ICCA Miami 2014

Legitimacy: Myths, Realities, Challenges

XXIInd ICCA Congress

6-9 April 2014

The 2014 Congress in Miami focused on the theme: “Legitimacy: Myths, Realities, Challenges”. Papers presented at the 2014 ICCA Congress were published in the ICCA Congress Series No. 18, which is available on www.KluwerArbitration.com.

Look back at the ICCA Miami 2014 programme.

Welcome to the 22nd ICCA Congress in Miami. On behalf of the Governing Board of ICCA, I am delighted that you can join us to examine the theme of “Legitimacy: Myths, Realities, Challenges”.

When I welcomed delegates to our Singapore Congress two years ago, I told you about ICCA’s plans, as a renewed organization with open membership, to consolidate and expand on its existing activities. Today I can report that those plans are well and truly in effect. We currently have over 900 general members, and have expanded our activities to include new projects, publications and discussion fora.

At this Congress, you will be able to find out more about our current projects. The New York Convention Roadshow (a colloquium for judges) held workshops in 2013 in China, Georgia, India, Mauritius, Myanmar, Rwanda and Seychelles, while events are planned for Australia, Bahrain and Italy in 2014. We are creating a Drafting Sourcebook covering logistical issues in arbitration – template drafting that can be slotted into a procedural order, saving time and costs. A joint Task Force with the Centre on Regulation, Ethics and Rule of Law at Queen Mary, University of London, is investigating third party funding, while a joint Task Force with the American Society of International Law is investigating the topic of issue conflicts in investor-State arbitration. We will be running lunchtime sessions on all of these projects, giving you an opportunity to contribute ideas and ask questions.

Of course, the best way to get involved in ICCA’s projects is to become a member. If you are not a member already, I hope that you will consider joining. For our younger delegates, becoming involved in Young ICCA, with its mentoring programme and skills training workshops, is a good way to start or advance a career in arbitration. For existing members, we look forward to receiving your input about ICCA’s activities and future priorities during the ICCA Members’ breakfast on the morning of Wednesday 9 April.

Members and non-members alike should take a moment to (re)familiarize themselves with our publications: the Yearbook Commercial Arbitration, the International Handbook on Commercial Arbitration, the ICCA Congress Series, and our newest publication, ICCA’s Guide to the Interpretation of the 1958 New York Convention. The Guide is now available in Burmese, Chinese, English, French, Georgian, Indonesian, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish, and you can download it free of charge at www.arbitration-icca.org. All these publications will be on display at the ICCA reception desk at the ICCA Member’s Lounge and at the Kluwer publications booth.

I hope that this Congress, with its twin topic streams of Justice and Precision, will inspire you to think about how international arbitration works, and about the improvements that you would like to see. ICCA is not a club - it is a forum. Every delegate at this Congress has his or her unique perspective, and we want you to share your perspective with us. We can look forward to an exciting exchange of views.

With best wishes,

Jan Paulsson,

ICCA President