​On March 30 and 31, 2016, ICSID and the Ministry of Financial Services and Investments of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas co-organized a two-day conference celebrating ICSID’s 50th Anniversary. 

The event, entitled “Introduction to ICSID Arbitral Practice,” was held in Nassau, The Bahamas, and was very well attended, bringing together approximately 150 participants from the private and public sectors, including counsel, arbitrators, academics and government officials from the Caribbean region.  Participants came from Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, St. Lucia, and St. Kitts and Nevis, and included representatives from the CARICOM Office of Trade Negotiations.

The conference began with opening remarks by Secretary-General Kinnear and senior officials from The Bahamas, including the Hon. Michael Halkitis, Minister of State for Finance; the Hon. Hope Strachan, Minister of Financial Services and Investments; and the Director of Trade and Industry and Legal Advisor of the Ministry of Financial Services and Investments, Ms. Keva Bain.

The training event was conducted by ICSID’s Secretary-General, Meg Kinnear, Mr. Gonzalo Flores, Team Leader and Senior ICSID Counsel, and Ms. Sara Marzal, ICSID Counsel. It included an overview of the fundamentals of the dispute resolution process at ICSID, from pre-arbitration considerations to annulment, as well as a discussion on recent developments in international investment arbitration, current trends in the ICSID caseload, dispute prevention and other practical considerations. 

The Bahamian Ministry of Financial Services and Investments hosted the two-day training event as part of its efforts to increase awareness and promote the use of international dispute settlement mechanisms in the Caribbean.