Each year, the ICC-ADC Asia-Pacific Commercial Mediation Competition (ICC-ADC APCMC) welcomes students from leading universities across Australia, Asia, the South Pacific, India, the Americas, and Africa to compete in a prestigious mediation competition where students get a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to showcase their negotiation talents in a commercial mediation setting. This year, APCMC had a total of 32 teams competing from 11 countries, representing Australia, Brazil, India, Indonesia, Japan, Maldives, New Zealand, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka and the United Kingdom.

The sessions are judged by a panel of ADR professionals and mediated by professional mediators selected from around the globe from various backgrounds spanning law, business, social sciences, etc.

This prestigious competition is organized by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and the Australian Disputes Centre (ADC) to strengthen the practice of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) through mediation by fostering mediation and negotiation skills in students via mock mediation sessions involving international commercial disputes.

Mediation, as opposed to litigation, allows parties to solve their disputes in a setting of their own choosing, where parties get to solve their disputes using tailor-made solutions based on the underlying individual needs and interests of the parties, opening the door for creativity and flexibility.

Participating in the APCMC has been nothing short of a transformational journey; we committed ourselves to understanding the principles of “interest-based negotiation”, along with negotiation tactics and most importantly, the soft skills needed to build a collaborative and trust-building attitude towards conflict resolution. We’ve come out of the competition not only having learned the skills and fundamentals of mediation and negotiation, but our journey has enriched us in ways we had not anticipated. Each person we’ve met during the course of this competition has left a mark on us, not only in terms of academic learning but also in terms of personal growth as well. Most importantly, our coaches, Ms. Roopali Garg, Mr. Ritvik Mathur and Ms. Khushi Goel, have been instrumental in guiding us throughout the competition. Their guidance led us to receive the Encouragement Award as first-timers in an International Commercial Mediation Competition, and we are committed to carrying forward the invaluable lessons learned during our extensive learning, researching, and brainstorming sessions. We’ve made memories for a lifetime and their guidance will stay with us on our path ahead.

The competition and the whole journey enabled us to meet ADR professionals and law students from around the globe; we now have a hint of what’s expected from us as law students and the enthusiasm towards ADR around the globe. Meeting ADR professionals and law students from various cultural and academic backgrounds has opened our eyes to the challenges a law student will have in maneuvering on an international stage while simultaneously humbling us to acknowledge the different cultural backgrounds.

What surprised us most throughout this whole journey is the learning one receives by interacting with people from different backgrounds; one can only test what one has learned when it is practically applied. This journey has transformed us into appreciating the need for law students to actively participate in such competitions and experiences; where what you learn in law school will be truly tested. While books may be the foundation for any academic journey, their real-life application can only be tested when we, as law students, go beyond our comfort zones and open ourselves to the practical challenges and experiences the world has to offer.

Our humble appreciation to Maldives Moot Court Society (MMCS) for making this possible for us and we hope our journey will motivate other students to join such competitions, where incredible opportunities are open to those who are willing to expand their academic journey. Competitions like these will test one’s capabilities and open one’s eyes to what’s ahead of them; making one sharper and keener to learn and prepare for the journey ahead.