The CARO Centre was invited to the investiture ceremony for the new president of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb) which took place in Kingston, Jamaica, on 8 and 9 December.

Based in London and founded in 1915, the CIArb is a global reference for arbitrators and mediators training. The CIArb is also a research centre for developing Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) methods. More than 17,000 members and a presence in 149 countries make the Curb one of the world's largest arbitrators and mediators networks. The Caribbean branch of the CIArb was established in 2006. It has around 20 members and works to promote and develop ADR methods in the Caribbean region.

John Bassie was invested as President of the CIArb during an official ceremony on Thursday 8 December at the Mona Campus of the University of the West Indies (UWI). Mr Bassie becomes the first Caribbean president to hold this prestigious position.

A lawyer, mediator and accountant by training, John Bassie is a board member of the Jamaican Bar Association and president of the Dispute Resolution Foundation, founded in 1994 in Jamaica. He was president and founder of the Caribbean section of the CIArb and president of the Jamaican chapter.

The ceremony featured the following speakers:

• The Honourable Donna Parchment Brown, Lawyer at the Jamaican Bar and Founder of the Dispute Resolution Foundation in Jamaica;
• Reverend Dr. Devon Dick;
• Bryan Banon, Director of the Americas Section of the CIArb, representing Catherine Dixon, Director General of the CIArb;
• The Honourable Delroy Chuck, KC, MP, Justice Minister of Jamaica and representing the Honourable Andrew Holness, Prime Minister of Jamaica;

John Bassie, the new CIArb president and first Caribbean legal practitioner in this position, stated, “I plan to give a voice to all the members of the CIArb across the world, as well as those disputants who may have felt that their access to justice was limited by traditional systems and processes”.

A round table was held in the morning of 9 December chaired by John Bassie and the Jamaican Dispute Resolution Foundation team. It brought together local, regional and international future signatories, including the CARO Centre, of the Kingston Agreement which is a declaration about the promotion of good practices when it comes to Alternative Dispute Resolution methods.

The morning provided a chance to establish common goals and future steps necessary to develop good practices when it comes to Alternative Dispute Resolution methods on a global scale under Mr Bassie's presidency.

For more information, please contact: secretariat@carohadac.org.

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