News
Paris/Zurich, 1 July 2021 - Claudia Salomon has begun her term as President of the ICC International Court of Arbitration – Three Swiss have been elected members of the Court
Ms Salomon, who takes the reins from former ICC Court President Alexis Mourre, was formally elected on 11 June by ICC’s supreme governing body, the World Council. Her election marks a milestone in the ICC Court’s almost 100-year history as the first woman to become President of the world’s preferred arbitral institution.
The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) is organizing the International Forum "The Future of International Supply Chains - Sustainable, Digital, Smart" from June to October 2021.
At the Forum we will take a look at the benefits and challenges of international supply chains.
The “ICC-CCIG Series” address major themes related to international trade with a dual purpose: updating Members on issues that are currently being discussed at the United Nations, World Trade Organization and other international organizations in Geneva; and illustrate the way businesses, actors of world governance, civil society and researchers can successfully cooperate towards common global goals.
The second event of the series is dedicated to business and human rights. ICC continuously promotes best practices to its members – domestic and international companies of all sizes and sectors– aimed at enhancing their internal management of human rights and other corporate responsibility areas. The event is held in connection with the 10th anniversary of the unanimous endorsement by the Human Rights Council of the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs), which is celebrated in June 2021.
More information on the programme as well as registration can be found here.
We are pleased to announce a webinar on Thursday 6 May, 17:00, on trade and environmental sustainability. This webinar will launch a series of events co-organised by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and the CCIG. It fits into the series of Geneva Business Dialogues organised by ICC Switzerland which the objective is to strengthen global prosperity and development through trade and investment.
More information as well as the possibility to register you find here.
Model-WTO has carried out their 2021 conference over the past week with great success. Over 50 participants from 5 different continents came together virtually, spending a fruitful and informative week.
The Model-WTO international conference provides a unique opportunity for future decision makers to experience first hand the technicalities of the multilateral trading system, which ICC Switzerland is delighted to support!
13/04/2021
London and Kuala Lumpur
The Gulf of Guinea accounted for nearly half (43%) of all reported piracy incidents in the first three months of 2021, according to the latest figures from the ICC International Maritime Bureau (IMB).
IMB’s latest global piracy report records 38 incidents since the start of 2021 – compared with 47 incidents during the same period last year. In the first three months of 2021, the IMB Piracy Reporting Centre (PRC) reported 33 vessels boarded, two attempted attacks, two vessels fired upon, and one vessel hijacked.
Despite a drop in the number of reported piracy incidents for Q1 2021, violence against crew is on the rise in comparison to previous years. Since the start of 2021, 40 crew have been kidnapped compared to 22 crew in Q1 2020. A crew member was also killed in Q1 2021.
Gulf of Guinea
The Gulf of Guinea continues to be particularly dangerous for seafarers with 43% of all reported piracy incidents occurring in the region. In addition, the region accounted for all 40 kidnapped crew incidents, as well as the sole crew fatality, according to IMB.
“Pirates operating within the Gulf of Guinea are well-equipped to attack further away from shorelines and are unafraid to take violent action against innocent crews” warns IMB Director Michael Howlett. “It’s critical that seafarers remain cautious and vigilant when travelling in nearby waters and report all incidents to the Regional Authorities and the IMB PRC. Only improved knowledge sharing channels and increased collaboration between maritime response authorities will reduce the risk to seafarers in the region.”
The furthest recorded kidnapping occurred on 11 March 2021 when pirates kidnapped 15 crew from a Maltese flagged Chemical Tanker, 212nm south of Cotonou, Benin. In another incident, a fishing vessel hijacked on 8 February 2021 was used by pirates as a mother vessel to facilitate other attacks.
The IMB PRC commends the Coastal response agencies and independent international navies tasked in the Region for actively responding to reported incidents and encourages their continued efforts in making the GoG waters safer for the seafarers.
