11.09.2018GIAC THE FIRST ORGANIZATION FROM GEORGIA TO BE ADMITTED AS AN OBSERVER AT UNCITRAL
The United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) granted an observer status to the Georgian International Arbitration Centre (GIAC) and included it in the list of non-governmental organizations eligible for invitation to the sessions of UNCITRAL Working Groups II (Dispute Settlement) and III (Investor-State Dispute Settlement Reform). The sessions take place twice a year, the spring sessions are held in New York and the autumn sessions in Vienna. The next session of Working Group III will take place in Vienna from 29th of October to 2nd November, 2018. The sessions are attended by Member States of UNCITRAL, observer states, international organizations and non-government organizations (NGOs) all over the globe. The goal is to achieve in sum a balanced representation at the sessions of the major viewpoints or interests in the relevant fields in all areas and regions of the world, with the purpose of assisting UNCITRAL to formulate legal texts.
UNCITRAL was established by the UN General Assembly in 1966 as the core legal body of its member nations and is a leading international organization in terms of which the key international legal documents in the sphere of dispute resolution are being developed. The Commission has established working groups to perform the substantive preparatory work on topics within the Commission’s program of work.
The Working Group II is focuses on dispute settlement specifically, international arbitration-mediation/conciliation-settlement agreements and the Working Group III is devoted to the possible reform of Investor-State Dispute Settlement.
Observer organizations are entitled, at the invitation of the Chairperson, to represent their views on matters where it has expertise or international experience in order to facilitate deliberations. However, the observers do not participate in the decision-taking process.
Currently, the observer organizations of these two Working Groups include: African Center of International Law Practice (ACILP), American Arbitration Association/International Centre for Dispute Resolution (AAA/ICDR), American Bar Association (ABA), American Society of International Law (ASIL), Center for International Dispute Settlement (CIDS), Center for International Legal Studies (CILS), China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (CIETAC), European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), International Bar Association (IBA), Institute for Transnational Arbitration (ITA), International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), Queen Mary University of London School of International Arbitration (QMUL), World Economic Forum (WEF) and others.
It is noteworthy that GIAC is the only organization from Georgia having the observer status of UNCITRAL Working Group II and III. With the experience and knowledge in alternative dispute resolution industry in Georgia and in the region as a whole, GIAC will be able to expressively contribute to the discussions at the sessions, including the matters with regard to the recent developments and challenges in the entire Caucasus – Black Sea – Caspian Region, both with respect to the commercial and investor-state arbitration as well as mediation.
