negotiating positions, goals and activities in in the context of further implementation of alternative dispute resolution methods.
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