Global Conference on Arbitration begins in New Delhi

The Dollar Business Bureau

In a bid to provide impetus to commercial arbitration in India, the first-ever global conference titled, “National Initiative on Strengthening Arbitration and Enforcement in India”, will take place from October 21st to 23rd, 2016 in New Delhi. 

The conference is being launched by the government and the judiciary primarily to focus on revolutionising the dispute resolution scenario in India.

The event will witness a collaboration of NITI Aayog, Ministry of Law & Justice, DIPP, National Legal Services Authority, International Center for Alternative Dispute Resolution and National Institute of Labour Economics Research and Development with an aim to turn the country into a centre of arbitration. The initiative will also have six leading international arbitral institutions namely HKIAC (Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre), ICC (International Criminal Court), KLRCA (Kuala Lumpur Regional Centre for Arbitration), LCIA (London Court of International Arbitration), PCA (Permanent Court of Arbitration), SIAC (Singapore International Arbitration Centre) and all major industry associations like FICCI, PHD Chamber, CII and ASSOCHAM participating in the national endeavour. 

The three-day conference will be inaugurated by President Pranab Mukherjee followed by a valedictory address to be given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 23. The other speakers for the conference will include Chief Justice of India T.S. Thakur as its Patron-in-Chief, Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs Arun Jaitely and the Union Minister for Law and Justice and Electronics and Information Technology Ravi Shankar Prasad. In addition to this, luminaries from the legal and corporate world will also take part in the conference seeking to change the face of dispute resolution in India. 

There will be seven intensive brainstorming technical sessions during the conference which will have Jurist Fali Nariman and William Rowley, QC, Chairman, LCIA Board as the keynote speakers. The discussion will be primarily focussed on ways to consolidate institutional arbitration in India by means of a facilitative judiciary. This is expected to pave way for parties, both foreign and Indian, to come forward and arbitrate in India.