The Rise of Transparency in International Arbitration is inspired by a joint research conducted in the last years by the Milan Chamber of Arbitration and the Law School of the University Carlo Cattaneo–LIUC, Castellanza, in Italy. The two bodies have shared a common concern in order to increase the use of international commercial arbitration and to develop a proper culture in the field: the need for enhancing transparency and especially for a wider dissemination of arbitral awards. The advantages of arbitration as the main alternative means of dispute resolution are well known and undisputed. Privacy and confidentiality are among them and at the same time among the prevailing features of any arbitral proceedings. However, sometimes users have the feeling to deal with a close and too slow-growing world. The need, if not the request, for a greater accountability of the arbitral world in the whole is more and more widespread. In this context the aim of this book is on the one hand to spur discussion and to shed new light on the traditional idea of confidentiality in international commercial arbitration (and in some other figures alike). Although this idea is sometimes founded upon sound reasons that cannot be ignored or totally set aside, it must be reconsidered by taking into account the rise of transparency. On the other hand, a specific proposal is made in order to step ahead from the current situation, with particular reference to the issue of the publication of the awards. In this respect, the main outcome is the Guidelines for the Anonymous Publication of Arbitral Awards, already adopted and experienced by the Milan Chamber. They are addressed to institutions, practitioners, scholars with the goal to favor the circulation of the awards and of the related decisions.

Transparency in international arbitration has increasingly become a hot topic in recent years whether it is from the eyes of a party, arbitral institution or the legal community in general. Under a traditionalist view, confidentiality is one of the central pillars of arbitration. However, the evolution and rise in use of international arbitration, in particular investor-State arbitrations, has resulted in an increase in demand for more openness and transparency in international arbitral proceedings. This article will examine the question of where the balance should be between confidentiality and transparency in international commercial arbitration proceedings. The authors will analyze this question by looking at the pros and cons of confidentiality and transparency in both ad hoc and institutional arbitration proceedings from the perspectives of the parties, arbitral institutions and international legal arena.

The topic of transparency in international investment arbitration is gaining increasing attention. This in-depth commentary analyses the UNCITRAL Rules on Transparency in Treaty-Based Investor-State Arbitration, one of the most recent and innovative developments in international law. Focusing on the application of these rules, contributors analyse the issue of transparency in investment law more broadly and provide in-depth guidance on how to apply the UNCITRAL transparency rules. Chapters encompass all treaty-based disputes between investors and state, examining the perspectives of disputing parties, third parties, non-disputing state parties and arbitral tribunals. The contributors each have a strong background in investment arbitration, in both professional practice and academia. This commentary will be of interest to all actors involved in investment arbitrations, especially practitioners, counsels, NGOs and scholars in the fields of international law, commercial arbitration and investor-state arbitration.

While its importance in domestic law has long been acknowledged, transparency has until now remained largely unexplored in international law. This study of transparency issues in key areas such as international economic law, environmental law, human rights law and humanitarian law brings together new and important insights on this pressing issue. Contributors explore the framing and content of transparency in their respective fields with regard to proceedings, institutions, law-making processes and legal culture, and a selection of cross-cutting essays completes the study by examining transparency in international law-making and adjudication.

Mounting pubic interest concerns associated with investor-state arbitration have influenced the drafting of contemporary investment treaties including the requirement for transparency. Investor-state mediation is nevertheless a pre-arbitration dispute resolution method that if successful, obviates the need for further investor-state arbitration, but in most cases is confidential. This article argues that reconciling the freedom of expression facilitated through confidential mediation communications and the public interest in transparency is a delicate balance to strike. Cases do exist of effective transparent public sector mediated outcomes at the domestic level with high rates of compliance. Yet, successfully mediated cases have also relied on a high degree of discretion given trade secrets, sensitive government protocols, and policy concerns. In light of the above factors, it is suggested that as the process becomes more fully established, familiarity gained, expertise developed and selected mediated cases become public through party consent, investor-state mediation move toward gradual openness in the long term.

In Addressing Corruption Allegations in International Arbitration, Brody K. Greenwald and Jennifer A. Ivers draw upon their experience in international arbitrations involving allegations of corruption to provide a comprehensive overview of the key issues that arise in these high-stakes cases.