GLOBAL POUND CONFERENCE LAUNCH: Shaping the Future of Dispute Resolution and Improving Access to Justice

The Global Pound Conference (GPC Event) Series 2016-17 officially launches this week. The aim of this ambitious worldwide conference series is to engage all key stakeholders in a conversation about dispute resolution and how it should be used in commercial and civil conflicts in the 21st Century.

Over 25 countries worldwide have already committed to holding a GPC event, with more being added. The launch will take place at a two-day conference in Singapore on 17-18 March, 2016 and the last event is scheduled to be held in London in July 2017.

The Series, which is being led by the International Mediation Institute (IMI), has attracted global sponsors including: Herbert Smith Freehills; Shell; AkzoNobel; the Beijing Arbitration Commission (BAC); JAMS; and the International Centre for Dispute Resolution (ICDR).

Who Will Attend the GPC events?

Major stakeholders in dispute resolution will attend the GPC Series including businesses, lawyers, academics, judges, arbitrators, mediators, policy makers, chambers of commerce, government officials and others. They will collaborate at each of the conferences around the world to discuss existing tools and techniques available in dispute resolution. They will also stimulate new ideas and generate actionable data on what users of dispute resolution actually need and want, both locally and globally.

How Will the GPC Gather Data?

The events will share a common technology platform to enable all participants to vote on standardised questions about the most effective ways to reshape the dispute resolution landscape.

What Will Be the Output of the GPC?

Like the original Pound Conference, held in the USA in 1976, the ambition of the GPC is to change the culture and methods of resolving conflicts. The GPC Series will culminate in a report at the end of 2017, which interprets the data gathered globally to help shape how dispute resolution will be conducted for years to come. The resulting data from all of the events will be publicly available to anyone wishing to research stakeholder views on dispute resolution.

How Can I Get Involved in the GPC?

Please visit the dedicated website, www.globalpoundconference.org for information about the GPC, the planned events and how to get involved.

Chief Global Litigation Counsel at GE Oil & Gas Michael McIlwrath, who is Chairman of the Central Organising Group for the GPC Series, commented:  “The GPC is an opportunity for us to have a conversation about what dispute resolution should be today and for years to come. Our vision for the GPC is for the stakeholders to come together to define the way disputes ought to be resolved in the modern world.”

Alexander Oddy, Partner and Head of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) at Herbert Smith Freehills said: “The GPC Series is a really exciting and unique opportunity for all stakeholders in the dispute resolution community to shape the way we do things in the 21st Century. It is a chance to understand what corporates and other organisations really need, to share ideas and learning and develop new processes that are fit for purpose.

“What we have today is a relatively developed set of dispute resolution processes but we need to understand how we can use those more effectively in combination and in culturally sensitive ways in the future.”

Justice Belinda Ang Saw Ean, Chairperson, Singapore Local Organising Committee, added:

“We in Singapore are proud to kick-off the GPC Series. We believe that the GPC Series, like the original Pound Conference, will provide significant inputs into improving access to justice and improving dispute resolution systems and practice. Above all, the GPC gives dispute resolution stakeholders a say in how dispute resolution should evolve. We therefore urge you to attend a GPC event near you to help shape the future of dispute resolution.”

Deborah Masucci, Chair of the Board of IMI, said: “The fact that the GPC Series will engage stakeholders globally to discuss common questions will propel the field in ways that are currently not possible. Sharing information instead of having stovepipe conversations will create coalitions and partnerships heretofore not imagined.”

To participate in the Global Pound Conference Series, please visit the website:http://www.globalpoundconference.org/

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