Report of the Cross-Institutional Task Force on Gender Diversity in Arbitral Appointments and Proceedings
ICCA is pleased to announce the release of the Report of the Cross-Institutional Task Force on Gender Diversity in Arbitral Appointments and Proceedings on behalf of the Task Force. The Report is the eighth volume of the ICCA Reports Series.
This Cross-Institutional Task Force, assembled in 2019, brings together representatives of 18 leading international arbitration institutions, law firms and gender diversity initiatives to publish and analyze recent statistics on the appointment of female arbitrators, as well as to identify opportunities and best practices to promote gender diversity in international arbitration.
Speaking to the release, ICCA President Lucy Reed states: “I am delighted for ICCA to be publishing the Report of the Cross-Institutional Task Force on Gender Diversity in Arbitral Appointments and Proceedings. The work of the Task Force – including this Report – reflects progress in the representation and inclusion of women in our international arbitration community. Diversity is, of course, a multifaceted and intersectional issue, and there is much still to be done.”
Gender diversity in arbitral tribunals is increasing, with the number of female arbitrators appointed to tribunals doubling in the past four years. This increase is largely the result of the efforts of arbitral institutions to appoint more female arbitrators. However, in 2019 women only comprised just over 21% of arbitrator appointees, underlining the need for improvement in the field. This Report argues that the greatest opportunity for such improvement lies with parties and the counsel that represent them, and that gender diversity is part of the dispute resolution field’s broader commitment to sustainable development.
Importantly, the Report highlights potential barriers to diversity, as well as tools available to arbitration users to address gender diversity in arbitral tribunals, including databases of qualified female candidates for counsel to choose from and opportunities for qualified women to promote their credentials.
“I applaud the outstanding work of the Task Force including the leading arbitral institutions worldwide, the Pledge, ArbitralWomen, Three Crowns, White & Case, Freshfields, ICCA and so many others who collaborated to prepare what is a first of its kind comprehensive Report on the progress of women in international arbitration- and which shares a vision for how we move forward,” says Task Force Chair Carolyn Lamm. “I am tremendously grateful for everyone’s efforts and am confident the Report will make a difference on this issue of importance.”
A full list of the Task Force members is available here. ICCA extends its thanks and congratulations to all Task Force members, the female arbitrators who agreed to be interviewed by the Task Force to provide their insights and perspectives, as well as independent arbitrator Lucy Greenwood and the PluriCourts Investment Arbitration Database (PITAD), who contributed data on arbitral appointments in recent years to this Report.
To access the Report on KluwerArbitration.com, please click here.
To access the Report on the ICCA website, please click here.