AIA's upcoming conference

Arbitration and Mediation in the ACP-EU Relations Conference
ACP House 451 Avenue Georges Henri, 1200 Brussels, Belgium.
May 21st 2008, Brussels

The Association for International Arbitration (AIA) is organising this conference to promote and create awareness of the Arbitration and Mediation in the ACP (African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of countries) – EU Relations. Our goal is to promote arbitration and mediation as an alternative dispute resolution mechanism, ultimately in benefit of business development and creation of tighter bounds between the ACP states and the EU states.

This conference will not only serve to raise awareness and create stability for future business development, but also it will also lead to a working group in this area.

The 1 day conference will take place in the city of Brussels at the secretariat of the ACP, from 9:30h - 18:30h, coffee breaks, lunch as well as a cocktail after the conference will be part of the event.

Conference Program

The Conference Program is downloadable here

Registration fee

	Non member of AIA	400 Euros (VAT 21 % included, VAT n° BE 0478 480 115)
	Member of AIA, diplomatic staff, judges, trainees, students	320 Euros (20% discount) (VAT 21 % included, VAT n° BE 0478 480 115)

Your registration fee includes:

Access to all the sessions of the conference
Conference book
Conference lunch and cocktail event
All the coffee breaks

Payment

You will receive an invoice with information on the methods of payment shortly after your registration. The invoice is payable within 15 business days.

Registration form

Please fill the registration form attached here.
Send it by email to:
conference@arbitration-adr.org
or by fax to:
Fax: +32 2 646 24 31

Accommodation

A list of hotels within short distance to the conference venue will be available to the attendees upon request. Please note that the reservation and booking of the hotel accommodation is entirely responsibility of the attendees. We kindly suggest booking the room in advance to assure a better rate.

Continuous Learning

The Coference has been accredited with 6 continuous learning points (Permanent education Belgian Bar)

Conference Moderator

Chitra Radhakishun. Manager UNCTAD Project on Dispute Settlement in International Trade, Investment and Intellectual Property

Speakers/Subject:

Dr. Gaston Kenfack Douqjni, President of APAA (Africa).
Subject speech: “The current state of ACP-EU arbitration in the OHADA space”.
Mr. Colin Brown. EU Directorate General for Trade - Aspects of Trade Policy.
Subject speech: The relationship between the Cotonou and EPA dispute settlement mechanism and WTO obligations (article 21) and procedures (EPAs are expected to be WTO compatible and WTO jurisprudence on trade dispute settlement could be a guiding factor) and the legal and technical capacity constraints and needs of ACP states and regions.
Mr. Charles Claypoole ( Eversheds Paris)
Subject speech: "The context of the dispute settlement provisions contained in the EU- ACP Agreements: other legal remedies available under international law for the protection of foreign nationals and their investments." Aim is to focus on the remedies available for the protection of foreign nationals and their investments that can be invoked by foreign investors (notably before ICSID arbitral tribunals) and by States (before the ICJ).
Paul-Jean Le Cannu Legal Counsel - Conseiller juridique Permanent Court of Arbitration - Cour permanente d'arbitrage.
Subject speech: the Cotonou Agreement dispute settlement mechanism which contains references to the PCA.
Mr. Justice Duke E. Pollard, Judge of the Caribbean Court of Justice:
Subject Speech: Various innovative features of the CCJ and the disputes settlement procedures for the regional economic integration.
Dr. Awuku, ACP- Legal Counsel.
Subject Speech: ACP States Under Special and Differential Treatment of the WTO Dispute Settlement Mechanism
Mr. Aloysius Gng. PhD Candidate, CEPMLP, University of Dundee. BSc, LLM, Dip LP, Dip CIArb, MCIArb, Solicitor (England & Wales)
Subject Speech: Mineral (soft) Law in the field of ACP-EU Arbitration.
Mr. Srilal Perera. Chief Counsel, Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency a member of the World Bank Group.
Subject Speech: Arbitration under the Convention Establishing the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) and its Mediation Services
Ms. Mahnaz Malik. Associate IISD and Principal, MMI LAW International.
Subject Speech: The innovations introduced by the CCIA with respect to investor protection in IIAs, including the investor-state arbitration process.

Sponsoring

If you want to sponsor this event, please have a look at our offerings here

Visa Requirements & Letter of Invitation

Visitors from outside the European Union (EU) should check if a visa is required. In most cases a valid passport will be sufficient. Please visit the following links for more information: here and here.

For more information please contact the relevant Belgian embassy or consulate in your country of residence.

Participants that require an official invitation in order to obtain a visa should apply for this invitation with us in time prior to the Conference for embassies requirements.