2021 ICCA President's Report to the ICCA Membership

From ICCA President Lucy Reed, January 2022

On behalf of ICCA, at the close of another unusual year and the beginning of – we hope – a more normal (or at least more new normal) year, I wish all ICCA Members the very best for 2022.  I extend a warm welcome to our 100-some new Members, who come from all over.

This is my annual report required under the ICCA Bylaws.  My main message is that, even without our Congress and other in-person events, ICCA has been busy and substantively productive throughout 2021. 

In response to a detailed report on ICCA’s 2021 activities that I sent to the Governing and Advisory Boards before the holidays, one Member took the time to write to say that the report showed him that his membership dues are well invested indeed.  Although I am keeping this report short – relying on your access to the new-and-improved ICCA website – our goal is for all Members to feel the same. 

XXV Congress in Edinburgh

 

The long awaited 25th ICCA Congress is scheduled for 18-21 September 2022 in Edinburgh.  The theme remains ‘Arbitration’s Age of Enlightenment?’, refreshed with updates you will find in the Programme Snapshot recently released by Program Committee Co-chairs Cavinder Bull, Loretta Malintoppi and Constantine Partasides.  For their part, the Host Committee in Edinburgh is operating at top speed to finalize arrangements for the Congress.  We are all aware of the need to build more time for members to catch up in person, between the in-depth panel events. 

Remember that ICCA Members receive a 10% discount on registration fees. For more information and to secure your place at the Congress, visit icca2020.scot.

Projects and ICCA’s 60th Anniversary Celebrations

To mark ICCA’s 60th Anniversary in 2021, we decided to showcase the work of several of our project groups.  The ICCA-ASIL Task Force on Damages released its innovative web application DIA (Damages in International Arbitration).  The editors and contributors to the Right to a Physical Hearing in International Arbitration research project hosted webinars to discuss the key findings from the 78 comparative surveys published over 2021 – findings that remain much in demand as we continue in these virtual arbitration times.  The ICCA Task Force on Standards of Practice in International Arbitration and the ICCA-NYC Bar-CPR Working Group on Cybersecurity in Arbitration also hosted webinars focussing on their recently-published reports.

I invite you to take a personal walk through ICCA’s 60 years by opening the interactive timeline now available on the ICCA website.  I guarantee that when you revisit ICCA’s people, places and events, you will appreciate even more ICCA’s leading role in promoting and improving international arbitration around the globe. 

Publications

The ICCA publications team worked hard in 2021, as always.  We released 8 electronic updates and the consolidated version of the Yearbook Commercial Arbitration (in electronic and hard copy format), which included materials from Cuba and Iran for the first time in the Yearbook’s 44-year history; added 6 supplements to the ICCA Handbook Commercial Arbitration, which now spans 7 volumes and over 80 country reports; and produced 4 new translations of ICCA’s Guide to the 1958 New York Convention.  We also launched the new ICCA Focus series – a one-stop collection of all ICCA materials on a particular jurisdiction, with Sweden and Egypt up first.  All ICCA publications are available at KluwerArbitration.com.

Judicial Outreach

Working virtually, ICCA’s Judiciary Committee conducted New York Convention Roadshows for Argentina, Cameroon, Colombia, Rwanda, and Tanzania last year, and gave presentations to ASEAN, EU, and Indian judges. Webinars were conducted in English, French, and Spanish.

Young ICCA

Young ICCA – now comprising over 10,000 members – continues to support the younger arbitration community through scholarships, skills training workshops and its Mentoring Program. The Young ICCA leadership team is expanding, with a number of new Young ICCA Regional Representative positions soon to be filled. 

Coming up in 2022

We are starting a new project in 2022 exploring arbitrator liability and immunity issues, chaired by Kate Brown de Vejar and Prof Victoria Shannon Sahani.  Keep an eye on our website and social media for news.

Another important initiative set to launch this year is the Johnny Veeder Fellowship Program, being established in memory of Governing Board Member V.V. ‘Johnny’ Veeder.  The Program is designed to celebrate and perpetuate Johnny’s contributions to ICCA and especially to the advancement of young, new and diverse international arbitration practitioners and academics.  In brief, the Fellows will receive “micro-grants” allowing them to pursue study, internships, research and writing projects or other one-off projects in the field of international dispute resolution, which otherwise would be foreclosed for lack of (modest) funding.  I invite anyone who wishes to be founding contributor to contact me.   

Thank you

I will sign off now, noting again that you can easily find details on all ICCA publications, projects and events on our website.  In addition to thanking the hard-working Bureau and staff, I thank each and every Member – whatever the scope of your role – for supporting ICCA and our shared field of international arbitration.