Secretary-General Speaks at 7th Latin American Arbitration Congress in Lima

On April 25, 2013, PCA Secretary-General Hugo Siblesz spoke on a panel on “The Role of Institutions in the Arbitral Process” at the 7th Latin American Arbitration Congress (VII Congreso Latinoamericano de Arbitraje), which took place in Lima, Peru, organized by the Peruvian Institute of Arbitration (Instituto Peruano de Arbitraje) and the Peruvian chapter of the Spanish Arbitration Club (Club Español de Arbitraje).

The Secretary-General addressed the need for arbitral institutions to adapt to the changing needs of their users. In the context of the PCA, this has required maintaining a flexible mandate and actively adapting to the evolution of international law and dispute resolution over the life of the institution. The reemergence of the PCA in recent decades must be credited to steady efforts to modernize the institution and develop knowledge and expertise in areas where arbitration and other forms of dispute resolution remain underused or face particular challenges.

The Secretary-General, however, warned against complacency now that the PCA is thriving once again. Pointing to recent policy shifts vis-à-vis international investment law, in particular in Latin America, as well as a “growing feeling of distance between institutions located in Washington, Paris, Stockholm, and The Hague, and those governments and stakeholders whose interests are affected by investment arbitrations on a local level,” he concluded that “it is not just in our interests, but it is our duty to adapt to new realities in such a way that we can continue to serve the community of States in resolving their disputes. For the only absolute is that we cannot let these disputes fester for absence of a proper forum in which to resolve them.”

For the complete text of the Secretary-General’s speech, click here.