One of the ways ISLP promotes economic development around the world is through support for local efforts to enhance legal systems and frameworks that uphold the rule of law and advance our partners’ development aims. Given the prominence of international arbitration as a mechanism for resolving crossborder commercial and investor-state disputes, and the increase in the number of arbitral institutions in the Global South, it is no surprise that there likewise is widespread interest in ensuring that lawyers (both public- and private-sector) are well versed in relevant procedures, enforcement of arbitral awards, and emerging trends.

To that end, ISLP is proud to be able to mobilize international arbitration expertise from leading practitioners to support both arbitral institutions in the Global South and the lawyers and judicial actors who work within these legal systems. Last month, ISLP pro bono lawyers from Gibson Dunn and White & Case provided tailored, in-person workshops for government officials in Guyana and Kenya, respectively. ISLP’s workshop in Guyana was developed in partnership with the Attorney General’s Chambers and the Ministry of Legal Affairs and included 30 participants from various areas of Guyana’s government as well as the Guyana Bar Association.

L-R: Rose Naing (Gibson Dunn), Ankita Ritwik (Gibson Dunn, Mohabir Anil Nandlall (Guyana's Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs), Charline Yim (Gibson Dunn), Marryum Kahloon (Gibson Dunn), Pedro Villegas (ISLP)
L-R: Lorna Kerubo (NCIA), Millicent Shitakha (NCIA), Sloan Raquel Martinez (White & Case), Robert Wheal (White & Case), Lawrence Muiruri (NCIA), Glory Kinyua (ISLP), Oscar Gathura (NCIA)

Our program in Kenya was developed in partnership with the Nairobi Center for International Arbitration (NCIA) and included 40 lawyers from the Office of the Attorney General. The workshop in Nairobi complemented additional legal support provided to the Secretariat of the NCIA through ISLP and White & Case. Each workshop was developed to fit the particular needs, interests, and legal contexts of the host
country.

The workshops, which received financial and technical support from Advocates for International Development’s Rule of Law Expertise UK (ROLE UK) Programme, funded by the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO), were designed to help governments navigate the complexities of international commercial and investment arbitration in order to bolster legal frameworks and practices that facilitate and encourage investment.

Feedback from workshop participants noted that their learning at these events will enable them to handle international arbitration disputes more effectively, and they also highlighted that international arbitration can play a critical role in advancing a country’s legal system. A big thank you to our partners in Guyana and Kenya, ROLE UK, and ISLP’s volunteers from Gibson Dunn and White & Case for putting on engaging and informative programs!