木瓜影院

Knowledge and Global Outreach

As part of its mandate to build confidence in the dispute resolution process and help foster favorable investment environments, ICSID supports the development of international investment law and dispute settlement by producing and sharing knowledge and building capacity. Through its publications, the Centre provides insights into current trends and key developments in investor-State dispute settlement, helping to inform and contribute to the ongoing evolution of the field.

In fiscal 2025, ICSID published three issues of the ICSID Review–Foreign Investment Law Journal, a specialized, peer-reviewed publication on foreign investment law and international investment dispute settlement. Each issue, produced in collaboration with Oxford University Press, features articles, case comments, notes, and book reviews, offering analysis of legal developments, significant cases, and practical legal issues.

Two issues of the ICSID Caseload – Statistics were also published during the year. This biannual publication offers a comprehensive, data-driven overview of all cases registered and administered by ICSID both in the fiscal year and since 1972, serving as a key resource for practitioners and policymakers to track trends and developments in international investment dispute settlement.

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ICSID also engages with State officials, legal practitioners, students, private sector members, and representatives of non-governmental organizations to build capacity on investment dispute prevention and settlement. This outreach program also aims to deepen understanding of ICSID’s mandate and services.

Staff from the Centre conducted 88 workshops, conferences, and presentations and participated in 62 panels and fora around the world during fiscal 2025. This comprehensive outreach, with 150 activities—the most in a single year so far—in 41cities, included presentations delivered in the three official languages of the Centre (English, Spanish, and French), as well as in Italian and Japanese.

ICSID collaborated in fiscal 2025 with other World Bank Group units, contributing to the methodology framework for the Business Ready 2024 report, conducting training sessions in Country Offices, and developing technological platforms to streamline processes and services.

Driving Innovation

Over the past year, ICSID advanced initiatives to improve its operational and institutional proficiency, make arbitration proceedings timelier and more cost-effective for users, and help modernize investor-State dispute settlement (ISDS) mechanisms.

ICSID implemented and continues to develop platforms to enhance data collection, accuracy, and operational efficiency, including tools for monitoring tribunal timeliness in case proceedings, providing real-time updates, and facilitating hearing logistics. The Centre is also working to integrate AI tools to enable faster, strategic analysis of institutional and case data.

ICSID continues to engage interested parties and international organizations to advance efforts to modernize ISDS mechanisms and ensure that they remain trusted, reliable, and relevant to States and investors. ICSID participated in six sessions of UNCITRAL’s Working Group III in fiscal 2025, providing oral and written comments on the State-led proposals to reform ISDS proceedings. ICSID is also engaged in the International Institute for the Unification of Private Laws’ initiative to modernize and harmonize international investment contracts between investors and States.

Expanding Partnerships

Collaboration plays a central role in ICSID’s efforts to build capacity for dispute settlement and prevention, share knowledge, and reduce the costs of case proceedings. In fiscal 2025, ICSID signed new agreements with the Council for International Dispute Resolution of the Kingdom of Bahrain, to enhance cooperation and develop capacity in investment dispute mediation in the Middle East and North Africa region, and with the Madrid International Arbitration Center—Ibero-American Arbitration Center (CIAM-CIAR), to support the use of arbitration, conciliation, mediation, and other alternative methods for resolving international investment disputes. This agreement also provides parties involved in ICSID proceedings with the option to hold hearings at CIAM-CIAR's facilities in Madrid.

As part of the World Bank Group’s strategic collaboration with the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), signed on June 27, 2025, ICSID will work with ICC to further engage with the private sector through the ICC’s global Chambers of Commerce network. The partnership also allows parties participating in ICSID proceedings to access the ICC venues in Paris to conduct hearings.

By June 30, 2025, ICSID had entered into facilities cooperation agreements with 35 dispute settlement centers around the globe. These agreements also establish a framework for collaboration on public outreach regarding dispute resolution procedures, the exchange of information on new trends and technologies, and mutual support for meetings or proceedings.

Young ICSID, the network established in 2012 to encourage professional development among international investment dispute resolution practitioners under the age of 45, continued to expand in fiscal 2025 to over 3,000 members.

Amicable and Agile Dispute Resolution at ICSID

During fiscal 2025, 11 cases at ICSID were discontinued because the parties reached a settlement or chose not to proceed with the case for other reasons. Historically, about one-third of all concluded arbitrations at ICSID have been settled by the parties or discontinued for other reasons before the tribunal made a final ruling. This high settlement rate underscores the potential to encourage amicable negotiations through alternative dispute resolution methods, such as mediation and conciliation.

ICSID offers a range of services and rules, including mediation, to help parties resolve disputes amicably and efficiently. ICSID’s Mediation Rules, the first institutional rules adopted by States specifically designed for investment disputes, are intended to complement ICSID's rules for arbitration, conciliation, and fact-finding, and can be utilized independently or alongside them.

ICSID also offers expedited arbitration rules, aimed at streamlining the arbitration process and reducing both the time and cost associated with dispute resolution.

Amicable and Agile Dispute Resolution at ICSID

During fiscal 2025, 11 cases at ICSID were discontinued because the parties reached a settlement or chose not to proceed with the case for other reasons. Historically, about one-third of all concluded arbitrations at ICSID have been settled by the parties or discontinued for other reasons before the tribunal made a final ruling. This high settlement rate underscores the potential to encourage amicable negotiations through alternative dispute resolution methods, such as mediation and conciliation. 

ICSID offers a range of services and rules, including mediation, to help parties resolve disputes amicably and efficiently. ICSID’s Mediation Rules, the first institutional rules adopted by States specifically designed for investment disputes, are intended to complement ICSID's rules for arbitration, conciliation, and fact-finding, and can be utilized independently or alongside them.

ICSID also offers expedited arbitration rules, aimed at streamlining the arbitration process and reducing both the time and cost associated with dispute resolution. 

ICSID Caseload Statistics and Trends

In fiscal 2025, ICSID experienced strong demand for its services, setting new records in several areas. The Centre logged the highest number in its history of registered proceedings (109) and administered cases (347). The year also saw 81 proceedings concluded, marking the second highest total recorded.

During fiscal 2025, 67 new cases were registered, also the second highest number for a single fiscal year. Notably, 15 of these new cases based the consent of parties on contracts between an investor and a host State, the highest number recorded in a single fiscal year.

As of June 30, 2025, ICSID had registered a total of 1,058 cases under the ICSID Convention and Additional Facility Rules.

ICSID continued to see a diverse pool of arbitrators, conciliators, and committee members in fiscal 2025. The Centre recorded 233 appointments, the second highest number in a single fiscal year. Appointees represented 48 different nationalities, also the second highest number of nationalities among arbitrators appointed to ICSID cases in one year. Moreover, 33 percent of all appointments were nationals from low- or middle-income economies.

Overall, 13 percent of appointments in fiscal 2025 were individuals appointed to an ICSID case for the first time. Of these first-time appointees, 32 percent were nationals of low- or middle-income economies, and 35 percent were women.

In fiscal 2025, 14 Member States nominated a total of 60 individuals to ICSID’s Panels of Arbitrators and of Conciliators. As of June 30, 2025, the ICSID Panels of Arbitrators and of Conciliators included 729 individuals.

Expert Support

Currently, 72 staff members, representing 36 nationalities and speaking 24 languages, are part of the ICSID Secretariat, which provides professional legal, administrative, and financial services for cases. A case management team is assigned to each case, led by an experienced legal counsel and supported by paralegals and legal assistants. A finance and administration team oversees the financial aspects of cases and manages the planning and logistics of ICSID sessions and hearings. Finally, the institutional matters team deals with matters relating to ICSID membership and ICSID’s publication program.

Milestones: 60th Anniversary of the ICSID Convention and ICSID’s 1,000^th Case

ICSID celebrated the 60^th anniversary of the ICSID Convention on March 25, 2025, with a panel discussion about the history of this multilateral agreement and ICSID's role as a leading global forum for resolving disputes between investors and States. The panel, which took place in Washington, D.C., was moderated by Martina Polasek, Secretary-General of ICSID, with introductions provided by Gonzalo Flores, Deputy Secretary-General of ICSID.

Antonio Parra, former Deputy Secretary-General of ICSID, detailed the process that culminated in the drafting of the ICSID Convention, which was made available for signature and ratification by World Bank member governments in March 1965.

Zainab Ahmed, World Bank Group Executive Director and former Minister of Finance of Nigeria, noted that Nigeria was the first State to ratify the ICSID Convention and underscored the opportunity to provide technical assistance to State representatives and investors on important aspects to include in investment contracts, with the aim of improving dispute prevention and resolution.

Aradhana Kumar-Capoor, Director and General Counsel of MIGA, pointed out how ICSID's work complements MIGA's efforts to de-risk projects and bolster investor confidence for cross-border investments.

ICSID reached another milestone on August 8, 2024, by registering its 1,000th case under the ICSID Convention or Additional Facility Rules. This benchmark highlights how States and investors from all regions have turned to ICSID to resolve investment disputes, underscoring the Centre’s historical role in facilitating investment dispute settlement.

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