The team representing the Royal Institute of Colombo, Sri Lanka consisting of Binuri Weerasinghe, Santhush Pinto and Amana Imthiyas, coached and sponsored by The Moot Court Bench (MCB), secured the Special Award for Distinction in Mediation Advocacy at the 18th International Chamber of Commerce Commercial Mediation Competition Paris (ICC Paris) 2023. The team was introduced to Mediation through The MCB International Commercial Mediation Program last year and trained by coaches Sadiyah Reyal (Partner at the MCB) and Alesia Ehrhardt.

The prestigious Competition, organised annually by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), was held in Paris, France from the 6th to the 11th of February, 2023. ICC Paris is a landmark mediation competition dedicated exclusively to training young advocates to resolve International Commercial Mediation disputes. Due to the pandemic, ICC Paris was held online for the 16th and 17th editions held in 2021 and 2022 respectively – this year, it returned to Paris, bringing 350+ students and coaches, 160+ professional mediators and academics, numerous volunteers, sponsors, and mediation enthusiasts from across the world together.

The team began their journey in June 2022, when they participated in the MCB’s annual International Commercial Mediation Program consisting of a 24-Hour holistic training program on Mediation and Mediation Advocacy skills, followed by the MCB National Commercial Mediation Competition, where Team RIC reigned National Champions. Leading up to ICC Paris, the team was equipped by the MCB with robust training to sharpen their interest-based negotiation and mediation advocacy skills for several months, engaging in mock mediations and participating in numerous global competitions such as the Bucerius Law School Mediation Competition 2022 where the team ranked 10th amongst 24 international teams.

During ICC Paris, the team competed alongside 47 student teams from across 29 countries, facilitated by world-renowned mediators to resolve international business disputes through mediation under the ICC Mediation Rules. Their performance was evaluated by some of the world’s leading dispute-resolution specialists who took part as judges and provided them with invaluable feedback to develop their skills further. This is the second consecutive year that an MCB ICC Team secured the Special Award for Mediation Advocacy at ICC Paris. Sri Lankan teams, supported by the MCB, have represented the country at this prestigious global platform for the past two years since 2022, thereby creating the foundation and momentum for continued growth and recognition of national talent at an international scale.