Checks and Balances in the ICSID System

In collaboration with Squire Patton Boggs, we are pleased to invite you to a roundtable discussion on the checks and balances of the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) system and its role in supporting the rule of law in international investment dispute settlement.

The discussion will highlight the central role played by ICSID in the peaceful resolution of international investment disputes since its establishment in 1966, as well as the evolution of its dispute settlement mechanisms over nearly six decades of practice.

This event will feature an exceptional perspective from Gonzalo Flores, who recently retired from ICSID after more than three decades of service. Former deputy secretary general, he will share an insider’s perspective on the institution’s structural checks and balances, its recent reforms, including the Code of Conduct for Arbitrators and address common misconceptions surrounding ICSID arbitration. His remarks will underline the continued importance of law, procedure and institutional integrity in the resolution of international disputes.

The discussion will feature leading academics and practitioners in international arbitration.

Speakers

• Gonzalo Flores, independent arbitrator; former deputy secretary general and acting secretary general, ICSID
• Professor Dr. Maxi Scherer, president of the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA), chair in international arbitration at Queen Mary University of London and general editor of the Kluwer Journal of International Arbitration
• Diego Fernández Arroyo, professor of law at Sciences Po, specialist in international dispute resolution and comparative law
• José Feris, partner at Squire Patton Boggs, international arbitration practitioner with extensive experience in investment and complex commercial disputes

Timings

• 4.30pm - Welcome coffee
• 5.00pm - Roundtable discussion
• 6.30 – 8.30pm - Cocktail reception in the Sciences Po garden