Mediation Centers inaugurated in Jinotepe and Jinotega

The Association of Democratic Lawyers of Nicaragua, with the support of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), inaugurated mediation centers in the provincial capitals of Jinotepe on Jan. 23 and Jinotega on Jan. 25 to facilitate access to justice through alternative dispute resolution.

USAID has provided $160,000 to help set up and equip ten mediation centers, including these two new centers. The centers are staffed with mediators, who received training through USAID’s Rule of Law Program, and are accredited by the Office of Alternative Dispute Resolution of Nicaragua’s Supreme Court.

The mediation centers are institutions that facilitate access to and application of justice for civil, administrative, and other disputes, in accordance with the country’s Mediation and Arbitration Law.

Assistance for the mediation centers is part of USAID’s $10.6 million Rule of Law Program to help modernize the justice sector and increase access to justice for Nicaraguan citizens.