The Forum for International Conciliation and Arbitration is proud to have become a sponsor of the Willem C. Vis International Arbitration Moot in Vienna, Austria. Now in its 33rd year, the Vis Moot has grown to become the largest international arbitration moot competition for law students from around the world. This year’s competition featured more than 380 teams from every continent except Antarctica.

As part of its sponsorship of the Vis Moot, FICA awarded one-year memberships to all members of the teams that made it to the Round of 16 in the competition. Those teams are:

·        Bond University

·        Chinese University of Hong Kong

·        Government Law College, Mumbai

·        Humboldt University

·        Panamericana University, Mexico City

·        School of Law Christ University, Bangalore

·        Singapore Management University

·        Universidade de Lisboa

·        University of Bielefeld

·        University of Cambridge

·        University of Lapland

·        University of Montevideo

·        University of Münster

·        University of New South Wales

·        University of Queensland

·        University of the State of Rio de Janeiro

Congratulations to each of these teams for their exceptional accomplishment in making the Round of 16 at this year’s Vis Moot!

Shown in the photos below at its information desk at the Juridicum at the University of Vienna School of Law during the Vis Moot, held from 27 March through 2 April 2026, are FICA Member L. Reagan Florence and FICA Fellows and Directors Constantin Eschlböck and Alan M. Anderson.

VIENNA  – 23-27 MARCH 2026

The Forum for International Conciliation and Arbitration (FICA) attended the 54th Session of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) Working Group III in Vienna, Austria from 23-27 March 2026. FICA has Observer status to attend sessions of UNCITRAL Working Groups.

Working Group III is tasked with a broad mandate to work on possible reform of investor-State dispute settlement. FICA has been represented at all sessions of Working Group III since it began deliberations on this mandate in 2017. During the recent week of sessions, the Working Group discussed the structure and design of a proposed standing mechanism for the resolution of international investment disputes; issues of the jurisdiction of such a standing mechanism; and draft proposals for the creation of a permanent tribunal and permanent appellate tribunal for international investment disputes. Its discussions and deliberations will continue later this year.

As shown in the photo above, FICA was represented at the 54th Session of Working Group III by L. Reagan Florence and Alan M. Anderson.

A FICA delegation composed of Co-Chair Dr. Herman Verbist and Mira Vats-Fournier, FICA Fellow, attended the 83^rd session of UNCITRAL Working Group II (Dispute Settlement) in New York in the week of 12-16 February 2026.

During the session of UNCITRAL Working Group II, a “Colloquium on the Use of Artificial Intelligence in Dispute Resolution and Remote Hearings in Arbitration and Mediation” was organized and amendments to the UNCITRAL Model Law on International Commercial Arbitration were adopted in regard to the recognition and enforcement of arbitral awards in electronic form and amendments to the UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules in regard to electronic notices of arbitration.