Cooperation Agreements

FICA signs Cooperation Agreement with Indonesia Dispute Board (IDB) in Brussels

FICA and Indonesia Dispute Board delegations at the Cooperation Agreement signing in Brussels, September 2025

On 16 September 2025, the Forum for International Conciliation and Arbitration (FICA) signed a landmark Cooperation Agreement in Brussels with the Indonesia Dispute Board (IDB).

This agreement represents FICA’s first international cooperation of its kind, while for the IDB it marks the 34th agreement since its establishment in 2021.

A Milestone for FICA and IDB

The signing ceremony was attended on behalf of FICA by Co-Chairs Herman Verbist and Jeffrey Chan, and on behalf of the IDB by its President, Prof. Sabela Gayo, accompanied by a seven-person delegation.

For FICA, this milestone underscores its growing role in promoting conciliation, mediation, arbitration, and dispute resolution across borders.

Herman Verbist and a representative of the IDB delegation formalize the Cooperation Agreement in Brussels

About the Indonesia Dispute Board

The Indonesia Dispute Board is one of the most active institutions in the field of alternative dispute resolution (ADR). Since its founding in 2021, it has signed more than 30 cooperation agreements with organizations worldwide.

Today, the IDB counts over 5,000 members, including:

  • Mediators
  • Adjudicators
  • Conciliators
  • Arbitrators
  • Dispute board members

It also provides rules and frameworks for these various dispute resolution methods.

Strengthening International Arbitration and Conciliation

Through this Cooperation Agreement, FICA aims to strengthen ties with Indonesia’s dispute resolution community, contributing to the growth of conciliation and arbitration both in Indonesia and internationally.

Plaque presentation to commemorate the signing of the Cooperation Agreement in Brussels, 16 September 2025
Signed Cooperation Agreement

Strenghtening International Arbitration

On 13 October 2025, the Forum for International Conciliation and Arbitration (FICA) signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding in Vienna with the Association for the Organization and Promotion of the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot (the Vis Moot).

The Agreement was signed by Alan M. Anderson, Board Member and Secretary of FICA, on behalf of FICA, and by Patrizia Netal, one of the directors of the Vis Moot, on behalf of the Vis Moot.
FICA Co-chair Herman Verbist and Board Member Constantin Eschlboeck also attended the event on behalf of FICA, which was held at the law firm Knoetzl in Vienna.

With this Memorandum of Understanding, FICA joins a number of international arbitration organizations and institutions as supporters of the Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot Competition, which is organized every year in Vienna and in which thousands of law students from universities around the world participate.

FICA will be supporting the Vis Moot for at least the next five years. The funds FICA will donate will be used for the benefit of competitors and students, particularly those from developing/near-developed countries, to attend and compete in the Vis Moot, and to reduce the costs to participants generally. The funds came to FICA from the estate of the late D. Mark Cato, an internationally recognized arbitrator and author, through the efforts of FICA’s late chair and founder, Mr. Ben Beaumont.

For FICA, this new milestone confirms its growing role in promoting arbitration and conciliation across borders, particularly in developing/near-developed countries.