New Secretary-General of the Permanent Court of Arbitration takes office

The Permanent Court of Arbitration (“PCA”) is pleased to announce that on 1 June 2022, the former Ambassador of the Republic of Poland to the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Mr. Marcin Czepelak, took office as the fourteenth Secretary-General of the PCA. Mr. Czepelak has succeeded Mr. Hugo Hans Siblesz, whose term as Secretary-General ended on 31 May 2022.

The Secretary-General is the head of the PCA’s International Bureau, composed of over 60 professionals holding 37 different nationalities, who work from the PCA’s headquarters in the Netherlands and its offices in Argentina, Austria, Mauritius, Singapore, and Viet Nam. The Secretary-General also represents the PCA externally, including in international settings. In addition, the PCA Secretary-General fulfils functions vested in the Secretary-General under the UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules and various national laws pertaining to arbitration. The PCA Secretary-General has been designated as appointing authority in numerous international treaties and contracts and may be called upon to act in that capacity by ad hoc agreement of the disputing parties.