ADR proceedings are administered by the ICC International Centre for ADR (Centre) pursuant to the ICC ADR Rules (ADR Rules). The Centre is the only body empowered to administer proceedings under the ADR Rules.
In ADR proceedings, parties remain in control of the outcome by negotiating a binding, win-win agreement based on their business interests. In contrast, in arbitration proceedings an arbitral tribunal issues a win-lose decision based on the applicable laws of the parties’ contract.
Under the ADR Rules, parties are free to choose the settlement technique, including:
- mediation,
- conciliation,
- neutral evaluation,
- mini-trial and
- a variety of combinations of these and other techniques.
The majority of parties opt for mediation, which is the default mechanism where parties do not agree otherwise.