Information Campaign on Arbitration Continues in the Regions of Georgia

Press Release.

TBILISI. 30 June 2017 – Eight cities in Georgia, Telavi, Gori, Akhaltsikhe, Zugdidi, Poti, Ozurgeti, Batumi and Kutaisi, are hosting seminars about arbitration as an Alternative Dispute Resolution tool suitable for lawyers and businesses.

The information campaign is organised by the Georgian International Arbitration Centre (GIAC), in cooperation with the Georgian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, with assistance from the European Union (EU) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

The campaign events in Kutaisi on June 28, and Zugdidi on June 30, brought together legal professionals and representatives of the private sector. “The European Union is helping Georgian businesses in many practical ways. We introduced the free access of Georgian products to the European market, lifted visa obligations to allow for restriction-free travel and networking with the European partners, as well as creating opportunities for exporting specific Georgian products. We also help protect the interests of Georgian entrepreneurs by improving the commercial legislation and functioning of the courts. We support an independent arbitration, as a good alternative to often lengthy and costly processes before court,” said Peter Danis, Programme Manager at the Delegation of the European Union to Georgia, addressing the participants of the meetings.

Beka Injia, GIAC Secretary-General, and Liana Kartsivadze, legal expert of the EU-UNDP programme “Justice for All”, introduced the GIAC activities in Georgia and informed the participants of the seminars about the procedural aspects of arbitration.

The presentations were followed by a discussion and questions. The information campaign on arbitration kicked off early June 2017 with the events in Telavi, Gori and Akhaltsikhe, and will run through July 30. The last seminars will be organized in Poti, Batumi and Ozurgeti.

Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) helps disputing parties come to an agreement short of litigation. The rising popularity of ADR can be explained by the increasing caseload of courts, higher level of confidentiality and lower costs than in case of litigation. Arbitration is one of the most commonly used ADR mechanisms particularly favourable for businesses. The ADR awareness in Georgia is still extremely law, which has become the main reason behind the information campaign initiated by the Georgian International Arbitration Centre (GIAC).