CIRDI

Inching Towards Consensus: An Update on the UNCITRAL Transparency Negotiations

From October 1-5, 2012, a working group of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law met in Vienna to continue work on how to ensure transparency in treaty-based investor-state arbitration. It was the working group’s fifth week-long meeting on the topic, but will not be the last.

Venezuela’s Withdrawal From ICSID: What it Does and Does Not Achieve

In January 2012, the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela denounced the ICSID Convention,[1] becoming the third country – after Bolivia and Ecuador – to do so. The exit from the global […]

Defining an ICSID Investment: Why Economic Development Should be the Core Element

A dispute will only fall within the jurisdiction of the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) if it directly arises out of an ‘investment’, as is provided by Article 25(1) of the Convention for the Settlement of Investment Disputes between States and Nationals of Other States (ICSID Convention). However, not only does the ICSID Convention fail to provide any definition of what constitutes an ‘investment’, the drafters of the ICSID Convention, in fact, made an express decision not to include such a definition. This absence has given rise to interesting issues of interpretation as ICSID tribunals have sought to arrive at an understanding of how the term ‘investment’ should be properly understood for the purposes of the ICSID Convention.

ITN  |  juillet 12, 2011

Awards and Decisions

Swiss claimant fails jurisdictional stage for not qualifying as an ‘investor’ Alps Finance and Trade AG v. Slovak Republic Damon Vis-Dunbar A claim against the government of Slovakia has failed […]

ITN  |  septembre 23, 2010

Procedural requirements for arbitrator challenges: Finding fault with CEMEX v. Venezuela

One fundamental principle of investor-State arbitration is the ability of parties to have their disputes resolved by independent and impartial arbitrators. In order to ensure adherence to this principle, laws and rules governing investor-State arbitrations grant parties the right to challenge arbitrators lacking these qualifications. Given the importance of ensuring arbitrator independence and impartiality, and as evidenced by the recent decision in and subsequent commentary on Vivendi v. Argentina, practitioners and stakeholders in investor-State arbitrations are devoting significant efforts to defining the substantive standards warranting arbitrator challenges, and to understanding what those standards require in practice.

The transparency requirement in the new UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules: A premonitory view

Ignacio Torterola  In October, State delegations are expected to discuss the issue of transparency in the UNCITRAL Rules of Arbitration.  Ignacio Torterola, ICSID Liaison at the Argentine Embassy in Washington, […]

ITN  |  mai 11, 2010

ICSID Panel Denies Ukraine’s Challenge to Arbitrator

By Elizabeth Whitsitt May 11, 2010 On March 19, 2010 two members of an ICSID arbitral tribunal – the Honourable Davis R. Robinson (President) and Dr. Stanimir A. Alexandrov – […]

ITN  |  mai 11, 2010

American gas services firm Exterran files for arbitration against Venezuela over nationalized assets

By Fernando Cabrera Diaz May 11, 2010 (NOTE: A correction has been made to this article.  An explanation is posted below) Houston-based Exterran Holdings has taken Venezuela to ICSID over […]

ITN  |  mars 10, 2010

In Brief: Proceedings are suspended in dispute between French oil company and Ecuador

By Elizabeth Whitsitt March 11, 2010 Thomas Bingham, President of the ICSID tribunal in Perenco Ecuador Limited v. Ecuador has resigned. At the center of the dispute between Perenco and […]

ITN  |  janvier 12, 2010

ICSID Tribunal sides with Chile, rejects claimant’s partial revision request in long running dispute over El Clarin newspaper

By Fernando Cabrera Diaz January 13, 2010 An ICSID tribunal has rejected a partial revision request by Pey Casado and the Presidente Allende Foundation of an award rendered in their […]

ITN  |  janvier 12, 2010

Cemex v. Venezuela: challenges to ICSID arbitrators must be made « promptly »

By Elizabeth Whitsitt January 13, 2010 On November 6, 2009 two members of an ICSID arbitral tribunal – Judge Gilbert Guillaume (President) and Professor Georges Abi-Saab – dismissed Venezuela’s challenge […]

ITN  |  décembre 4, 2009

Canadian mining company Gold Reserve commences ICSID arbitration against Venezuela

By Fernando Cabrera Diaz December 6, 2009 Canadian mining company Gold Reserve has commenced arbitration against Venezuela at the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) over the alleged […]

ITN  |  octobre 1, 2009

In Brief: Telefonica and Argentina settle dispute

By Damon Vis-Dunbar 2 October 2009 The Spanish multinational Telefonica and Argentina have discontinued their arbitration at the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes. The proceedings had been suspended […]