Introduction

The private sector can have a significant impact on people’s lives as companies pay taxes, improve the infrastructure, create jobs and develop communities. At the same time, local communities raise concerns related to the perceived negative impacts of private sector’s projects. Examples include impacts of air quality, ground waters, impacts on buildings, resettlement or improper information sharing. In order to address all these concerns and to successfully navigate such complex and conflict-prone environments, it is often found that the involvement of a third-party is needed, a neutral facilitator with specific knowledge, analytical and practical skills and sufficient context-related experience.

By way of company-community dispute resolution, ADR Center Romania will support companies, communities and other stakeholders in preventing, managing, transforming or resolving disputes related to the environmental and social impacts of private sector’s projects. Our intervention strategies could include providing capacity building, implementing fact-finding exercises or designing and managing company-community dialogue platforms.

The quality of our company-community dispute resolution services is guaranteed by the competence of our mediators, who are recognized experts in this field, with extensive experience working with independent accountability mechanisms of development banks, multinationals and other international organizations. They will be able to design and implement efficient processes that are broadly inclusive and legitimate.

What is mediation

But what exactly is mediation and how does a typical mediation process look like? 

Mediation is a confidential process of communication and negotiation that is managed by a neutral and impartial professional with no decision-making abilities, the mediator. The aim is to prevent, manage, resolve or end a dispute, thus avoiding the increase of tensions, costs and risks, generated even by taking it in the courts of law. Mediation gives all participants the opportunity to craft the rules that govern the dialogue process, to have a voice, to present their perspectives and to propose options that take into account what is most important to them.

In order to achieve these objectives, the mediator can meet jointly but also separately with the participants in the mediation. Also, in order to ensure all the conditions for an informed decision, the parties are encouraged to be advised in the mediation room by lawyers or other advisors. They have an essential role and become veritable agents of reality in mediation.

Specialized mediators

All our mediators are seasoned professionals with solid knowledge, skills and certified experience in the dispute resolution field. Yet, some of the ADR Center Romania mediators are specialized.

To see a list our mediators specialized in mediating company-community disputes, click here.