International Court of Arbitration


The International Court of Arbitration is an institution for the resolution of international commercial disputes. It operates under the auspices of the International Chamber of Commerce and consists of more than 100 arbitrators from roughly 90 countries.
Contrary to what its name suggests, the ICC does not issue formal judgements. Instead, it provides "judicial supervision of arbitration proceedings."
The court's official working languages are English and French. However, cases can be administered in any language. The headquarters of the ICC is in Paris, France.
As of 9 January 2020, the court has registered 25,000 cases since its creation. It also saw a record number of cases registered in 2019, an indication of the ICC's efforts to expand its services in recent years.

Background

The Court was founded in 1923 under the leadership of the ICC's first president Étienne Clémentel, a former French Minister of Finance.
Members of the ICC Court are appointed to three-year terms by the ICC World Council on the recommendation of ICC 'national committees' or groups. In jurisdictions where there is no national committee or group, members are recommended for appointment by the President of the Court. Alternate members are appointed by the World Council on the recommendation of the court's President.
The President of the ICC is Alexis Mourre of France.