ICCA Congress Sydney 2018 Programme theme announced

ICCA Sydney 2018 programme theme announced

The ICCA Programme Committee is pleased to announce the title of ICCA Sydney 2018, “Evolution and Adaptation:  The Future of International Arbitration.”
 
The newly convened ICCA Programme Committee for Sydney 2018 is co-chaired by Jean Kalicki and Mohamed Abdel Raouf and includes the following members: Jean Kalicki (Co-chair), Mohamed Abdel Raouf (Co -chair), Chiann Bao, Ndanga Kamau, Makhdoom Ali Khan, Brandon Malone, Wendy Miles, Ina Popova, Stephan Schill, James Spigelman, Monty Taylor, BC Yoon and Eduardo Zuleta.We will be pleased to share more insights into the theme as the programme develops.
 
To give you an early insight, this theme has been chosen to highlight arbitration as a “living” organism which has proven adaptable in the past to new substantive and practical challenges, and that today – under attack from various quarters – will need to demonstrate its adaptability again.  Under this theme, a range of programmes will be developed to address the evolving needs of users (both commercial and investor-State), the impact of the rapidly changing face of technology on the practice of arbitration, the expectations of the public, and the convergence or divergence of legal traditions and cultures. 
 
Current topics under development for ICCA 2018 include, among many others, the ways in which international arbitration in the past has proven a catalyst for development of new rules, guidelines and transnational norms, and the potential or drawbacks of further initiatives; the range of challenges and criticisms now facing investment and commercial arbitration, and various proposals to address them; the lessons and specific techniques that can be drawn from other dispute resolution frameworks, including those used in sports and domain name arbitration; the moving face of technology and the challenges and opportunities it poses for practice; evaluating the momentum towards transparency and public participation (what the future holds); revisiting conventional wisdom about organizing arbitral proceedings; and "new frontiers" in international arbitration, including opportunities to become relevant in the critical areas of climate change, human rights, and corporate social responsibility.
 
We look forward to sharing more as the programme develops for what promises to be an exceptional Congress.