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Mediation Boards Commission launches convenient dispute intake system for public

09 Mar 2022

The Mediation Boards Commission (MBC) of Sri Lanka, together with the Ministry of Justice, launched a convenient dispute intake system for the public by introducing a dispute intake box at the Divisional Secretariat Level. This expands the Community Mediation Boards’ (CMB) chairpersons’ jurisdiction and makes it easier for the CMBs to receive complaints from the public.  The launch event to hand over the first set of boxes was graced by several dignitaries including Minister of Justice Ali Sabry, EU Deputy Head of Delegation to Sri Lanka and the Maldives Thorsten Bargfrede, British Council Sri Lanka Country Director Maarya Rehman, British Council Sri Lanka Supporting Effective Dispute Resolution (SEDR) Project Team Leader Jacques Carstens, and The Asia Foundation (TAF) Deputy Country Representative Johann Robert.  The current dispute intake system requires the public to hand over their disputes by way of a formal letter to the respective chairperson in the CMB in the area where the disputants are from. However, this process of receiving formal complaints to the CMB was found to be time consuming, leaving the public having to face many difficulties in handing over their complaints.   As a solution, the MBC decided to implement a convenient dispute intake system. As part of the SEDR project, TAF contracted a vendor to design and provide 350 complaint boxes and oversee the delivery of the boxes to 25 district secretariats.  Bargfrede stated: “Mediation of local disputes is an important component of local governance, and it is crucial that we work to remove any barriers with regard to the efficient intake of disputes. A dispute intake box is an approachable method for the public to hand in their complaints and has the potential to influence more people in communities to come forward with their disputes, ultimately leading to increased trust and confidence in communal justice. The EU’s funding to the SEDR project is a part of its commitment to promote dialogue and support local governance in Sri Lanka.”   Sabry said: “Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanisms have proved to be effective, speedy and cost effective in many jurisdictions in the world. Mediation in particular has the potential in Sri Lanka to ease the burden on the justice system whilst also delivering an acceptable solution to both parties.This project will make access to mediation easier and also contribute to its development as an ADR mechanism in Sri Lanka.”


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