Australia is the proud winner of the 13th ICC International Commercial Mediation Competition that was held from the 2 – 7 February 2018 in Paris.
Since 2015 I have enjoyed being on the judging panel for this vibrant competition, but this year my timetable made it difficult for me to be in Paris that week. It was, however, an exceptional outcome for the team from The University of New South Wales (NSW), coached by Rosemary Howell, claim victory against Saint Joseph University of Beirut in the 13th edition of the International Commercial Mediation Competition of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) after six days and almost 150 mediation sessions.
This prestigious competition involves teams competing against each other by demonstrating their ability to resolve international business disputes through mediation. Starting in 2006 with just 10 teams, this competition in twelve years has grown to accommodate 65 selected teams representing 32 countries. There are also over 130 professionals acting as judges and mediator coaches involved in this event that is the biggest educational event held by the ICC International Chamber of Commerce.
The final mediation this year was a volcanic issue involving an organic coffee grower whose plantation was nestled at the base of a threatening island volcano and an international technology giant with an innovative new technology that was supposed to reduce the ever-dangerous ash clouds spewed during volcanic activity.
Commenting on the students’ know-how, Jim Lawrence, who acted as a judge said: “I thought both teams were exceptional. It was clear that they reached this point in the Competition because they are very skilled. Their ability to move forward and integrate the information that they had in such a short period of time is remarkable.”
It was great to see that in this years’ competition there were three Australian teams selected to compete, including teams from the University of Notre Dame, University of New South Wales and Monash University.
