Preparing for IBA and ICSID’s 18th Annual International Arbitration Day

The 18th Annual International Arbitration Day will take place 26-27 February 2015 at the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington, DC. A joint conference presented by the International Bar Association (IBA) Arbitration Committee and the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), International Arbitration Day will gather lawyers and academics to look back on investment arbitration and discuss its future, a theme that coincides with ICSID’s 50th anniversary.

The Young Practitioner’s symposium at Georgetown University Law Center kicks off the conference on Thursday afternoon. This is an interactive event for students and practitioners under age 40 co-hosted by the IBA Arb40 Subcommittee and the Young International Arbitration Group. A welcome reception for all International Arbitration Day delegates and registered guests will follow at the US Institute of Peace from 7:00-9:00 p.m.

International Arbitration Day starts on Friday morning with the IBA Mediation Committee breakfast featuring Michael Ostrove as one of the keynote speakers. The day’s first session is a retrospective of ICSID’s early years. Eduardo Silva Romero, one of the authors of the upcoming fourth edition of International Chamber of Commerce Arbitration, is the moderator, Christoph Schreuer and W. Laurence Craig will speak, and Antonio R. Parra and Jan Paulsson are slated to commentate on the topic.

The second session will focus on the ways investment arbitration fulfils (or does not fulfil) the purposes of BITs. The topic will certainly provoke an interesting discussion from the moderators and speakers, who will examine the effect of arbitral awards on investment law regime and how access to investment arbitration might foster foreign investment.

Following lunch and remarks from IBA President David W. Rivkin, David Caron will join fellow speakers and moderators to talk about procedural issues in investment arbitration such as time and cost, annulment, and more. The day’s final session will feature Lee M. Caplan and focus on the future of investment arbitration. Some of the talking points include what’s being done to address criticism that investment arbitration is elitist and the prospect of a shift to a permanent investment court body.

With a packed schedule of discussion and commentary, this year’s International Arbitration Day promises to be a busy and exciting event. Don’t forget to check out DC’s area attractions, many of which are in walking distance of the conference venue.

• The Ronald Reagan Center is in close proximity to the Federal Triangle Metro station, a stop on the blue, orange, and silver lines.
• Two Smithsonian Museums, the National Museum of American History and the National Museum of Natural History, are just a few blocks down Pennsylvania Avenue and admission is free.
• If you’re interested in art and media, the National Gallery of Art and the Newseum are also in the area.
• The average high temperature at the end of February is around 40ºF /4ºC, making it possible to enjoy some of DC’s outdoor attractions. Stop by the White House and National Mall where you can see the Washington Monument, National World War II Memorial, Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Korean War Memorial and Lincoln Memorial.
• For a longer walk go to the Tidal Basin and visit the Thomas Jefferson Memorial, Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, and Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial.

If you are joining us in DC, visit the Oxford University Press booth where you can learn about our new online law products, browse our books, and take advantage of the conference discount, and pick up an Oxford journal. Arbitration International might be of particular interest to conference attendees. This journal provides quarterly coverage for national and international developments in the world of arbitration.

Want to brush up on investor-state tribunals before International Arbitration Day? Listen to a recording of our latest webinar, “Corrupting Investor-State Arbitration? The Role of Corruption Allegations in IIA Proceedings”. Ian Laird, Editor in Chief of Investment Claims, will moderate two rounds of debate from panelists Dr. Aloysius Llamzon, Brody Greenwald, Teddy Baldwin, and Professor Amy Westbrook. The webinar closes with a question and answer session.

For the latest updates about International Arbitration Day, follow us @OUPIntLaw and @OUPCommLaw and the IBA @IBAnews on Twitter. You can also like the IBA’s Facebook page. See you in DC!

Headline image credit: Business meeting. CC0 via Pixabay.