Mauritius is hosting an international arbitration conference

Mauritius is hosting a three-day international arbitration conference. The meet was opened by attorney general Yatin Varma on Tuesday and will go on till April 7 at the Grand Baie Conference Centre.

The conference, organised by the Supreme Court of Mauritius in collaboration with the World Jurist Association (WJA), is focusing on ‘International Arbitration and Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) – Impact on the rule of law’.

On this occasion, Varma stated that the International Arbitration Act 2008, based on the UNCITRAL Model Law for International Commercial, embarks on the ambitious project of establishing Mauritius as an international arbitration centre of excellence – the first of its kind in the region.

“The aim of the government is to set up the appropriate environment and forum to offer a modern and attractive jurisdiction for international arbitration and alternative dispute resolution. Mauritius has a vibrant economy, is politically stable, boasts of good governance and has an independent judiciary. Thus it has the potential to become an arbitration centre par excellence,” said the attorney general.

He added that arbitration is fast emerging as a preferred international dispute resolution mechanism aimed at supplementing the existing framework. “There are indeed many challenges and opportunities in this specialised area which needs to be explored and addressed,” he said.

Chief judge Bernard Sik Yuen stated that he chose the theme of the conference. He said, “I know that the government intends to promote Mauritius as an international arbitration centre of excellence and I wanted to introduce mediation within our court system.”

Around 70 distinguished international delegates from 21 countries and some 200 judiciary members, including the Attorney General’s Office, the Mauritius Bar Association and the Mauritius Law Society are participating in this conference.