Governor Proclaims National Conflict Resolution Week 2023

WHEREAS, mediation, arbitration, neutral evaluation, collaborative practice, restorative justice, and many other processes fall under the umbrella of "conflict resolution”; and

WHEREAS, each year, thousands of disputes between individuals, corporations, small businesses, governmental agencies, and others are resolved through the use of a variety of conflict resolution processes both prior to and after the initiation of a court proceeding; and

WHEREAS, the North Carolina General Assembly has codified conflict resolution programs for use in the district and superior courts of North Carolina; in matters before the clerks of North Carolina; in cases before the North Carolina Industrial Commission, the North Carolina Office of Administrative Hearings, and other state agencies; and in pre­litigation disputes regarding public records and farm nuisances; and

WHEREAS, North Carolina's three federal district courts have adopted dispute resolution procedures in cases that come before those courts and promulgated rules to implement those programs; and

WHEREAS, North Carolina has a rich, decades-long history of the successes of the conflict resolution efforts of dozens of volunteer mediators at more than twenty community mediation centers across the great state of North Carolina; and

WHEREAS, for more than 25 years, mediators and other dispute resolution practitioners have demonstrated the value of alternatives to litigation for resolving conflicts through their significant expertise in helping disputants reach durable agreements; and

WHEREAS, conflict resolution processes can foster communication, enhance relationships, potentially save parties' time and expenses of prolonged litigation, and increase the efficiency of our courts, thereby conserving taxpayer dollars;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, ROY COOPER, Governor of the State of North Carolina, do hereby proclaim October 15 – 21, 2023, as “CONFLICT RESOLUTION WEEK” in North Carolina, and commend its observance to all citizens.