The world has witnessed significant developments in the field of investment protection and dispute settlement in the past decades. This includes both investment treaty negotiations as well as investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) practices. This field of law has also been subject of a heated debate and a desire for reform. In view of these developments,…
2023 was another year of growth for arbitration in Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands. It saw developments in investment arbitration and disputes relating to climate change, efforts to improve gender and cultural diversity, debate and guidance on the use of artificial intelligence, and pro-arbitration jurisprudence. We explore some of these key themes below….
Another session of Young ITA Talks, this time on sanctions disputes and arbitration, was hosted by Latham & Watkins in London on Wednesday, 22 November 2023. The panel, moderated by Young ITA Regional Co-Chairs Robert Bradshaw and Thomas Lane, offered an overview of the sanctions and related issues from multiple points of view: Katie Palms…
Some of the largest arbitral awards rendered in favour of investors have been based on tax-related (mis)conduct of host states towards investors, e.g., a series of Yukos and others v Russia – US$ 50 billion (the largest award ever rendered), Occidental v Ecuador (II) – US$ 1.77 billion, Cairn v India – excess of US$…
Security for costs can be an effective tool to protect the respondent from an arbitration in which a potential costs claim against the claimant is irrecoverable. While the specific requirements for a security for costs order are determined by the applicable institutional rules or arbitration laws, the respondent applying for security for costs will generally…
In this issue, Romesh Weeramantry considers whether the rules of interpretation in the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties (VCLT) remain fully fit for purpose, particularly in investment treaty disputes. It is both a topical and complex question to ask. In practice, the VCLT is often of limited use in giving guidance to a…
The UK Supreme Court (‘UKSC’) addressed the meaning of ‘matter’ in Article II(3) of the New York Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards 1958 (‘NYC’) in its judgment of 20 September 2023 in Republic of Mozambique v Privinvest Shipbuilding SAL (Holding) [2023] UKSC 32 (‘Mozambique v Privinvest’). This post examines the…
On 1 January 2024, the new version of the China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (CIETAC) Arbitration Rules (2024 Rules) came into force. The 2024 Rules apply to CIETAC arbitrations commenced on or after this date. Compared with the 2015 Rules, the 2024 Rules have expanded from 84 provisions to 88 provisions and incorporated…
On 23 November 2023, Young Arbitrators Sweden (YAS) held its fifteenth annual Arbitration Day (Sw. skiljeförfarandedagen) at the historic Central Post Office Building (Sw. Posthuset), the home of the Stockholm International Hearing Centre (SIHC). This year, YAS celebrates a milestone of 20 years since its founding and the larger venue reflects the ongoing success of…
In a recent decision, Case No. 10/2023 dated 24 October 2023, the General Assembly of the Dubai Court of Cassation decided to reverse a position introduced by the Dubai Courts of Cassation in around 2013 (see, e.g., Case No. 379/2013 (Real Estate), ruling of the Dubai Court of Cassation; and then also affirmed in Case…
Article 25 of the ICSID Convention imposes a condition on natural persons that they cannot bring a claim against the host State if they possess the nationality of both the contracting States of the invoked treaty (dual nationals). This is an added qualification to the requirements for a qualified investor mentioned in the treaty. Therefore,…
On 16 and 17 October 2023, the Center for Arbitration and Mediation of the Chamber of Commerce Brazil-Canada held its Xth Arbitration Congress edition (“X CAM-CCBC Congress” or “Congress”) in São Paulo. The Congress is the opening event of the VIth Sao Paulo Arbitration Week (“VI SPAW”): a collaborative calendar for law firms, universities, associations,…
Double hatting and insufficient disclosure by the arbitrators have been problematic features of investment arbitration. Double hatting is generally regarded as an individual simultaneously playing the role of counsel and arbitrator in similar matters. The real issue is whether these concerns have the potential to affect the arbitrator’s ability to form “independent judgment,” as described…
The Editorial Board of Kluwer Arbitration Blog announces the opening of the following position with Kluwer Arbitration Blog: Assistant Editor for Investment Arbitration. The Assistant Editor reports directly to the coordinating Associate Editor and is expected to (1) collect, edit and review guest submissions from the designated region for posting on the Blog, while actively…
The English High Court (“Court“) in Hulley Enterprises Limited and others v. Russian Federation [2023] EWHC 2704 (Comm) has recently dismissed a jurisdictional challenge brought by the Russian Federation (“Russia“), concluding that the State could not invoke sovereign immunity to resist enforcement of arbitral awards, which were issued in 2014 in favour of the former…
On 17 November 2023, the leading arbitration-related institutions and government entities in Japan co-hosted an international arbitration conference, entitled “Exploring Innovative Solutions in a Changing World”, to showcase Japan’s flourishing ecosystem as a preferred place of arbitration, and to mark the 70th anniversary of the Japan Commercial Arbitration Association (JCAA). Held in Tokyo, this event…
Chartered Arbitrator Datuk Sundra Rajoo Nadarajah is a man of no little distinction. He is currently the Director of the Asian International Arbitration Centre (AIAC) and President of the Asian Institute of Alternative Dispute Resolution (AIADR), and he also previously served as President of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (2016). He has been the founding…
In a region characterized by infrastructure projects and ambitious architectural feats that shape the nation’s skyline, arbitration has emerged as a common choice in the industry for settling construction disputes. This preference arises as foreign parties can sidestep entwining with local courts, enjoy privacy, and present their matters to arbitrators who are well-versed with the…
At the Kluwer Arbitration Blog, December is the month to thank our readers and collaborators for their readership, contributions, and support. This is also one of the occasions in which we highlight and we praise our excellent editors. The Kluwer Arbitration Blog will celebrate 15 years of existence in 2024. On 28 January 2009, the…
The third edition of the annual Uzbek Arbitration Week (UzAW 2023), held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan between 10-15 September 2023, continued its mission to establish Uzbekistan as the preferred seat for arbitral proceedings in the CIS region and beyond. The flagship conference “Putting Uzbekistan on Global Arbitration Map” organized by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry…
The Editorial Board of Kluwer Arbitration Blog announces the opening of the following position with Kluwer Arbitration Blog: Assistant Editor for Europe. The Assistant Editor reports directly to the coordinating Associate Editor and is expected to (1) collect, edit, and review guest submissions from the designated region for posting on the Blog, while actively being…
Following the success of previous editions (see here for previous coverage), the fourth edition of Copenhagen Arbitration Day took place in October 2023. The theme was the “Future of Arbitration” and topics ranged from whether there was a need for a new Arbitration Act, to the role of procedural order no. 1, to what arbitration could be…
Jan Paulsson once said, “There is a twilight zone. But only a fool would argue that the existence of the twilight zone is proof that day and night do not exist.”1)Jan Paulsson, “Jurisdiction and Admissibility,” Global Reflections on International Law, Commerce and Dispute Resolution, ICC Publishing, Publication 693, November 2005, at 603. Here, the term…
2023 was a bustling year for the International Council for Commercial Arbitration (ICCA) and the field of international arbitration worldwide, marked by significant legal developments and institutional reforms. Reflecting on these strides, today’s post provides a retrospective of some of the most relevant updates from the 2023 ICCA Handbook – a multi-jurisdictional collection of commentary…
