CEPANI is the Belgian Centre for Arbitration and Mediation. As such, it offers parties in dispute the administrative assistance for their arbitration and mediation proceedings, to allow them to reach a satisfactory solution for their conflict. The Centre strives to create the appropriate legal and administrative framework for the parties, to make possible a swift and safe resolution of their dispute.

CEPANI was founded in 1969, under the auspices of the Belgian National Committee of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC Belgium) and the Federation of Belgian Enterprises (VBO/FEB). Over the years, CEPANI’s reputation has steadily grown and it is now the main centre for dispute resolution in Belgium. At the heart of Brussels, amidst several important EU institutions and international organizations, CEPANI offers its services in a national as well as an international context.

CEPANI is housed in the offices of the VBO/FEB in Brussels. Its members include business people, university professors, corporate counsel, lawyers and notaries. Internationally, it maintains close relations with similar centres around the globe and promotes the city of Brussels as an arbitration hub.

CEPANI’s aims are twofold:

• The active support of arbitration and mediation proceedings. CEPANI places at the disposal of the parties a set of rules for arbitration, mediation and other forms of ADR; it appoints independent arbitrators, mediators, experts or neutrals; it monitors the course of the proceedings and, if necessary, provides logistic and legal support services.
• The active promotion of arbitration, mediation and other forms of alternative dispute resolution. To this end, CEPANI regularly organises scientific lectures, colloquiums and seminars and encourages the production and publication of articles and books on the subject.

CEPANI does not itself act as arbitrator, mediator, expert or independent neutral.

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CEPANI has a long standing tradition of entering into Collaboration Agreements with renowned and leading arbitration institutions around the world . These Agreements are primarily based on the promotion of all forms of alternative dispute resolution, exchange of information and the expression of mutual recognition and friendship.

On 8 March 2016 the Board of Directors of the CEPANI decided to also enter into Partnerships with specialized Service Providers.

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As CEPANI is the gateway to the Belgian Arbitration community, several enterprises have shown an interest of accessing thereto.

CEPANI has decided in favor of such requests, whilst respecting the highest standards possible.

CEPANI, as an arbitration institution, considers the standards of independence, impartiality and integrity as paramount and crucial features for its proper functioning and the threshold of the trust of its users.

For that reason, Partners of CEPANI should be enterprises with the highest standards, immaculate reputation and leaders in their field.

Partners of CEPANI cannot be party to an arbitration proceeding administered by CEPANI in any way.

Partnerships should foresee a longstanding relationship and can only be visualized in a modest and esthetic way, through the CEPANI-website, the CEPANI-Newsletter and during conferences whereby CEPANI or CEPANI40 is the leading organizer.

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On November 15, 2016 CEPANI entered into a Partnership with Wolters Kluwer Belgium for an initial period of five years.

Wolters Kluwer Belgium provides information, software and services. Our customers are legal, business, tax, accounting, finance, and HSE professionals and businesses. We help our customers to be more efficient and effective and support them in making decisions with confidence.

CEPANI DIVERSITY & INCLUSION POLICY

As an arbitration and mediation institution administrating judicial processes to resolve disputes, the founding principle of diversity and inclusion of equality is inherent to CEPANI’s core. CEPANI sees the value of diversity and inclusion as a way to gather, respect and include the different ways by which people identify, inclusive of age, colour, disability, ethnicity, gender, origin, nationality, race, religion, sexual orientation and socioeconomic status. CEPANI acknowledges the need to build an institutional culture that is equitable, accessible and welcoming to all.

With this in mind, CEPANI empowers its members to make an impact on their business and their surrounding world. CEPANI fosters a culture that is unconditionally inclusive, and in return, expects that its members contribute with their different perspectives, ideas and experiences, in the context of any work or activity, with a single and common purpose: to help creating more opportunities for everyone, ensuring the involvement from all, with an emphasis on those who have been historically underrepresented, and building a more inclusive and diverse future in the world of arbitration.  

CEPANI is, and will continue to be, taking a number of initiatives around diversity and inclusion to reduce existing inequalities (such as gender gaps) in the arbitration community”.

CEPANI DIVERSITY & INCLUSION COMMITMENT

 In our quality of CEPANI members, who are involved in the practice of national and international arbitration, we acknowledge the need to build an institutional culture that is equitable, accessible and welcoming to all. To achieve this, we are committed to make our best to:

• help creating more opportunities for everyone, irrespective of gender, religion, sexual orientation, origin, colour, nationality, disability, or socioeconomic status in the field of arbitration
• ensure the involvement from all, with an emphasis on those who have been historically underrepresented in the arbitration community
• reduce existing inequalities (such as gender gaps) 
• ensure mentoring/sponsoring/support/guidance from senior and experienced arbitration practitioners towards junior and underrepresented profiles to enhance their practice
• address bias, discrimination and harassment that represent barriers to the realisation of diversity and inclusion
• organise regular initiatives around diversity and inclusion to raise awareness 
• improve the profile and representation of women in arbitration (in particular, we consider that women should be appointed as arbitrators on an equal opportunity basis). In this respect, the CEPANI Board of Directors has signed the pledge for equal representation in arbitration (the “Pledge”)
• ensure that the composition of Cepani’s Board, Secretariat, Committees and Task Forces adheres to the principles of diversity and inclusion
• ensure that the wording of Cepani’s communications reflects inclusiveness”. 

THE PLEDGE 

On November 10, 2016, the CEPANI Board of Directors signed the pledge for equal representation in arbitration. By doing so CEPANI confirms its will to take all the steps reasonable to it to ensure equal representation in arbitration.