International Symposium on Arbitration, Peace Building and Global Governance (ISAPG) 2026 [Online]

Dexon Global describes itself as Eastern India's first discipline-focused finishing school. It is a research-driven, interdisciplinary organisation working on legal education, public policy, sustainability and global academic collaboration, operating at the intersection of law, policy, business and social impact.

The organisation curates international conferences, faculty development programmes, training modules, publications and collaborative research platforms. It houses multiple verticals, including academic journals, book publications, research and policy forums, educational initiatives and social impact programmes, among them Beyond Briefs Law Review, Paperleaf International, DICE, Relief Wings, the Dexon Global Centre for Legal Studies, Policy and Research, and DIPLOMAT.

The Dexon Global Centre for Institutional Peacebuilding, ODR, Mediation and Arbitration Training (DIPLOMAT) is a specialised academic and practice-oriented initiative dedicated to advancing the study and application of alternative dispute resolution and institutional peacebuilding. It works to bridge the gap between theoretical frameworks and real-world dispute resolution by fostering interdisciplinary engagement across law, public policy, governance and technology.

With a focus on emerging mechanisms such as Online Dispute Resolution (ODR), the Centre equips participants with the competencies required in contemporary dispute resolution ecosystems, and contributes to policy discourse, capacity building and institutional reform through research, academic collaborations and global dialogues.

The symposium is built on one core premise: the world's dispute resolution infrastructure, its courts, tribunals and arbitral institutions, was designed for a pre-digital era and is buckling under volume, cost and distance. Online Dispute Resolution is no longer an experimental alternative. It is already resolving real disputes at scale, from SEBI's SMART ODR portal to algorithmic deactivation disputes in the gig economy to cross-border commercial arbitration conducted entirely over video.

ISAPG 2026 brings together the law, technology, policy and peacebuilding communities, along with practitioners, academics, regulators, technologists and students, to examine where ODR currently stands, where it is failing, and where it is headed next.

The symposium seeks to move beyond isolated case studies towards a shared understanding of successful practices and persistent challenges across jurisdictions. It aims to expand ODR beyond its traditional focus on e-commerce and banking disputes into institutional peacebuilding, post-conflict mediation, humanitarian dispute resolution and community reconciliation, and to examine AI-assisted mediation, algorithmic decision-making and blockchain-based settlements alongside concerns about bias, accountability, digital exclusion and the appropriate limits of automation.

The symposium is held on 5 and 6 September 2026 in virtual mode. Lawctopus is the exclusive media partner.

Theme: "Justice Without Borders: Reimagining Dispute Resolution in a Digital World"

Submissions are invited on, but not limited to, the following sub-themes:

• ODR and access to justice: is digital dispute resolution actually reaching everyone?
• AI, technology and dispute resolution: building smarter justice or replacing human judgment?
• Cross-border disputes in the digital age: can an online process deliver a globally enforceable outcome?
• ODR beyond commerce: can technology resolve conflicts in war zones, refugee camps and communities?
• ODR in practice: how are sectors like gig work, banking, e-commerce and family law using it?
• Regulating ODR: who makes the rules for a borderless dispute resolution system?
• Ethics and inclusion in ODR: who gets left behind when justice goes digital?
• Family mediation online: safeguarding vulnerable parties in sensitive digital negotiations
• Multi-party and mass dispute mediation: negotiating class actions and group claims outside court
• Settlement versus adjudication: an empirical look at whether ADR actually saves time and cost
• Arbitration and mediation as tools for sustainable peacebuilding
• Transitional justice, reconciliation and alternative dispute resolution
• Peacebuilding in post-conflict societies through collaborative dispute resolution
• Role of non-state actors in conflict prevention and peace processes
• Redefining public and private power through algorithmic sovereignty
• Protecting human security amidst digital warfare and global displacement
• Advancing equity and fundamental rights for the next generation
• Architecting modern digital governance and public infrastructure

• All professionals, research scholars and practitioners are eligible to participate.
• All students duly enrolled in a bona fide undergraduate law programme, whether 3-year or 5-year, or a postgraduate law programme offered by any recognised college or university are eligible to participate.

• Abstracts must be original, unpublished and relevant to the symposium theme. The listed sub-themes are indicative and not exhaustive; submissions on related topics aligned with the theme are also welcome.
• Abstracts must be between 300 and 350 words, accompanied by at least five keywords, and should clearly state the research objective, the research question and the intended contribution of the manuscript.
• Full papers must be between 3,000 and 5,000 words.
• Authors shall not include their names, affiliations or any identifying details in the manuscript.
• Co-authorship is permitted for a maximum of two authors per paper.
• The manuscript shall be typed in Times New Roman, font size 12, with 1.5 line spacing and justified alignment.
• Headings shall be in Times New Roman, font size 14, bold.
• Footnotes shall be in Times New Roman, font size 10, with single line spacing.
• Plagiarism is not allowed. A similarity index of 10 to 15 per cent is allowed.
• All citations and references shall be uniform and must conform to the Bluebook (20th edition) citation format.
• Submissions must be made only in .doc or .docx format.
• Participants are required to submit only the abstract at the initial stage. Full papers shall be submitted upon acceptance of the abstract.
• Registration fees once paid are non-refundable.
• Submission of an abstract or paper shall be deemed as acceptance of all conference rules and guidelines.
• The decision of the Organising Committee regarding acceptance, scheduling and publication of submissions shall be final and binding.

• Students (UG/PG): Rs 500 for early bird abstract submission, Rs 700 for standard abstract submission.
• Academicians, professionals and research scholars: Rs 1,000 for early bird abstract submission, Rs 1,200 for standard abstract submission.
• Foreign authors: USD 70 for early bird abstract submission, USD 100 for standard abstract submission, and USD 50 for participation only.

The registration fee is chargeable per author upon selection of the submitted abstract. Fees once paid are non-refundable.

Submit the abstract through the official abstract submission Google Form before the applicable deadline. Confirmation of abstract selection will be sent to the registered email ID within 7 business days. On selection, authors pay the registration fee and complete the presenter registration form; those attending without presenting complete the participant registration form. Full papers are submitted only after the abstract is accepted, by 30 August 2026.

• Best Presenter Award for the top 3 presentations.
• All submitted abstracts will be published in a Book of Abstracts.
• Certificate of Presentation for paper presenters and a Participation Certificate for all attendees.
• The top 20 selected papers will be published in an ISBN-edited book with no publication charges.
• Selected papers will also be considered for publication in Beyond Briefs Law Review (e-ISSN 3048-4782) with no publication charges.
• 10 per cent discount on all courses by Lawctopus Law School.

• Elijah P Rukidi-Mpuuga, Founder, Equitas Dispute Resolution Group
• Barry Leon, Independent Arbitrator and Mediator, 33 Bedford Row, Arbitration Place and Caribbean Arbitrators
• Joe Tirado, Founder, Tirado ADR Limited, Independent International Arbitrator
• Ilayda Balaban, Turkish-qualified lawyer and Independent Arbitrator
• AJ Jawad, Registrar, The International Arbitration and Mediation Centre (IAMCH), Hyderabad
• Dr Gizem Alper, Global Editor of the Pace CISG Database at the Institute of International Commercial Law, and Chair of the Commercial Law and Uniform State Laws Committee at the New York City Bar Association
• Adv. Hitesh Ramchandani, IMI Qualified International Mediator and IIAM Certified Arbitrator, empanelled across LCIA, HKIAC, VIAC, APCAM and SIAC
• Shadman Akib Mostafa, Barrister and Solicitor, High Court of New Zealand, and Associate Arbitrator and Digital Dispute Resolution Specialist at ADR ODR International, UK