60 Years of the New York Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards: Key Issues and Future Challenges

Loyola University. Seville, 5^th and 6^th April 2018

On 10 June 1958, a diplomatic conference convened by the United Nations in New York concluded the Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards. The so called New York Convention is one of the most successful treaties in the area of commercial law, currently adhered to by 157 States, including the major trading nations. It has served as a model for many subsequent international legislative texts on arbitration.

This International Conference marks its 60th anniversary in 2018, and this milestone offers an opportunity to review the experience with the Convention, to take stock of current issues in the field and to consider future challenges.

Co-organizators

Loyola University, University of Zaragoza, Club Español del Arbitraje and United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL).

Sponsors

Research Project DER2016-80568-R. All other partners involved will be announced in the final program.

Scientific Committee

Dr. José Manuel Álvarez Zárate (Universidad del Externado, Colombia); Dra. Laura Carballo Piñeiro (Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, Spain); Dr. Alejandro Garro (Columbia University, USA); Dr. Lasse Højlund Christensen (University of Aarhus, Denmark) and Dr. Rodrigo Polanco Lazo (World Trade Institute, Bern, Switzerland).

Conference Directors

Dr. Ana Mercedes López Rodríguez, Ph.D. and Dr. Katia Fach Gómez, LL.M

Call for papers

Practitioners at all stages of their careers and senior and junior scholars (including Ph.D. students) are invited to submit abstracts on the following, fairly broad, suggested topics on commercial and investment arbitration:

• Arbitrating and enforcing foreign awards in specific countries and regions.
• Enforcement of cross-border online arbitral awards and online arbitration agreements.
• Suitability of the New York Convention for modern trade.
• Enforcement against non-signatories to the arbitration agreement.
• The notion of arbitrability under the New York Convention.
• The public policy exception under the New York Convention. Other defenses to the recognition and enforcement of foreign arbitral awards.
• Enforcement of arbitral awards and EU Law.
• The relationship between the New York Convention and other international instruments on jurisdiction or exequátur.
• Enforcement of annulled awards.
• Enforcement of settlement agreements under the New York Convention.
• Investment arbitration and the New York Convention. Enforcement of investment awards under the New York Convention. Damages for the non‐compliance with obligations under the New York Convention within the framework of investment arbitration. International trends relating to energy dispute resolution and the New York Convention.

Submission procedure

Authors are invited to submit extended abstracts of a minimum of 800 words and unpublished full papers with the author's name, affiliation and an updated CV including contact details to the conference directors (, ). All submissions and complete papers may be written in either English or Spanish.

Abstracts for presentation at this forum will be assessed and selected by the referred international scientific committee. In addition to the abstract, special consideration will be given to gender balance¹. Particular attention will be paid to the representation of practitioners and junior participants in the Conference (under 40) and in panel discussions. A special slot will be offered to junior participants in the morning of April 5^th.

Authors of accepted abstracts will be expected to bear the costs of their own travel and accommodation in Sevilla.

Timeline

• The deadline for submitting proposals is 30 November 2017.
• Authors of selected abstracts for the Conference will be notified by 15 December 2017.
• The deadline for submitting a draft paper (4,000-6,000 words) is 20 March 2018. A 'no paper – no podium' strict policy applies.
• The Conference will be held at the Loyola University (Seville Campus) on 5 & 6 April 2018.
• The Conference directors are planning to publish an edited volume containing the most relevant papers presented in the Conference.
• The deadline for submitting the final version of the selected papers (6,000-8,000 words) will be 30 June 2018. Selected final papers will be published by a relevant European legal publishing house². Further information about the publication process will be conveyed to selected proposal authors in due course.

¹ http://tackanej.se/men-say-no-thanks/
² See as a guideline, Katia Fach Gómez (coord.), La Política de la Unión Europea en Materia de Inversiones, EU Policy on Investment Law. J. M. BOSCH EDITOR S.A., 2017.

Venue

The Conference will be held at The Loyola University, at the Palmas Altas Campus in Seville.

About Seville

Seville is located in South-Western Spain and has a population of about 703,000, making it the fourth-largest city in Spain. It lies on the banks of the Guadalquivir River, which has seen the rise and fall of many civilizations. Each and every one of them left its seed, explaining the magnificent historical, monumental and cultural heritage of the city.

The Old Town contains three UNESCO World Heritage Sites: the Real Alcazar palace complex, the Gothic Cathedral and the General Archive of the Indies. Other important sites are the Golden Tower (Torre del Oro), the Maria Luisa’s Park & Plaza de España and the ruins of the Roman City "Itálica".

Seville is a popular tourist destination and there are several flights and high-speed trains connecting it both to other Spanish locations and the rest of Europe. The city itself is very well connected, with an extensive public transportation system, walkable distances and plenty of taxis around.

There are plenty of accommodation options in Seville. A list of hotels with special discounted rates and reasonably close to the venue will be available to participants in due time. Also, check Booking.com or other commonly used site for making your reservation according to your taste and budget.

About Loyola University

The Loyola University is a private university sponsored by the Society of Jesus, with campuses in Seville, Córdoba and Dos Hermanas. The educative tradition of the Jesuits commenced with the beginning of The Society of Jesus itself in 1540. Today there are 238 universities and university centers in over 70 countries teaching more than 160,000 students of all religious affiliations. The Loyola University centers its activities in eight areas of knowledge: Economy, Law, Political and Social Sciences, Communication, Psychology, Education, Engineering and Business. It is committed to dialogue between different cultures and the development of a more just and sustainable society.

In addition to the conference itself, participants will have the opportunity to get to know their conference colleagues through conference receptions, visits to local historical sites in Seville and encounters with local culture. More information will be available in due time.