Rhodes-Vivour, Institute of Arbitrators chair urges youths to explore arbitration

Adedoyin Rhodes-Vivour, the chairperson of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb), has urged up and coming ones in the field, to explore the opportunities that abound in arbitration.

Rhodes-Vivour gave the charge in Lagos on Wednesday at the first Annual Conference of the Young Members Group (YMG) of CIArb, with the Theme; “In Pursuit of an Arbitration Practice -Where Do I Stand’’.

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She urged young members of the institute to uphold the highest standard of knowledge, practice and ethics in order to develop their skills and knowledge.

Rhodes-Vivour said that it’s over 100 years that the institute had been committed to the promotion of Arbitration and Alternative Dispute Resolution. “CIArb is a non-profit charity institute and works in the public interest through an international network of branches across the six continents of the world. The Nigerian branch, one of the five in Africa, is widely acclaimed as the institute’s largest training branch.

According to her, “Our values are dignity and respect, professionalism, loyalty, trust, and ownership as well as accountability. In her opening remarks, Folashade Alli, the Branch Secretary of CIArb, commended the initiative of YMG of CIArb for the commitment to the advancement, development and capacity building of the young members.

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Alli said that recently, there had been increasing awareness and discussions on the lack of diversity among arbitrators. “There is justification for the clamour over increased diversity in gender, culture, nationality and age of arbitrators. Concerted efforts are being made to narrow gender and cultural disparities”, she said.

Folake Sadiq, chairman of Young Members Group (YMG) of CIArb, commended the support of the national body for making the programme a reality. She described YMG as a special group dedicated to youth under the age of 40, adding that the youth must not necessarily be a lawyer before becoming a member.