The goal of the Global Pound Conference (“GPC”) Series is to create a conversation about what can be done to improve access to justice and the quality of justice around the world in civil and commercial conflicts. The approach taken involves engaging all stakeholders in the field of dispute prevention and resolution worldwide via locally-based events. The events will gather data intended to enable the dispute resolution market and all participants to consider whether there are reasons (and if so how) to adapt existing services to be optimally aligned to disputants’ needs and means.
Forty years following on from the
original Pound Conference - after which this Series is named - the stakeholders in the dispute resolution field around the world appear to be fragmented.
A pilot convention, organised in London on October 29, 2014 suggested that there may be a lack of reliable, comparative and actionable data to enable the supply side of the dispute resolution market to fully meet users’ needs, both locally and transnationally. This would affect private persons, families, communities, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), multinationals, governments, domestic and international entities and a wide range of additional stakeholders who are involved in civil or commercial disputes.
The data that the London convention generated suggested that significant gaps may exist between what disputants expect and need and what is currently provided by advisors, provider bodies, practitioners, educators and policy makers. This data and subsequent discussions led to the generation of a new list of core questions to be discussed by all stakeholders, to verify whether or not these gaps exist, in what ways, and (if so) whether they vary from region to region. These core questions are a central part of the GPC Series. They are still being drafted and are open to consultation for anyone wishing to provide input to them.
For these reasons the title of the GPC Series is: Shaping the Future of Dispute Resolution & Improving Access to Justice. It is intended to encompass all forms of dispute resolution, including litigation, arbitration, conciliation, and mediation. The Series will consider how disputants in civil and commercial conflicts can select and have access to appropriate dispute resolution processes that will continue to respond to users’ needs and will also be proportionate in terms of costs, time, possible outcomes and their enforceability, as well as their impact on reputations, relationships, and other social or cultural issues that may concern users.
The original hope of the organiser was to hold approximately 15 meetings in various countries. Since then, interest in the GPC Series has grown tremendously. Over 39 events are being organised in over 31 countries with the support of over 39
Global Partners and
Global Sponsors. We encourage you to participate in one of these events or to organise one locally.
Please explore this website to find out more.
