Leadership, Legitimacy, Legacy: A Tribute to Alexis Mourre

In September 2019, in a keynote address at GAR Live Istanbul, Alexis Mourre called for arbitral institutions to safeguard their legitimacy by agreeing on the internationally accepted standards of good governance, while warning of the dangers of recent attempts by governments to ‘nationalise’ arbitration by promoting domestic institutions.

The address also raised other very important issues to do with the operating standards of arbitration institutions, a matter that has recently been gaining more and more attention. The Spanish Arbitration Club, for example, has adopted its 2009 Code of Best Practices in Arbitration as an attempt to set such standards for arbitration institutions, noting, among others:

Any arbitration institute performs its functions in accordance with its bylaws and under the guidance and oversight of its governing bodies. No third party may share in or have any say on their decision-making.

This essay will analyse the current trends in the development of arbitration institutions and take a closer look at the causes driving the launch of new arbitration centres and at arising associated issues.