Guyana collaborates with IMPACT Justice on model Arbitration Bill

Apr 23, 2022 News

Kaieteur News – The Government of Guyana and IMPACT Justice recently met to discuss several areas of collaboration on a model Arbitration Bill.
According to a press statement, on April 21, 2022, Professor Velma Newton, Project Director of Improved Access to Justice in the Caribbean Project (IMPACT Justice) met with the Attorney General (AG) and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, SC, MP and his team.

Scenes from the discussion between Attorney General (AG) and Minister of Legal Affairs, Mohabir Anil Nandlall, SC, MP and team, with IMPACT Justice.

Also present at the meeting which was held in the Boardroom of the Attorney General’s Chambers and Ministry of Legal Affairs were Chief Parliamentary Counsel-Charles Fung-a-Fatt, SC; Solicitor General-Nigel Hawke; Deputy Solicitor General-Deborah Kumar; Deputy Chief Parliamentary Counsel-Joann Bond; Law Revision Officer-Diane Woolford; and Principal Assistant Law Revision Officer-Renee King-Sandiford
IMPACT Justice is a multi-country regional justice sector reform project funded by the Government of Canada and is implemented from the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus, Barbados.
According to the release, for several years, IMPACT Justice has provided invaluable support to the Government of Guyana in the area of access to justice.
In order to achieve the Government’s objective of making Guyana a modern arbitration hub, capacity building and training are essential prerequisites.
In that regard, the Attorney General’s Chambers, on behalf of the Government of Guyana, is partnering with IMPACT Justice in a number of initiatives designed to build national capacity and to train persons in arbitration with emphasis on the new Model Arbitration Bill.
The Model Bill was produced by IMPACT Justice for the Caribbean region and it is one of the most modern expressions of arbitration law in this part of the world. Notably, Guyana is among the first territories pursuing its implementation.
Recently, young attorneys-at-law in Guyana benefited from a recently concluded virtual skills training workshop on the “Drafting of Arbitration Clauses: Practical Considerations” which was sponsored by IMPACT Justice and the Chartered Institute of Arbitration, Caribbean Branch.
It was reported that the workshop was held on April 5, and April 7, 2022. The objective of the workshop was to highlight the relevance of including arbitration clauses in contracts and to provide participants with an introduction to the drafting of enforceable arbitration clauses.
In May, in collaboration with the Attorney General’s Chambers, IMPACT Justice will be hosting a virtual workshop on the Model Arbitration Bill entitled “Roadmap to Implementation of a New Arbitration Law”.
The objective of the workshop is to enable participants to understand the purpose of arbitration and to familiarise them with the intended legal framework.
According to the press statement, participants of the workshop will receive training from internationally renowned arbitrators namely the Hon. Barry Leon and Professor Anthony Daimsis, both of whom are Canadian arbitrators, Calvin Hamilton, a Guyanese arbitrator based in Europe and Myles Weekes, the President of Chartered Institute of Arbitration, Caribbean Branch. Participants will include members of the legal profession, the Judiciary, State Counsel, the private sector, and civil society.
To facilitate a consultative approach to the preparation of the domestic law, the Model Arbitration Bill was circulated to relevant stakeholders in Guyana including the Bar Association of Guyana, the Berbice Bar Association, the Private Sector Commission and the American Chamber of Commerce of Guyana.
Additionally, later in the year, the Chartered Institute of Arbitration, Caribbean Branch will host two training courses on arbitration. One will be held in September and the other in December. These courses will pave the way for interested Guyanese to become certified arbitrators.

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