National Coordinator for Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Alex Nartey, says arrangements are being made to honour all meetings for disputing parties scheduled for Tuesday, July 20, a public holiday.
A total of 131 courts have been allotted across the country for mass mediation for the 2021 celebration.
Mr Nartey, also the President of the Judicial Staff Association of Ghana (JUSAG), told the Ghana News Agency that all meetings scheduled for the day would be honoured.
He said apart from public education to observe the Week, “we are also doing a refresher engagement for court staff, judges and mediators.”
He said COVID-I9 safety protocols would be strictly adhered to during the celebration to stem the spread of the virus.
“ADR was introduced to ease pressure on the formal court system. It is cheaper, effective, restores strained relationships and mutually beneficial to parties,” Mr Nartey said.
The Courts Act, 1993 (Act 459) in sections 72 and 73 encourage the use of ADR to resolve disputes pending before the courts.
Based on the above, the Judicial Service of Ghana introduced a National ADR Programme as a mainstream process of resolving cases pending in court through Court-Connected Mediation.
Since 2005, the Magistrate’s Courts in Ghana have been offering Court-Connected ADR for litigants who opt for an amicable settlement through mediation.
GNA