Mediation, a process whereby the disputing parties attempt to reach an amicable settlement with the assistance of a third person, has steadily been gaining significance as an alternative dispute resolution tool domestically and internationally, particularly since the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Singapore Convention on Mediation in December 2018. In India, a reference to mediation before a suit can be instituted has been made mandatory by law since 2018, mediation is made a compulsory subject for LLB degree by the Bar Council of India from the 2020-21 academic year, and a comprehensive mediation statute is in pipeline. Mediation has also acquired contemporary relevance in the pandemic-hit world because of its ability to offer flexible resolution options and create win-win situations for the disputing parties as opposed to the more rigid adversarial system

Settle 2021 is a campaign to promote mediation and specifically aims (a) to generate wider interest in, and acceptance of, mediation as a dispute resolution tool in Kerala, and (b) to equip professionals and emerging professionals with knowledge and skills to take an active role in mediation.

Settle 2021, which runs from 1 March through 31 March 2021 (with some events spilling over to May-June 2021), is the biggest online gathering yet in the Kerala legal history.

It is a confluence of events - 4 international panel discussions on recent developments in mediation, 25 awareness sessions, 2 workshops - one for young lawyers and one for law students, a national mock mediation contest, and a capacity-building programme for law teachers. Over the course of Settle 2021, 40+ speakers from across the world will take part in 100+ hours of awareness and training sessions.

Settle 2021 is a joint initiative of the Cooperative School of Law and MKMS Education in collaboration with Mahatma Gandhi University and Kerala State Mediation and Conciliation Centre.