Eminent International Arbitration Practitioners attend the Ministry of Law's Arbitration Dialogue 2012

10 JUN 2012

10 Jun 2012 Posted in Press releases

  1. The Ministry of Law (MinLaw) hosted a gathering of eminent international arbitrators and arbitration counsel at the MinLaw Arbitration Dialogue 2012, to discuss developments in Singapore’s arbitration landscape and the recent enhancements made to the Singapore International Arbitration Act (IAA). The dialogue took place on the sidelines of the International Council for Commercial Arbitration’s 21st International Arbitration Congress (ICCA). Please refer to the Annex (0.09MB) for the programme for the dialogue.

  2. The event saw the Minister for Law, Mr K Shanmugam, share the government’s strategy for developing Singapore as a regional arbitration centre, and discuss Singapore’s recent successes in raising its international profile. Minister Shanmugam explained that the Government’s approach is driven by the needs of industry. To this end, industry partners are consulted actively and regularly, and if the need arises, laws and policies can be swiftly changed.

  3. Minister Shanmugam also anchored a lively dialogue and discussion, facilitated by Prof Michael Pryles, Chairman of the Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC), on bringing Singapore’s legal and arbitration landscape to the next stage of growth. Participants observed that investor-state arbitrations are mostly conducted in Washington, DC, and Europe. They suggested that Singapore is well-positioned to become the leading centre for investor-state arbitrations in Asia, given its success as a centre for commercial arbitrations. Other issues discussed included allowing parties to expand or reduce their rights of appeal against an arbitral award, and the extent to which arbitral institutions should be able to consolidate related arbitrations.

  4. Mr Cavinder Bull SC, Deputy Chairman of SIAC and Mr Toby Landau QC from Essex Court Chambers, also helmed an insightful discussion where participants shared their views on the development of Singapore’s arbitration legislation and possible reforms in the future. The participants engaged in a lively exchange in the two key areas which were discussed: confidentiality in arbitration, and interim measures ordered by the arbitral tribunal.

  5. The Ministry will consider these perspectives and other feedback received during the session, as part of its efforts to ensure that the IAA is continually updated, and remains responsive to the needs of the industry.

  6. The Arbitration Dialogue 2012 is part of MinLaw’s ongoing efforts to engage key stakeholders to ensure that we keep abreast of best practices and developments in the international arbitration landscape. This dialogue, together with Singapore’s hosting of the ICCA Congress from 10 to 13 June 2012, will further boost Singapore’s reputation as a leading international arbitration hub.

Last updated on 25 Nov 2012