The International Centre for Settlement Investment Disputes (ICSID) has announced the details of the Africa Arbitration Day event taking place in Washington DC. The event is set to take place on 26 September 2024, with the key note speaker being the Vice President of the World Bank.

The International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) has announced the opening of a new office in Paris. This marks ICSID’s first staffed office in Europe and its second office outside Washington DC, following the launch of its Singapore office in August 2025. The Paris office will function as the European regional hub, responsible for administering cases and expanding capacity-building activities. It will operate from the World Bank Group Paris Office.

The International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) has announced their internship opportunities for students that are currently enrolled in a graduate degree programme. The internship is tailored for students passionate about international investment dispute settlement and law, it provides a unique opportunity for students to gain in-depth knowledge of ICSID's work, boost their academic and career goals, and contribute innovative ideas and research expertise to advance ICSID's mission. ICSID offers a maximum of six internships every four months, for a minimum period of 12 weeks and a minimum of ten hours of work per week. The deadlines are 30 June for the September-December Internship period, 31 October for the January-April Internship period and 15 February for the May-August Internship period.

The International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) will host the second session of its 2025 webinar series, Investment Mediation Insights II: Mediating from the Parties’ Perspectives, on 22 October 2025. Moderated by Frauke Nitschke, ICSID’s Senior Legal Counsel and lead on investor-State mediation, the session will feature Amal Bouchenaki and Eric Franco, both seasoned professionals in international dispute resolution. The webinar will examine how and why States and investors choose to mediate, the conditions under which mediation is recommended, and the preparatory steps required by both parties. It will also explore the differing roles of party representatives in mediation compared to arbitration. This session forms part of ICSID’s ongoing efforts to promote mediation as a practical and effective tool in resolving investor-State disputes.

The International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) has announced that Equatorial Guinea has signed the ICSID Convention, becoming the 166th State to sign the Convention. The Convention will be ratified before coming into force for Equatorial Guinea.

The International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) has announced that Martina Polasek has been elected as Secretary-General by ICSID member states. ICSID's Administrative Council adopted a resolution and confirmed Polasek's appointment on 30 April 2024. Polasek's term as Secretary-General will begin on 1 July 2024.

Since the ICSID Convention entered into force on 14 October 1966, the ICSID Regulations and Rules have been amended through Member State consultation resulting in the sets of rules being significantly updated—the 2006 Rules (in force from 10 April 2006) and the 2022 Rules (in force 1 July 2022). This Practice note has been updated to note the 2022 Rules alongside the 2006 Rules which may still apply to certain cases. Note that art 44 of the ICSID Convention states that arbitration proceedings are governed by the rules in force at the time when the parties consent to arbitration. For further information on which rules may apply and consent please refer to—Practice Note: ICSID arbitration—introduction and procedure. What is annulment in ICSID arbitration proceedings? One of the distinguishing features of arbitration under the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) Convention (as implemented by the ICSID Arbitration Rules) is the availability of the remedy of annulment. Annulment is one of a small number of post-award remedies available to parties within the autonomous, self-contained

Guidance on investment treaty arbitration generally can also be found in our subtopic: Investment treaty arbitration—overview. Although we provide links to some News Analysis and other news items in this Practice Note, more news and latest cases content is available in the News pod of the ICSID arbitration and Investment treaty arbitration subtopics. What is ICSID? Established in 1966, ICSID is the only multilateral institution with a specific mandate to facilitate the peaceful resolution of international investment disputes, arising out of treaty obligations, contracts and investment laws. Its availability to investors and states helps to promote international investment by providing confidence in the dispute resolution process chosen. It is also available for state-state disputes under investment treaties and free trade agreements, and as an administrative registry. It is one of the organisations most commonly designated in bilateral (BIT) and multilateral (MIT) investment protection treaties, alongside UNCITRAL Rules. ICSID is one of the five organisations that form the World Bank Group and is constituted under the Convention on the Settlement of Investment Disputes Between States and Nationals of Other

Arbitration analysis: The Paris Court of Appeal confirmed that French courts have no jurisdiction to entertain an annulment challenge to an ICSID award, even where a state alleges a denial of justice arising from the operation of the ICSID Convention’s review mechanisms. The court held that ICSID arbitration is delocalised, that the designation of Paris as the ‘place of the proceeding’ did not create a French arbitral seat, and that the exclusive remedies provided by the Convention on the Settlement of Investment Disputes between States and Nationals of Other States 1965 precluded any state-court review. The decision provides a clear reaffirmation of the autonomy of the ICSID system and the limits of domestic court intervention.

Arbitration analysis: Two (identically constituted) International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) tribunals have dismissed a jurisdictional objection from respondents related to alleged corruption, in a recently published decision on the corruption claim (the decision). The matter arose out of two contract-based arbitrations between a subsidiary of Canadian-owned energy company Niko Resources Ltd, and two Bangladeshi state-owned oil and gas entities, Bangladesh Petroleum Exploration (BAPEX) and Production Company Limited and Bangladesh Oil Gas and Mineral Corporation (Petrobangla), concerning the sale and extraction of gas in northern Bangladesh. Saadia Bhatty, counsel of Gide Loyrette Nouel and specialist in international commercial and investment arbitrations, points out the decision involves several findings and issues worthy of note for practitioners in the field.

The International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) has launched its Singapore office, following a Letter of Intent signed with Singapore’s Ministry of Law in August 2025. ICSID’s first staffed office outside its Washington DC headquarters will serve as its regional hub for Asia and the Pacific, aimed at supporting parties and counsel, deepening outreach to States, investors and legal practitioners and raising awareness of ICSID’s services. The office is intended to enable ICSID to better serve the region’s needs in investment dispute prevention, management and resolution. As of August 2026, ICSID has 159 Member States. The office will be led by ICSID Chief Counsel Frauke Nitschke and Senior Legal Counsel Jon Chevry, alongside Legal Counsel Yuichiro Omori and Carlos Molina Esteban.

The Chair of the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) Administrative Council and President of the World Bank Group, Ajay Banga, has made new designations to the ICSID Panels of Arbitrators and of Conciliators. Ten designations have been made to the Panel of Arbitrators and ten have been made to the Panel of Conciliators, all effective 25 June 2024.