International Council for Commercial Arbitration (ICCA) and United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL), recognizing their shared objective of advancing and harmonizing the international arbitration framework, have agreed to enhance their long-standing relationship by undertaking joint judicial capacity-building activities.
The collaboration was confirmed at a meeting between ICCA President Audley Sheppard KC and UNCITRAL Secretary Anna Joubin-Bret on 25 July 2026 in New Delhi, during a conference celebrating UNCITRAL's 60th anniversary.
ICCA and UNCITRAL will cooperate on judicial capacity-building activities concerning the application of the Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards, including implementation of UNCITRAL's recent Recommendation regarding the interpretation on the recognition and enforcement of arbitral awards in electronic form, as well as the application of the UNCITRAL Model Law on International Commercial Arbitration, taking into account relevant UNCITRAL explanatory and interpretative materials.
Attention will also be given to the UNCITRAL Mediation Framework encouraging the amicable settlement of disputes.
ICCA brings extensive experience in judicial capacity-building through its New York Convention Roadshow Programme, which has convened more than 55 Roadshows worldwide since its launch in 2012. The Programme provides a unique forum for judges and other stakeholders to exchange experiences and discuss best practices in the interpretation and application of the New York Convention.
About ICCA's Judicial Outreach Programme
ICCA's Judicial Outreach Programme centres around its New York Convention Roadshow. Launched in 2012, the Roadshow is a series of colloquia for judges on the application of the New York Convention.
The 1958 New York Convention is regarded as the backbone of international commercial arbitration, with 172 contracting States and over 3,000 national court decisions reported in ICCA's Yearbook Commercial Arbitration.
As the practice of international arbitration relies on national court judges applying the Convention reliably, ICCA offers judicial workshops led by ICCA Judiciary Committee Members in the form of the New York Convention Roadshow. Each workshop takes into account the specific challenges faced by judges in applying the Convention in their particular region or jurisdiction, and makes use of ICCA's Guide to the Interpretation of the 1958 New York Convention.
Judiciary Committee Members
Andrรฉs Jana, Chair | Albert Jan van den Berg, Immediate Past Judiciary Committee Chair | Mohamed Abdel Raouf, Middle East Judicial Liaison | Dominique Hascher, EU Judicial Liaison | Lise Bosman (ex officio) | Valentina Faienza (ex officio) | Adam Jankowski (ex officio) | Ellen Gracie-Northfleet | Michael Hwang | Dyalรก Jimรฉnez | Carolyn Lamm | Sundaresh Menon | Zia Mody | Marike Paulsson | Lindsay Gastrell, Rapporteur | Emily Hay, Consultant on Second Edition of Judges' Guide