ICCA International Council for Commercial Arbitration

ICCA is pleased to announce that Kate Brown de Vejar, Koh Swee Yen, S.C. and Stephan Schill will serve as Co-Chairs of the Programme Committee for the ICCA 2028 San Francisco Congress. Kate is a Partner and Global Co-Chair of International Arbitration at DLA Piper, based in Mexico City. Swee Yen is Head of International Arbitration at WongPartnership LLP in Singapore. Stephan is Professor of International and Economic Law and Governance at the University of Amsterdam and General Editor of ICCA Publications. We are delighted that they have agreed to take on this important role and look forward to working with them as preparations for the Congress continue. Further updates on the Programme Committee and the development of the Congress programme will be shared in due course. 🌎 The 28th ICCA Congress will take place in San Francisco from 7–10 May 2028, co-hosted by the American Arbitration Association–International Centre for Dispute Resolution® (ICDR) and California Arbitration (CalArb). 👉 Pre-registration is now open: https://icca2028.org/. #ICCA2028SanFrancisco #ICCACongress #Arbitration #InternationalArbitration

🌍 𝗝𝗼𝗶𝗻 𝗜𝗖𝗖𝗔’𝘀 𝗴𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 Did you know that ICCA has recently introduced new reduced membership rates designed to make membership more accessible to professionals at the beginning of their careers, members in eligible countries, and regular contributors to ICCA publications? ICCA membership connects you with a worldwide network of international arbitration practitioners, provides access to ICCA resources, and offers discounts on publications and events. 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗯𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗜𝗖𝗖𝗔 𝘁𝗼𝗼. 📖 𝗪𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗜𝗖𝗖𝗔’𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗱-𝗰𝗼𝗽𝘆 𝗠𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗗𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆? Apply for ICCA membership before 23 October to be included in the Directory, which is distributed annually to all ICCA members and more than 300 arbitral institutes worldwide. Learn more about ICCA membership, rates and benefits: https://lnkd.in/eJ8h3gyC

📚 What’s new in the ICCA International Handbook on Commercial Arbitration? The latest updates to the ICCA Handbook include revised Country Reports for eight jurisdictions, alongside new legislation and other developments from several more. Among the developments are recent Austrian Supreme Court decisions and new Supplementary Rules for Corporate Disputes under the Vienna Rules; Lithuanian case law on the #NewYorkConvention; amendments to Malaysia’s Arbitration Act 2005; and Swedish Supreme Court judgments on partial annulment. The updates also examine Japan’s institutional and judicial infrastructure; recent decisions in Bermuda concerning stays and anti-suit injunctions in support of arbitration agreements; case law under South Africa’s International Arbitration Act; and interim measures and kompetenz-kompetenz under Thai arbitration law. Beyond the revised Country Reports, the Handbook now includes the amended Arbitration Act 1996 for England and Wales, incorporating the reforms introduced by the Arbitration Act 2025. New or amended legislative materials have also been published for Bulgaria, Cyprus, Mexico, the Netherlands and Switzerland, alongside developments in Bahrain and Pakistan. ICCA is also tracking #arbitration reform in a number of jurisdictions, including France, Germany and Saudi Arabia, as well as proposed legislation in Finland, Kenya, Rwanda, Sri Lanka and Zambia. Explore some of the latest developments in our country-by-country roundup below. The ICCA International Handbook on Commercial Arbitration is available online through Wolters Kluwer: International Arbitration & Mediation: https://lnkd.in/eNnZkBXQ.

🌍 ICCA is pleased to once again support Australian Arbitration Week (#AAW2026), taking place from 11–16 October in Melbourne. Organised and hosted by the Australian Centre for International Commercial Arbitration (ACICA) and co-hosted by the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators Australia, this year’s conference will explore the theme “Arbitration Under Pressure: Rising to the Challenge.” See the full conference programme here: https://aaw.acica.org.au/. We are also delighted to congratulate this year’s two recipients of the ACICA Education Fund Scholarship, Ann Matalasi Fata and Yovin Nirvanesh, who have received funding to attend Australian Arbitration Week. The Scholarship provides legal practitioners admitted in South Pacific Island jurisdictions with the opportunity to further their knowledge and skills in alternative dispute resolution and arbitration, build their professional networks, and contribute to development within their communities. It is supported by the ACICA Education Fund, which was established using profits from the 2018 ICCA Congress in Sydney, hosted by ACICA: https://lnkd.in/eSrigpkH. For ICCA, the Education Fund is an important example of the lasting legacy we aim to foster through our Congresses in host jurisdictions, creating opportunities that extend well beyond the Congress itself.

⚖️ New to the ICCA Awards Series 2026: five previously unpublished SCC Arbitration Institute awards The awards were selected by and prepared in cooperation with the #SCC. Together, they address a range of questions arising in Stockholm-seated arbitrations: ▪️ arbitrability of claims said to engage foreign mandatory rules; ▪️ identification of the law governing the #arbitration agreement and resolution of conflicting arbitration clauses; ▪️ enforceability of multi-tier #DisputeResolution provisions; ▪️ issuance of separate #awards for an unpaid share of the advance on costs; and ▪️ interaction of international #sanctions with contractual payment obligations. 📚 The ICCA Awards Series is an online publication devoted solely to arbitral awards and related decisions that are of particular relevance to the development of international arbitration. The awards and decisions are selected in cooperation with various arbitral institutions to ensure their wide dissemination and enhance their visibility while maintaining confidentiality, if needed. 🔗 The ICCA Awards Series is available through Wolters Kluwer: International Arbitration & Mediation: https://lnkd.in/eukGVVJj. #ICCAPublications #ICCAAwardsSeries #InternationalArbitration

On 3 and 4 September, ICCA returned to Edinburgh for #ArbFest2026, reconnecting with colleagues at the Scottish Arbitration Centre (SAC) four years after the ICCA 2022 Edinburgh Congress. ICCA Executive Director Lise Bosman once again joined Professor Brandon Malone of SAC as Co-Creative Director of the festival, which was established to build on the success of the Congress by bringing #arbitration practitioners and experts from around the world back to #Scotland each year. ArbFest opened with its Book Festival, where SAC CEO Andrew Mackenzie was joined by lawyer and former First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon for a conversation about her autobiography, 𝘍𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘭𝘺, spanning politics, leadership, law, and advocacy. The Main Festival followed on 4 September, exploring a range of timely issues in #InternationalDisputeResolution. The programme opened with exchanges on arbitration in the era of the energy transition, followed by discussions on trends, risks and best practices in energy transition disputes and emerging areas including hydrogen and carbon capture. The afternoon sessions turned to the choice between arbitration and #mediation, the implementation of the #SingaporeConvention, and the legal and strategic considerations surrounding dispute resolution clauses in contracts. The discussions on mediation were particularly timely for ICCA. In July, ICCA and #UNCITRAL agreed to enhance their long-standing relationship through joint judicial capacity-building activities concerning the New York Convention and the application of the UNCITRAL Model Law on International Commercial Arbitration, with attention also to be given to the UNCITRAL Mediation Framework and the amicable settlement of disputes: https://lnkd.in/eRzEBnhc. In true ArbFest fashion, the festival concluded at the Scottish National Gallery with an evening of Scottish cuisine, music and ceilidh dancing, including an Address to the Haggis and a bagpipe performance. #ICCA #ArbFest2026 #InternationalArbitration #Arbitration #Mediation #EnergyTransition

ArbFest2026 starts tomorrow!   Here’s the full ArbFest2026 Headliner and Performer line-up.   We are looking forward to welcoming our Headliners, Performers, and Festivalgoers to Edinburgh.   Our Book Festival and Food and Drinks Festival kickoff tomorrow, before the Main Festival takes place on Friday, bringing together leading voices from Scotland and across the international arbitration community.   Tickets are limited but still on sale.   You can purchase your passes here (https://lnkd.in/en3fCN7B).

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐮𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐄𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐈𝐂𝐂𝐀’𝐬 𝐆𝐮𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝟏𝟗𝟓𝟖 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐘𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐚𝐯𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞. The Russian edition joins a growing collection of translations making the Guide accessible to judges and practitioners around the world. The Second Edition is currently available in 15 languages, with additional translations underway. First published in 2011, the Guide provides practical guidance to judges on the interpretation and application of the 1958 New York Convention, while also serving as a resource for practitioners, arbitrators, academics and students. The Second Edition, launched in 2024, builds on the original Guide with updated case law and language and expands on points of interest that have emerged in the interpretation and application of the Convention. Our sincere thanks to Roman Zykov for translating the Second Edition into Russian and to Vladimir Khvalei for reviewing the translation. The Russian translation and all available language versions of the Guide can be accessed here: https://lnkd.in/efFf3abn. #ICCAJudicialOutreach | #NewYorkConvention

Here’s Act 4 of the Main Festival at #ArbFest2026. Another great line up! The Performers will explore “Dispute Resolution Clauses in Contracts: Legal and Strategic Considerations”. ArbFest2026 will take place on 3 and 4 September 2026. The event will feature food, drink, music, dance and book festival themes, with our Main Festival occurring on 4 September 2026. ArbFest is again supported by ICCA International Council for Commercial Arbitration. You can purchase your passes here (https://lnkd.in/en3fCN7B). If you would like to take part and support this arbitration event, consider becoming a sponsor. See here (https://lnkd.in/dGYBQS3a) for more information.