Mediation
High-profile ICC Argentina event marks growing interest in ICC arbitration
A conference in Argentina entitled “ICC Arbitration in today’s world” has brought together the country’s leading law firms, arbitrators, in-house legal counsels and academics, and sealed the establishment of ICC Argentina’s new Commission on Arbitration.
Organized by ICC Argentina and the Argentine Chamber of Commerce, the event was opened on 11 November by Antonio Estrany y Gendre, Secretary of ICC Argentina’s Executive Board, President of Axion Energy, and Máximo Bomchil, Member of the Court for Argentina.
John Beechey, President of ICC International Court of Arbitration, gave his keynote address to a packed house. Other speakers included Christian Albanesi, Managing Counsel of the Court, José Martínez de Hoz, Member of the Court for Argentina, and Guillermo Argerich, Secretary of ICC Argentina’s new Arbitration Commission.
The conference comes a month after ICC Argentina was relaunched under the leadership of Chairman Eduardo Eurnekian. The new Executive Director for ICC Argentina, Julian Kassum, said: “Our event’s high turnout reflects a tremendous interest for ICC arbitration in Argentina, as we’ve also observed in Brazil. In fact, across Latin America we’re seeing a trend towards the increasing use of arbitration and other dispute resolution services for resolving domestic and international disputes.”
A number of Argentine law firms and corporations have already expressed interest in joining ICC Argentina and its new Commission on Arbitration. The commission will be built up over the coming months and fully launched in 2014. The group will both serve as forum on alternative dispute resolution in Argentina, and feed Argentina’s input into discussions at ICC’s international arbitration commission at the headquarters in Paris.
ICC Argentina, whose founding members include some of the country’s leading business organizations and companies, offers improved support for international business, with at least one conference on ICC arbitration planned every year, and other high-level events on topical issues. “We’re aiming for greater participation of the Argentine legal and arbitration community in ICC’s arbitration work, and better promotion of ICC arbitration and other dispute resolution services in Argentina,” said Mr Kassum.
ICC Argentina will also develop a range of activities in core policy areas covered by ICC at global level, such as trade finance and strategic business input into G20 summits.
“ICC Arbitration in today’s world” prompted mentions of ICC Argentina in the national media, including coverage by news agency Agencia Diarios y Noticias, and business daily El Cronista.
