Caribbean Arbitrage
OHADAC (Organisation pour l'Harmonisation du Droit des Affaires dans les Caraïbes, or Organization for the Harmonization of Business Law in the Caribbean) is a regional initiative designed to harmonize commercial law and facilitate cross-border trade across the Caribbean.
Modeled directly after West Africa's OHADA (Organisation pour l'Harmonisation en Afrique du Droit des Affaires), OHADAC addresses the legal fragmentation resulting from the co-existence of different legal traditions in the Caribbean basin (Common Law, Civil Law, and mixed jurisdictions).
Core Objectives & Scope
- Legal Harmonization: Developing model business laws and legal frameworks covering commercial contracts, corporate governance, securing transactions, and transport law across more than 30 sovereign Caribbean states and territories.
- Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR): Providing efficient, low-cost dispute resolution mechanisms to mitigate the risk and complexity of cross-border litigation.
- Regional Integration: Bridging legal gaps between English, Spanish, French, and Dutch-speaking jurisdictions in the Caribbean basin.
Key Operational Arm: The CARO Centre
OHADAC operates the CARO Centre (OHADAC Regional Arbitration Centre), which provides specialized administrative services for commercial dispute resolution:
| ADR Mechanism | Function |
|---|---|
| Arbitration | Offers enforceable arbitral awards under the 1958 New York Convention with options for standard or expedited 6-month proceedings. |
| Mediation | Provides structured, neutral third-party facilitation for out-of-court settlement. |
| Facilitation & Expertise | Connects enterprises with independent experts and technical dispute-avoidance specialists. |
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