Arbitration
ICC reaches major arbitration milestone with 27,000th case
The International Court of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC Court) has registered its 27,000th case, having announced record arbitration figures for 2021 earlier this year.
The registered dispute is between parties from Africa active in the energy sector and will be administered by the ICC Court Secretariat out of Paris.
ICC is the most preferred arbitral institution both worldwide, but also in Africa according to respondents of a major survey of arbitration professionals and users.
“Case 27,000 is a very important milestone for the ICC Court, as it fast approaches its centenary year. I am pleased that the case showcases the true diversity of our caseload but also exemplifies why we care for the development of arbitration and ADR in Africa – the continent of origin of 193 parties from 35 countries in our 2021 case filings,” said Alexander G. Fessas, Secretary General of the ICC Court.
The development of arbitration and ADR in Africa has been a key focus for ICC in recent years. In 2018, the ICC Court established its Africa Commission to build capacity in the region, engage with a wider range of stakeholders across the continent and enhance awareness of, and access to, ICC’s dispute resolution know-how and services.
The Africa Commission continues to work hand in hand with the ICC Court’s Belt and Road Commission to drive the development of ICC’s existing procedures and infrastructure to support Belt and Road disputes, and in 2021 its renewed leadership was announced on the same day as the Continental launch of the ICC-ECA Centre of Entrepreneurship in Africa.
In the same year, ICC created an Africa Regional Director role to bolster the ICC Court’s outreach in Africa. Diamana Diawara was appointed to the role with a view to engage with ICC stakeholders, including businesses, law firms, States and state-owned entities, as well as ICC’s Africa Action Network of national committees and chambers.
Also in 2021, ICC announced a pioneering Hold the Door Open programme, aiming to give young arbitration practitioners in Africa a unique opportunity to gain practical experience by observing arbitration hearings.
ICC’s annual Africa conference, a major forum for arbitration in Africa now in its sixth year, will take place in hybrid format in Lagos, Nigeria on 1-3 June 2022. An ICC Institute of World Business Law Advanced Training on Assessment of Damages by Arbitrators will also take place alongside the ICC Africa conference on 1 June.
ICC dispute resolution services comprise a wide choice of administered procedures as a trusted alternative to litigation for resolving domestic and international disputes. These services are globally accessible and completely neutral and available to everyone, everywhere – from individuals and private sector enterprises to states and state entities.
Read more about ICC Dispute Resolution Services or learn more about the ICC Africa conference and Institute training.
The full 2021 statistical report for ICC Dispute resolution will be published in the coming month.
The 2020 ICC Dispute Resolution Statistics is available at https://iccwbo.org/publication/icc-dispute-resolution-statistics-2020/.
