The 4th Management Meeting of the European Union-Council of Europe Joint Project on “Promoting Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) in Turkey” was held online on 25 April 2022 with the participation of the representatives of the Directorate General for Legal Affairs, Directorate General for Criminal Affairs, Directorate General for Foreign Relations and EU Affairs of the Ministry of Justice, Delegation of the European Union to Turkey, Central Finance and Contracts Unit and Council of Europe.
The objective of the meeting was to share an overview of the activities carried out between January and March 2022 with Project partners and provide general information on the implementation of the activities to be implemented between April and June 2022.
During the meeting, main achievements within the 15-month period of project implementation in conciliation in criminal justice system as well as in mediation/arbitration were shared with the participants.
Some of the achievements shared in the meeting in regard to the conciliation component were: (1) the new model on juvenile offenders on the conciliation process for strengthening the protection of rights of minors defined in line with international standards; (2) setting standards for conciliation interview rooms in line with international standards, which assists the Ministry of Justice to ensure fundamental principles of restorative justice such as confidentiality, neutrality, safety and control; (3) carrying out qualitative and quantitative research surveys, which reveals the possible instruments to improve the implementation of the conciliation mechanism in Turkey, (4) producing a practical handbook, brochures, posters and a video on conciliation, which provides the general public with step-by-step guidance on the conciliation process and which raise awareness on conciliation in Turkey.
In regard to the mediation/arbitration component, the main achievements shared were: (1) a detailed needs assessment analysis and expert review of the legal framework in Turkey and European best practices in the field of mediation in civil and commercial disputes; (2) qualitative and quantitative research on the feasibility on aspects of organisation of mediation, which assisted the Turkish Ministry of Justice to decide on possible issues concerning accreditation and integration of the private mediation centres into the current system; (3) preparing of a practical handbook, guidebooks, public information leaflets and posters and a video on mediation and arbitration to facilitate increased awareness on ADR mechanisms and to promote them among target groups.
The Joint Project on “Promoting Alternative Dispute Resolution in Turkey” is co-funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe and implemented by the Council of Europe. The Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Turkey – Directorate General for Criminals Affairs and Directorate General for Legal Affairs are the end beneficiaries of the Project. The Central Finance and Contracts Unit is the contracting authority.
