• Code Name: #PAW2022

• Dates: from 28 March to 1 April 2022

• What: unique platform with rich academic debate for arbitration practitioners aimed at promoting Paris as the eternal home of international arbitration

• Sign: hybrid events accessible either in person or from anywhere in the world

• 2021 edition Key Facts: 87 events, 67 partners, 6 300 participants

Fully hybrid for the second year in a raw, the 6th edition of Paris Arbitration Week (PAW) will take place in Paris and virtually to allow access to as many international arbitration practitioners as possible.

For this 6th edition, the PAW Board is proud to welcome as Keynote Speaker for its Opening Session on 28 March 2022 Mrs. Mélanie Van Leeuwen. Mrs. Van Leeuwen is one of the leading international arbitration professionals, based in Paris. Partner at Derains & Gharavi International, she has extensive experience as counsel and arbitrator and holds various leadership positions with arbitral institutions and bodies, including as Chair of the ICC Commission on Arbitration & ADR.

Yasmin Mohammad, President of the Paris Arbitration Week association notes that “Mélanie is a leading professional, recognised by the arbitration community worldwide. Resolutely international by her background, her ability to work in 4 languages, she is also very attached to the issues of diversity in all of its aspects. She will focus her keynote speech on her convictions on this topic, will discuss existing successes and will share her ideas that may push progress in this field“..

For #PAW2022, which will take place from 28 March to 1 April, the organizing committee’s ambition is to reinforce the unique profile of Paris Arbitration Week:

  • unique in terms of the variety of topics addressed (anti-corruption, climate-change, business human rights, energy, construction, etc.) and the formats in which they are presented (academic conferences, practical workshops, round-table discussions, cocktails, etc.),
  • unique in terms of the quality of the speakers who will be brought together during the course of the Paris Arbitration Week, and
  • unique in terms of the ability to attract professionals of diverse profiles (lawyers, arbitrators, professors, experts, students, etc.) and from all countries.

The Board members of the PAW Association commented as follows: “Loyal to the original vision, we want Paris Arbitration Week to be the leading arbitration hub of the future, whose core values are diversity, social and environmental responsibility and innovation.” . “Diversity is once again at the heart of the 2022 project. PAW does champion diversity in all of its forms: it aims at mixing generations, professionals and cultures, and requires that its partners commit to promoting the same principles.  PAW is also committed to be an actor of change, including on environmental and sustainability issues, and invites its partners to adopt the same values in the organization of their events.”

The success of PAW is directly linked to the support of its co-hosts (ICC Arbitration, Paris Place d’Arbitrage, Centre Français d’Arbitrage, Association Française d’Arbitrage) and its numerous partners who, through the events they organise each year, guarantee a very high level of debate and knowledge-sharing, and provide several networking opportunities.

The General Assembly of the PAW Association, held in December 2021, elected 3 new members to the PAW Board. The PAW Board is now composed of: Yasmin Mohammad, President, Alexander Fessas, Secretary General, Clément Fouchard, Treasurer, Ioana Knoll-Tudor, Marily Paralika, Claire Pauly, Raphaël Kaminsky and Benjamin Siino, Vice Presidents. Their diverse profiles and their dynamic commitment to PAW are both a testament to the association’s outreach and a key factor in its continued success.

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• PAW at a glance:

PARIS ARBITRATION WEEK is an annual event that takes place over a week in Paris, a major hub for international arbitration. Created in 2017, Paris Arbitration Week has fast become a key event for arbitration practitioners from around the globe.

Its objective is to bring together practitioners from all over the world to discuss issues and developments in the field, whether they concern investment or commercial arbitration, the impact of national legislation or international trade agreements on arbitration, and the evolution of practices in international arbitration.  This week is also an opportunity to create a series of informal opportunities to meet and exchange during the various cocktails and evening gatherings.