The Dispute Resolution Foundation, formerly the Mediation Council of Jamaica, was incorporated under the Companies Act on July 11, 1994.  Core funding was provided by USAID under the Sustainable Justice Improvement Programme.  The Foundation seeks to implement a very successful model of dispute resolution which is widely used by businesses and courts in the U.S.A., Hong Kong, Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom.The following are some of the objectives of the Foundation:

1. To establish methods of resolving disputes in Jamaica which are supplementary, complementary or alternative to litigation, called Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) techniques;2. To encourage and educate the public about using ADR techniques to handle conflicts and differences without resorting to violence;3. To establish several dispute resolution facilities in communities throughout Jamaica;4. To explore and establish such ADR techniques as methods of resolving domestic, commercial, industrial, political and social disputes among members of the Jamaican community; and5. To increase the use of mediation services by the legal profession as a dispute resolution option.