JIMC AND SIMC LAUNCH JOINT MEDIATION PROTOCOL TO HELP CROSS-BORDER BUSINESSES RESOLVE DISPUTES SWIFTLY AND INEXPENSIVELY The Japan International Mediation Center (JIMC) and Singapore
International Mediation Centre (SIMC) on 12
September 2020 signed a Memorandum of Understanding to operate a joint protocol
that provides cross-border businesses, including companies along the Japan-Singapore
corridor, with an economical, expedited and effective route for resolving
commercial disputes amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The JIMC-SIMC Joint Protocol is thought to be
the first joint online mediation protocol between two international dispute
resolution centres committed to providing expedited mediation during the
pandemic. It is SIMC’s first such collaboration with an overseas mediation
centre, following the SIMC Covid-19 Protocol which was launched in May. The Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted the
performance of contractual obligations, supply chains and other aspects of
commerce, resulting in differences and disputes between businesses around the
world. Mediation helps parties to resolve their disputes in an expeditious,
economical and effective manner without being engaged in protracted legal
proceedings. Mediation also preserves relationships as the disputes are
resolved amicably, with parties free to adopt commercially driven solutions
that are flexible and creative. Users that consider mediation as their first
port-of-call are therefore in a better position to recover from the
wide-ranging impact of the pandemic. The coming into force of the Singapore
Convention on Mediation on 12 September also allows parties to enforce
settlement agreements in the jurisdictions that have ratified the Convention,
including Singapore. The United Nations trade treaty underscores the role of
mediation as an important tool that companies can deploy to resolve their
cross-border disputes. Please see more detail here. |