The Deputy Chief Justice, Justice Richard Buteera, has emphasized the importance of Alternative Justice Strategy (ADR) in delivering timely and fair justice.
While opening the two-day training that started on Monday, October 28th 2024, at Hunter’s Nest Hotel in Arua City, highlighted the integration of African traditional methods in mediation, as outlined in the recently launched Alternative Justice Strategy (AJS).
“The goal is to promote justice for all, in line with the Judiciary Transformational Agenda. Through initiatives like this training, we are equipping mediators to handle cases efficiently, preserving relationships and ensuring justice is not delayed,” Justice Buteera said.
The training being conducted under the theme “Re-Engineering Alternative Dispute Resolution in Administration of Justice” aims at enhancing mediation skills and promoting alternative dispute resolution (ADR) practices.
“Our traditional dispute resolution mechanisms offer quick, cost-effective, and widely accepted ways of resolving conflicts. We are striving to increase their application across the country while ensuring all mediation processes conform to the law and respect local norms and culture,” he noted.
The Judiciary of Uganda, in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the International Development Law Organisation, has launched the inaugural training of mediators under the Arua High Court Circuit.
Arua Resident Judge, Lady Justice Harriet Grace Magala, praised the training’s timeliness, stating that it would help judicial officers better address the Circuit’s high volume of family cases.
“Mediation can be a more suitable approach for resolving family disputes, as it not only reduces case backlogs but also fosters reconciliation and preserves relationships,” she remarked.
Chief Registrar HW Sarah Langa Siu acknowledged some of the challenges facing mediation, such as training quality, mediator credibility, and remuneration.
“We are committed to addressing these issues to strengthen the ADR process, with the ultimate aim of ensuring effective justice delivery,” she said.
Alternative dispute resolution (“ADR”) refers to any method of resolving disputes without litigation. ADR regroups all processes and techniques of conflict resolution that occur outside of any governmental authority.