TIRANA, JUNE 19, 2012     The first meeting of the licensed mediators in Albania, organized today by USAID in collaboration with the Ministry of Justice, marks the beginning of a concerted effort to establish the National Chamber of Mediators in Albania. At the event Albania’s Minister of Justice, Eduard Halimi, recognized the role mediation is now playing to reduce lengthy and costly court proceedings and reiterated the Ministry’s commitment to support the expansion of mediation and the further development of this profession in Albania.

The National Chamber of Mediators, which is an independent public institution, constitutes its governing body. The Chamber has the responsibility to approve the rules that guide the conduct of mediation, as well as the mediators’ Code of Ethics. It also exerts oversight and ensures the training of mediators as well as public information. Mediation operates based on the parties’ free will to achieve as equals a cooperative solution of their dispute with the help of an independent licensed mediator. The mediator facilitates an amicable agreement between the parties in civil, family, commercial and even minor criminal cases, bound by legal requirements of impartiality, confidentiality and transparency. The mediated solution is a faster, less expensive, and more transparent, out-of-court mechanism for the resolution of these disputes.

Based on the law, the Mediators’ Licensing Commission has provided to date 51 mediation licenses, 50 for physical persons and one for a juridical person in the framework of which 21 mediators are approved to work. These licensed mediators come from Tirana, Durrësi, Kavaja, Kruja, Elbasani, Vlora, Korça, Bilishti, Përmeti, Gjirokastra, Kopliku and Shkodra.

USAID, through the Albanian Justice Sector Strengthening Project (JuST), has supported family and commercial mediation services through expanding the court-connected Mediation Center at the Durrës District Court and establishing another such center at the Korça District Court. It has also conducted training of mediators and public outreach efforts to increase awareness about mediation and its advantages.

USAID JuST project, which began in October 2010, is a five-year project to increase court transparency, fairness and efficiency; bolster watchdog and anticorruption roles of civil society organizations and media; and strengthen the legal profession and legal education in Albania.