Arbitration

ICC Court further extends worldwide reach in 2013

  • 16 July 2014
ICC Court

Statistics relating to cases filed with the International Court of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) in 2013 confirm the Court’s position as a truly global dispute resolution provider.

The Court received 767 new requests involving parties from 138 countries and independent territories worldwide. 80% of the cases were cross-border disputes between parties of different nationalities, while 66% of disputes were between parties from different regions. The representation of regions outside Europe expanded.

A similar expansion was observed among arbitrators and places of arbitration. The range of nationalities of arbitrators appointed and confirmed in 2013 grew to 86, from 76 in 2012. ICC arbitrations were seated in 63 different countries, equalling the record set in 2011.

With nine case management teams, each focusing on a different region, the Court’s Secretariat has knowledge of local traditions, languages and legal cultures necessary for effective administration of disputes. The ninth team was established in the United States in 2013; it operates under the corporate name of SICANA Inc. Its offices are in New York, an ideal location to handle the Court’s growing North American caseload. In 2013 the number of parties from Canada and the United States grew by 28.3% compared with 2012. US parties continue to be the most numerous of all nationalities in ICC arbitrations, followed by German, French, Brazilian and, for the first time in fifth position, Chinese parties.

Striking developments were also recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. In Sub-Saharan Africa, cases involved parties of 29 nationalities (up from 23 in 2012) and arbitrators of 11 nationalities (up from 7 in 2012), and proceedings were seated in eight different countries in the region. In Asia, in addition to the 56% rise in the number of Chinese parties, parties from the United Arab Emirates continued to grow, rising to become the eighth most frequent nationality.

A record of 86 cases (11.2% of all cases filed during the year) involved states or entities under state control. Over half of these parties were from Central and Eastern Europe and Sub-Saharan Africa.

More detailed statistics can be found in the 2013 Statistical Report, to be published in August 2014 in the ICC International Court of Arbitration Bulletin, vol. 25, no. 1, also available online in the ICC Dispute Resolution Library.