Bahrain Hosts Dialogue on Investor-State Dispute Settlement Reforms in Vienna

The delegation of the Kingdom of Bahrain participating in the 52nd session of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) Working Group on Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) Reform hosted a dialogue session in Vienna, in cooperation with the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) of the World Bank Group.

The session opened with remarks by Anna Joubin-Bret, Secretary-General of UNCITRAL, and was moderated by Martina Polasek, Secretary-General of ICSID. Senior representatives from the Permanent Court of Arbitration, alongside delegations from Canada, Singapore, and Thailand, also took part in the discussion.

Speakers highlighted the latest procedural reforms in investor-state dispute settlement, sharing their experiences in implementing similar provisions within institutional arbitration frameworks. The dialogue also examined the challenges and opportunities related to applying these advanced procedural rules effectively in investor-state arbitration cases.

Concluding the event, Professor Marekha Patrani Paulsson, Secretary-General of the Bahrain International Dispute Resolution Centre and Head of Bahrain’s delegation to the UNCITRAL working groups, reaffirmed the Kingdom’s commitment to supporting the development of effective dispute resolution frameworks that foster foreign direct investment.

She underscored Bahrain’s pioneering role in advancing international arbitration, noting the Kingdom’s leadership in strengthening dispute resolution on the global stage through institutional partnerships and capacity-building efforts.