Visit of the Secretary-General of the PCA to Singapore

From 20 to 22 January 2026, the Secretary-General of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA), Dr. Hab. Marcin Czepelak, visited Singapore to strengthen ties between the PCA and Singapore.

During the visit, the Secretary-General met with the members of the PCA Singapore Office, which was established in 2018 as the PCA’s first office in Asia outside of its headquarters in The Hague, Netherlands, and expanded in 2025 to strengthen the PCA’s capacity to provide arbitration and dispute resolution services in Singapore and across the region.

On 20 January, the Secretary-General hosted a reception at Maxwell Chambers. The event provided an informal platform for the PCA Secretary-General to meet with members of the dispute resolution community in Singapore who are frequently involved in PCA activities.

On 21 January, the Secretary-General and the PCA Representative in Singapore, Ms. Ashwita Ambast, met with the Attorney-General of Singapore, Mr. Lucien Wong Yuen Kuai, and with representatives of the Ministry of Law of Singapore. The discussions provided an opportunity to review the activities of the PCA Singapore Office and identify new avenues for enhanced cooperation.

On 22 January, the Secretary-General spoke at the International Law Year in Review 2026 Conference organized by the Centre for International Law of the National University of Singapore. He joined Sir Christopher Greenwood, Prof. Donald M. McRae and Judge Tomas Heidar for a fireside chat on the topic of “International Dispute Settlement in Uncertain Times”, moderated by Ambassador Rena Lee.

These engagements provided a valuable platform to exchange views on the role and activities of the PCA and to highlight Singapore’s strategic importance as a hub for arbitration and dispute resolution.