14 Jun 2023
On Tuesday 6 June 2023, the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR APPG) held a session on the role of ombudsman services in the UK and internationally. The session was attended by representatives from various ombudsman services, including the Housing Ombudsman, the UNCHR Ombudsman and the Ombudsman Association.
John Howell OBE MP, the Chair of the APPG, opened the session by highlighting the work of the Council of Europe Venice Commission (the Commission) Principles on the Protection and Promotion of the Ombudsman Institution (“The Venice Principles). These 25 principles were adopted by the Commission in March 2019 and highlight the importance and core principles of ombudsman institutions in the context of democracy through law.
Youssoupha Niang, the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) Ombudsman and Mediator, provided some fascinating insights into the application of ombudsman services in the context of the UN. Housing Ombudsman, Richard Blakeway, put the importance and scale of the work done by his organisation in England into perspective. This was followed by an engaging question and answer session, where attendees directed questions to the speakers. The discussion focused on:
Donal Galligan, Chief Executive of the Ombudsman Association of the UK, the British Crown Dependencies, and the British Overseas Territories also attended the session and provided insights on the work being done by the Association to raise public awareness of ombudsman services.
If you are interested in finding out more information on this session, please contact adrappg@ciarb.org
All-Party Parliamentary Groups (APPGs) are informal cross-party groups that have no official status within Parliament. They are run by and for Members of the Commons and Lords, though many choose to involve individuals and organisations from outside Parliament in their administration and activities. The Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (Ciarb) act as the Secretariat to the ADR APPG.
03 May 2024
Corruption, Access to Justice, and the Future of ADRWe speak to Professor (Dr) Emilia Onyema PhD FCIArb about why she chose corruption as the topic for the upcoming Roebuck Lecture, why dispute resolution education should start early, and the highlight of her career.
01 May 2024
Ciarb welcomes CPRC consultationCiarb welcomes the consultation by the UK Civil Procedure Rule Committee (CPRC) -"Alternative Dispute Resolution in Light of Churchill v Merthyr Tydfil: Proposed rule changes".
12 Apr 2024
Significant progress on Advisory Centre for International Investment Law at UNCITRALIn 2017, UNCITRAL Working Group III (WGIII) was launched and was tasked with working on procedural reform of the investor state dispute settlement (ISDS) system. From 1-5 April 2024, Ciarb participated in the 48th session of WGIII in its capacity as an observer delegate.