Meg Kinnear Elected ICSID Secretary-General

​By resolution adopted on February 17, 2009, the Administrative Council of the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) elected Ms. Meg Kinnear, a Canadian national, as the new Secretary-General of ICSID.

Since 1999, Ms. Kinnear has been General Counsel (Senior General Counsel from 2006) and Director General of the Trade Law Bureau of Canada, a joint legal unit of the Departments of Justice and of Foreign Affairs and International Trade of Canada. In that capacity, she has been responsible for the conduct of all international investment and trade litigation involving Canada. Ms. Kinnear has also been responsible for the provision of advice on international investment and trade questions as well as legal support for investment and trade treaty negotiations and for the implementation of such treaties. She has been managing a group of approximately 65-70 staff, including lawyers, paralegals and administrative assistants. She appeared as counsel before international investment tribunals, participated in the negotiation of bilateral and multilateral investment and trade treaties and advised on Canada’s international investment and trade obligations. In November 2002, Ms. Kinnear was also named Chair of the Negotiating Group on Dispute Settlement for the Free Trade of the Americas Agreement.

From October 1996 to April 1999, Ms. Kinnear was Executive Assistant to the Deputy Minister of Justice of Canada. Prior to this, Ms. Kinnear was Counsel at the Civil Litigation Section of the Canadian Department of Justice (from June 1984 to October 1996), where she appeared before federal and provincial courts as well as domestic arbitration panels.

Ms. Kinnear was called to the Bar of Ontario in 1984 and the Bar of the District of Columbia in 1982. She received a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) from Queen's University in 1978; a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) from McGill University in 1981; and a Master of Laws (LL.M.) from the University of Virginia in 1982.

Ms. Kinnear has published numerous articles on international investment law and procedure and is a frequent speaker on these topics. She is a co-author of Investment Disputes under NAFTA (published in 2006 and updated in 2008). She has also co-authored texts on Canadian legal procedure including Federal Court Practice (1988-1990, 1991-1992, and 1993-2009 annually) and 1995 Crown Liability and Proceedings Act Annotated (1994).

In its resolution electing Ms. Kinnear, the Administrative Council of ICSID expressed its appreciation to her predecessor, Ms. Ana Palacio, for her excellent service to ICSID during her tenure as its Secretary-General.

The Administrative Council also expressed its appreciation to Mr. Nassib G. Ziadé for his excellent service in ensuring the smooth operation of ICSID as its Acting Secretary-General since April 2008. In addition, World Bank President and Administrative Council Chairman, Robert B. Zoellick, expressed his deep appreciation to Mr. Ziadé for his first class work as ICSID's Acting Secretary-General. Mr. Ziadé will continue as Acting Secretary-General until Ms. Kinnear takes up her new position on June 22, 2009.