The History of ICSID

This is the first book to detail the history and development of the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) and its constituent treaty, the Convention on the Settlement of Investment Disputes between States and Nationals of Other States, covering the years from 1955 to 2010. Antonio Parra, the first Deputy Secretary-General of ICSID, traces the immediate origins of the Convention, in the years 1955 to 1962, and gives a stage-by-stage narrative of the drafting of the Convention between 1962 and 1965. He recounts details of bringing the Convention into force in 1966 and the elaboration of the initial versions of the Regulations and Rules of ICSID adopted at the first meetings of its Administrative Council in 1967. The three periods 1968 to 1988, 1989 to 1999, and 2000 to June 30, 2010, are covered in separate chapters which examine the expansion of the Centre's activities and changes made to the Regulations and Rules over the years. There are also overviews of the conciliation and arbitration cases submitted to ICSID in the respective periods, followed by in-depth discussions of selected cases and key issues within them. A concluding chapter discusses some of the broad themes and findings of the book, and includes several suggestions for further changes at ICSID to help ensure its continued success. The book offers unique insight into the establishment and design of ICSID, as well as into how the institution evolved and its relationship with the World Bank. It is essential reading for those involved in this field. In the case of the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), history is biography if the historian is Dr. Antonio Parra. ... The investment arbitration community should be very grateful for iThe History of ICSID that it now has in hand. Monique Sasson, American Journal of International Law This is a thorough analysis of ICSID and its development that should be included in the libraries of international state investment law practitioners. Tim Martin, Journal of World Energy Law and Business a thoroughly worthwhile book: interesting, informative, practical, relevant and balanced. The book deserves a place in the libraries of all users of the ICSID and comparable systems, and of all serious students of the realities of international arbitration. Sir Franklin Berman QC, ICSID Review Antonio Parra provides the first in-depth examination of the development, negotiation and implementation of the ICSID Convention and rules in this text, and it is a fascinating look at the context in which the premiere international investment arbitration institution was created and operated in its first fifty years. Mr Parra is uniquely qualified to have written this book, and his insights are both an invaluable contribution to legal scholarship in the area as well as a most interesting read. Meg Kinnear, Secretary-General, ICSID This highly informative book is required reading for anyone who takes an interest in ICSID arbitration. Christoph Schreuer Parra's book provides a compelling account of the origins and development of an extraordinarily successful international institution that now stands at a crossroads arising in part from its own success. It will be an invaluable resource for students of ICSID's genesis and history. Moreover, by showing how ICSID got to where it is today, Parra's book provides an excellent resource for guiding the discussion about ICSID's future. Historians, practitioners and policy-makers alike will benefit from reading this book. Theodore R. Posner and Marguerite C. Walter, Dispute Resolution International Parra succeeds in in bridging the gap between black letter law and insider knowledge Matthew AJ Levine, Asian International Arbitration Journal

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