Corporates to take pledge to use mediation to resolve disputes tomorrow

Monday, 3 August 2026 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

In furtherance of its commitment to promote mediation for the benefit of the commercial sector, the International ADR Centre (IADRC) will host a ‘Corporate Mediation Pledge’ event on tomorrow (4) at the Sales Gallery of Colombo Port City.

The event will see 25 corporates sign a pledge to use mediation in their corporate engagements on an acceptance that:

It is vitally important to ensure that conflicts that arise among business partners are resolved efficiently, so that core corporate business is not affected adversely
Efficiency requires that the conflict resolution process offers the benefits of being cost-effective and time-efficient and serves the best interests of disputants
The use of mediation globally has demonstrated that these benefits do accrue from its use, including that mediation offers prospects to restore business relationships that may be adversely affected due to conflict
The enabling regime in Sri Lanka provides for the responsible use of mediation in compliance with globally accepted standards for civil and commercial dispute resolution and for the recognition and enforcement of domestic and international mediated settlement agreements.

The IADRC said the Mediation (Civil and Commercial Disputes) Act, No. 13 of 2026 came into operation on 30 June. The Act recognises mediation as a main stream dispute resolution method for civil and commercial disputes and sets standards for the use of mediation, provides for the core principles that must be observed, and for the procedure to enforce mediated settlement agreements.

The private sector has been actively engaged in promoting mediation for commercial dispute resolution. The IADRC, which is a private guarantee company, the ICC Sri Lanka, the National Arbitration Centre, and UDecide are entities in Sri Lanka that stand ready to offer mediation services. The IADRC has its own institutionalised rules for providing mediation services and a panel of trained mediators who are accredited to the Centre.

The IADRC believes that a commitment to include mediation in their dispute resolution options demonstrates corporate wisdom in resolving disputes meaningfully and thereby protecting the corporate brand.

The pledging ceremony will also feature a panel discussion with international experts who will discuss aspects of the dispute resolution regime.

The event is supported by The Asia Foundation and the venue partner is Colombo Port City.