Vice President of the Supreme Court Oleksandr Mamalui joins the 10th International Forum “Mediation and Law – 2026”

The development of mediation in Ukraine, the practical results of its application, and the challenges hindering the wider use of alternative dispute resolution methods were discussed by Vice President of the Supreme Court Oleksandr Mamalui during the panel discussion “Vision for the Development of Mediation: Position of States and International Organisations” as part of the 10th International Forum “Mediation and Law – 2026”.

He emphasised that the development of mediation and other alternative dispute resolution mechanisms remains one of the key areas for improving the justice system and is provided for in the Rule of Law Roadmap approved by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine.

At the same time, Oleksandr Mamalui drew attention to the practical results of mediation. According to him, in commercial court proceedings last year, courts of first instance clarified with the parties more than 204,000 times whether they wished to settle the dispute through mediation, but the mechanism was actually used only once. A similar situation is observed in civil proceedings, where relevant explanations were provided more than 1.4 million times.

Analysing the reasons for this situation, the Vice President of the Supreme Court identified two main problems. The first is the insufficient level of public trust and awareness regarding mediation. He noted that many people do not understand the essence of this institute or its advantages, and therefore choose traditional court proceedings as a more familiar way to protect their rights.

The second factor, according to Oleksandr Mamalui, is economic. He pointed out that lawyers usually conclude agreements to represent clients in court, while the possibility of settling a dispute through mediation is not always taken into account in such legal relations. In this regard, he said that the further development of alternative dispute resolution methods requires active educational work, promotion of its advantages, and broader involvement of the legal community in this process.

Summing up his speech, the Vice President of the Supreme Court expressed his conviction that mediation has significant potential to reduce the burden on the judicial system, especially during wartime, and should continue to develop as an effective tool for peaceful dispute resolution.

The event was organised by the Ukrainian Academy of Mediation in partnership with the European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ) with the support of the European Union under the EU project “CONSENT”.