New York, NY – Oct. 21, 2016 – Published by CPR Pledge seeks to resolve under-representation of women in international arbitral tribunals The International Institute for Conflict Prevention & Resolution (CPR) announced it has signed the Equal Representation in Arbitration pledge, joining other prominent members of the international arbitration community. The Equal Representation in Arbitration Pledge is a call to the international dispute resolution community to commit to increase the number of women appointed as arbitrators on an equal opportunity basis. The result of a collaborative effort between global representatives of corporate entities, states, arbitral institutions, arbitration practitioners – both counsel and arbitrators – and academics, the pledge establishes concrete and actionable steps that the arbitration community can and must take towards establishing equal representation in arbitration. The Pledge commits signatories to consider women arbitrators “wherever possible.” Other concrete steps recommended by the pledge include taking steps to try to ensure that:

• committees, governing bodies and conference panels in the field of arbitration include a fair representation of women;
• lists of potential arbitrators or tribunal chairs provided to or considered by parties, counsel, in-house counsel or otherwise include a fair representation of female candidates;
• where they have the power to do so, counsel, arbitrators, representatives of corporates, states and arbitral institutions appoint a fair representation of female arbitrators;
• gender statistics for appointments (split by party and other appointment) are collated and made publicly available; and
• senior and experienced arbitration practitioners support, mentor/sponsor and encourage women to pursue arbitrator appointments and otherwise enhance their profiles and practice.

According to The American Lawyer’s 2015 Arbitration Scorecard looking at matters in a two-year period with at least $1 billion in dispute, the proportion of women among all arbitrators remains stuck at 4 percent. By comparison, of CPR’s more than 550 neutrals worldwide, roughly 15 percent are women.

“The Pledge is an important and necessary step toward improving equal representation in arbitration,” said Noah Hanft, President and CEO of CPR. “In this and many other ways, CPR is proud to play a significant role in effecting positive change in the field.”

About CPR: CPR is an independent nonprofit organization that, for more than 35 years, has helped global businesses prevent and resolve commercial disputes effectively and efficiently. Our membership consists of top corporations and law firms, academic and government institutions, and leading mediators and arbitrators around the world. CPR is unique as: (1) a thought leader, driving a global dispute resolution culture; (2) a developer of cutting-edge tools and resources, powered by the collective innovation of its membership; and (3) an ADR provider offering innovative, practical arbitration rules, mediation and other dispute resolution procedures, and neutrals worldwide. For more information, please visit www.cpradr.org.