World Arbitration Update 2025

Rigorous and remarkable counsel, arbitrators and academics are living and practicing beyond the centers of international arbitration. There are large, medium, and boutique firms, as well as solo practitioners, actively advancing international arbitration and public international law in non-traditional venues in Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe and Oceania.

The World Arbitration Update (WAU) updated the global community on key and novel topics of investment and international commercial arbitration, and public international law in a decentralized forum.

The WAU panels followed a dynamic format where a presenter first provided an update of the issue that the panel addressed, including relevant treaty and international customary norms, as well as case law. An open discussion by the panelists — including practitioners, counsel for investors, counsel for States, arbitrators, officials of international organizations and arbitration centers, and academics — followed. After each panel, there was a networking space in breakout rooms.

WAU connects different regions and the global community, and aims to decentralize and further expand international arbitration and public international law.