ICCA returns to Scotland for the Edinburgh International Arbitration Festival
On 5-6 September, ICCA had the pleasure of reuniting with colleagues from the Scottish Arbitration Centre (SAC) for the second iteration of the Edinburgh International Arbitration Festival (ArbFest2024). Co-hosted by ICCA Executive Director Lise Bosman and SAC Director Brandon Malone, the festival celebrated not only the latest innovations in arbitral practice but also Scottish culture through food, drink, music, dance, and art.
The Festival opened on the afternoon of 5 September with a Book Festival (BookFest2024) at the National Galleries of Scotland and a discussion between SAC Chairman of the Board Lord Glennie and BookFest2024 Headliner Lady Hale on her book Spider Woman: A Life.
Lise Bosman introduced the Second Edition of ICCA’s Guide to the Interpretation of the 1958 New York Convention and presented a copy to The Hon. Lord Clark of the Scottish College of Justice in Edinburgh. The Guide, which details the scope, interpretation, and application of the Convention, is available for download in 29 languages on the ICCA website.
The Book Festival was followed by a Food and Drinks Festival which featured a display of ICCA Publications. These included the ICCA 2022 Congress Book, containing the reflections and ideas presented at the 2022 Edinburgh Congress. Hard copies of the first volume of the ICCA Awards Series, launched in 2023 as a dedicated publication for curated arbitral awards from around the world, were also available.
The main festival programme was held on 6 September. This year’s festival themes, selected by the co-chairs Lise Bosman and Brandon Malone, were 'Confidentiality v. Transparency' and 'Psychology in Arbitration.'
Valentina Faienza, ICCA Publications Managing Editor, was part of a lively debate on the topic of confidentiality v. transparency in the publishing of awards and court judgments. Drawing on her extensive experience working on the publication of court decisions and awards in the ICCA Yearbook and ICCA Awards Series, Valentina argued that that a selective publication of awards with appropriate safeguards, such as redaction and anonymisation, can reconcile the need for confidentiality with the benefits of transparency.
The festival also saw the signing by ICCA Executive Director Lise Bosman and SAC Chief Executive Andrew Mackenzie of a Memorandum of Understanding to make previously unpublished arbitral awards available in the ICCA Awards Series.
Following ICCA’s practice, all SAC awards published in the Awards Series will be duly anonymised, respecting the confidentiality requirements under Scotland’s Arbitration Act and in the SAC's Arbitration Rules. The Scottish Arbitration Centre’s awards will be joining over 650 arbitral awards already published by ICCA in the Yearbook Commercial Arbitration since 1976, and since 2023 in the ICCA Awards Series, all available on the Wolters Kluwer: International Arbitration & Mediation database.
ArbFest2024 closed with an Art Festival that allowed festivalgoers to view the Scottish Galleries at the National Galleries of Scotland, followed by a taste of Scottish food, drink, music, and dance. Festivalgoers were treated to an Address to the Haggis recited by Brandon Malone, live music, and a Ceilidh.
We take this opportunity to thank all our friends and colleagues in Edinburgh for an unforgettable gathering!
Photography credit: Cro+Kow.