Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey

Hisarcıklıoğlu said in his speech at the “16^th ICC Arbitration Day Opening Program” held online in cooperation with TOBB, the ICC National Committee of Turkey and the ICC International Court of Arbitration that the ICC is the largest business organization working to increase trade and investments in the world.

Stating that the ICC was founded by a group of entrepreneurs in order to address the damage done to international trade by the First World War, Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that the International Chamber of Commerce has come to represent more than 45 million companies and more than 1 billion employees in more than 100 countries in 102 years.

Underlining that the ICC is the only business organization to have gained observer status at the United Nations, Hisarcıklıoğlu said: “Since its establishment, the ICC has signed many different formations for the development of global trade. It has pioneered international trade arbitration and has become a reference institution for reducing customs barriers and removing barriers to trade. The ICC's National Committee for Turkey was founded in 1934 and operates under the umbrella of TOBB. The National Committee successfully continues its activities before the ICC, representing the Turkish business world.”

Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that the ICC International Court of Arbitration is one of the world's leading centers for the resolution of international trade disputes, saying, “The Court, which consists of members in more than 90 countries on each continent, also has the characteristic of being the most widely represented arbitration body. The issue of arbitration is important for business. Because we want to be safe when establishing our domestic and international business connections. The ICC's international arbitration system is an important guarantee in this respect.”

- “Last year there were 929 different arbitration cases from 145 countries”

Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that despite the Covid-19 pandemic, which has negatively affected global trade in all areas, 929 different arbitration cases were seen from 145 countries in the International Court of Arbitration last year, and in this context, Turkey ranked 12^th with 57 parties. Hisarcıklıoğlu pointed out that 9 cases have been heard in Istanbul and 1 in Ankara, stressing the importance of representing each region of the world in the Court of Arbitration and its secretariat.

Noting that the flexibility of ICC arbitration, the translation of its rules in many languages, its continuous renewal and adaptation to the developments of the age are other important factors underlying the success of the Court, Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “I would like to point out in this arbitration conference that we expect and want the ICC arbitration to give more place to the lawyers of our country in the appointment of arbitrators.”

Hisarcıklıoğlu added that TOBB and ICC Turkey have organized workshops and online meetings where information sharing for relevant professional groups can be provided for the awareness and dissemination of arbitration.

- “Number of files exceeded 1800”

Alexis Mourre, President of the ICC International Court of Arbitration, said he is entering his final month in office and said there had been significant developments in Turkey regarding the further placement and further use of arbitration.

Mourre reminded that 2020 was a good year for them and said that they have taken various steps regarding 17 of the 946 files in Turkey.

Stressing that the number of files exceeds 1800 worldwide, Mourre continued: “We have operations in 113 cities around the world. We operate with more than 2,500 parties and in different fields. We are seeing an increase in numbers in terms of disputes. Last year's dispute amounted to an average of $145 million. These figures are well above other arbitration bodies. The ICC and the Court of Arbitration are the number one preferred authorities in the most complex multilateral disputes of the highest value. At the same time, in 2020, more than 20% of our files were conflicts in which states were parties.”

Mourre said that 57 Turkish-party files were submitted to the ICC last year and that there were 23 members of the Turkish arbitration committee.

Mourre also explained that there has been an increase in arbitration venues in the last 5 years, and that 33 of the cases have been seen in Turkey and that İstanbul, Ankara and İzmir are in the top three in this context.