Arbitration
ICC Dispute Resolution highlights in 2017
It’s been another year of expansion and progress for the International Court of Arbitration. As we head to the end of the year, we’re taking a look back at the last 12 months of dispute resolution activities and events.
From updates to the ICC Rules of Arbitration, to regional conferences providing the lowdown on arbitration landscapes worldwide, here are seven highlights from 2017:
1. A bright start to a busy year
The Court got off to a flying start in 2017 when it revealed record figures for new cases filed for administration under ICC rules in 2016, constituting a record year for the Court in its 94-year history. Full statistics were published later in the year in the new look ICC Dispute Resolution Bulletin.
2. Leading the future of ICC Arbitration
February saw the appointment of Alexander G. Fessas as Secretary General of the ICC Court and Director of ICC Dispute Resolution Services and Ana Serra e Moura as Deputy Secretary General of the ICC Court. Commenting on his new role, Mr Fessas expressed his intention to maintain the level of excellence that the ICC Court is universally known to provide in dispute resolution services. Alexis Mourre, President of the Court said that filling the two positions internally was testament to the quality of the ICC Secretariat’s teams and the opportunities given to team members. Ziva Filipic, was also appointed to replace Mr Fessas as Managing Counsel of the Court.
The Court also appointed 41 new members from 38 countries, and announced that Carita Wallgren-Lindholm will take over the helm of the ICC Commission on Arbitration and ADR from Christopher Newmark whose term ends on 31 December 2017.
3. Fostering efficiency and transparency
In March, ICC’s new Rules of Arbitration – featuring Expedited Rules to effectively provide for an arbitration to be concluded in six months – came into effect along with updates to ICC’s practice note to parties and arbitral tribunals. In September, the Court followed up with an announcement that the first arbitral tribunals under the expedited procedure provisions had been constituted.
4. Global expansion
The Court continued to expand outwards with the establishment of a permanent case management team in Sao Paulo, Brazil. In early 2018, a new representative office of the Court will officially open in Abu Dhabi, followed by a new case management office in Singapore later in the year.
5. Enhanced services through collaboration
In 2017, ICC signed memorandums of understanding with the New York International Arbitration Center (NYIAC), the Singapore Ministry of Law (MinLaw), the Kuala Lumpur Regional Centre for Arbitration (KLRCA) and the Shenzhen Court of International Arbitration (SCIA).
The collaborative efforts aim to boost arbitration and serve the dispute resolution needs of users around the world.
6. The arbitration roadshow
To ensure ICC expertise reached arbitration communities, from Australia to Uganda, ICC staged events all around the world in 2017. As well as regional conferences for Asia, Latin, America and North America, ICC joined forces with the International Bar Association and ICC Kenya for a major conference looking at the future of arbitration in Africa.
The Court also co-hosted a panel of experts to discuss how the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Paris Agreement can be supported through methods of international dispute settlement while an ICC conference in June looked into the largely unexplored potential of online dispute resolution (ODR).
ICC was also one of the three organisers of the first-ever Paris Arbitration Week (PAW) and launched two premiere events of its own: the ICC European Conference on International Arbitration and the ICC Institute training for Tribunal Secretaries.
7. Making it easier than ever to stay informed
As the world’s leading arbitral institution, the Court saw a great deal of activity on ICC’s new look website and on dedicated social media channels – including LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. Our @ICC_arbitration and @ICCMediation accounts alone kept 8,000 followers informed on the Court’s latest news and views.
The ICC Digital Library launched in April also makes it easier than ever to access our collection of essential reference materials.
We hope your year has been as productive and rewarding as ours. Stay tuned to learn about our events and developments in 2018.
