ICC YAF South Asia Regional Conference organised in Goa

The regional chapter of the ICC Young Arbitrators Forum (YAF) and ICC India recently organised the ICC YAF: South Asia Regional Conference in Goa. The event took place between 7-9 December 2018, with the support of the Goa government. .Open to those aged 40 and under, the YAF provides a variety of opportunities for individuals to gain knowledge, develop their skills and understand ICC’s arbitral procedure and other dispute resolution services. Throughout the world, ICC YAF holds a number of educational and social events to give young professionals the chance to discover best practices, discuss topical issues and network with experienced practitioners..Goa was the third host to the YAF regional conference, with previous editions being organised in Singapore and Seoul. The latest edition of the conference had more than a hundred delegates and speakers participating, from around ten countries, sharing their thoughts and experiences on arbitration developments across Asia..The event commenced on December 7, with a welcome reception hosted by the Advocate General for Goa, and Additional Solicitor General Atmaram NS Nadkarni. This was followed by a conference, and an after party the following day..The conference opened with the inaugural session that was addressed by ASG Nadkarni. The ASG spoke of the pending Arbitration and Conciliation (Amendment) Bill, 2018 and lauded its proposed scheme of establishing an apex body to rate and regulate the arbitral institutions in the country. He also emphasized the importance of institutional arbitration in making India a preferred destination for arbitration in the future..Ziva Filipic, Managing Counsel at ICC International Court of Arbitration mentioned how the average age of arbitrators at the ICC is now falling which indicates a positive change. She also detailed how the ICC Court has been effectively dealing with delays by reducing the fees of its arbitrators and of its own on account of unjustifiable delays. .The ICC was also represented by Abhinav Bhushan, Director, South Asia, ICC Arbitration and ADR, Ajay Thomas, Arbitrator and Advocate; Vice Chair, ICC India Arbitration Group and Tejus Chauhan, Arbitration Coordinator, India, who spoke about the ICC’s commitment to strengthening arbitration in India. .Shashank Garg, Partner, Advani & Co. and Rishabh Jogani, Associate, Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas and the ICC YAF representatives from India welcomed the participants at the event..Shashank Garg also moderated the third panel on ‘Anti-arbitration Injunctions’. Other panel discussions included ‘Effective drafting of arbitration clauses’ and ‘Delocalization of International Commercial Arbitration’..The conference ended on December 9, with an oxford style debate on “This House believes that the growth of international arbitration in Asia is just a phase, in due course, it will be, just a haze!”. The debate witnessed an overwhelming support against the motion, encapsulating the essence of the regional conference, which is to discuss and deliberate on arbitration developments in South Asia and establish Asia as an arbitration-friendly continent.