16
signatories
In a sign of their commitment to the Pledge's
objectives, many arbitral institutions have begun to
publish their statistics on the appointment of female
arbitrators. Several institutions also have adopted
specific policies on diversity in the appointment
of arbitrators. For example, in 2017 the Stockholm
Chamber of Commerce (SCC) published a revised
policy on arbitrator appointments stating that
'the SCC seeks to foster diversity in all appointments.
This includes but is not limited to acting in the spirit
of its commitment as a signatory to the Equal
Representation in Arbitration Pledge.' Similarly, the
Board of the Swiss Arbitration Association (ASA)
adopted a new policy in 2016 of including 'gender'
as a criterion in its arbitrator search tool.
Figures from arbitral institutions suggest that
the number of female arbitrators appointed by
those institutions is increasing. For example,
the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC)'s
International Court of Arbitration reported that its
proportion of female arbitrators increased from
10 per cent to 15 per cent from 2015 to 2016, while
the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA)
reported an increase from 16 per cent to 20 per cent
in the same period (2017 figures are not yet
available). This evidences a trend that we expect to
continue as more institutions embrace the Pledge
and make their statistics public.
In 2018, we expect the issue of diversity in
arbitration to gain further momentum. On the
gender front, we foresee a marked increase in the
visibility of women in the field: in leadership roles,
on conference panels, committees, boards, lists and
panels of arbitrators and, ultimately, tribunals.
We also expect to see the debate on diversity broaden
beyond the issue of gender. As the Commentary to
the Pledge states: 'The Pledge aspires to be a first
step in the direction of achieving more equal
representation of all under-represented groups in
our arbitration community.'
Gender diversity in
international arbitration
6
For more information see
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