Dhaka, Bangladesh (BBN) - The International Court of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) has announced it will open an office of the ICC Court’s Secretariat in New York.
The move follows the opening of the first overseas office of the Secretariat in Hong Kong in 2008 and of an ICC representative office in Singapore in 2010.
The aim of the new office in New York City is to increase ICC’s presence in North America and to make the services of the Court's Secretariat directly available to parties, their counsel and arbitrators in that region, a press statement said on Sunday.
A case management team will administer cases in the region under the ICC Rules of Arbitration, in conjunction with the other case management teams located in Paris and Hong Kong. The addition of a case management team in New York will enable the Court's Secretariat to cover all major time zones.
John Beechey, President of the ICC Court said: “The opening of an office of the Secretariat in New York City is ICC's response to calls to establish a presence in one of the Court's most important markets. It is a very significant development for the Court and a reaffirmation of its commitment to North America.”
ICC’s mission is to promote international trade and investment. Arbitration is one of the organization’s three main activities along with rules-setting and policy.
Jason Fry, Secretary General of the Court said: “North American parties have for a very long time comprised one of the largest constituencies of users of ICC arbitration. It is an important region for the Court and we hope that having a presence in North America will increase the local appeal of our renowned, high-quality arbitration services in the region.”
BBN/SSR/AD-12Feb12-5:03pm (BST)