The Solomon Islands Chamber of Commerce & Industry (SICCI) joined legal practitioners from across the South Pacific region in the first Regional International Arbitration Conference held in Nadi, Fiji last month.

SICCI Vice Chair Katalaini Ziru and SICCI Advisor Charles Persson attended the two-day conference that was organised by the Asian Development Bank in partnership with the Fiji Government and the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) Regional Centre for Asia and the Pacific.

The conference surrounded discussions on the development impacts of international arbitration reform in the South Pacific with a targeted audience of Government officials, policy makers, development partners, judges, law practitioners and private sector representatives.

SICCI Advisor Mr Persson felt that the conference was a great success that allowed him to meet and exchange views with participants from other Chambers of Commerce and private sector organisations.

“In particular it was instructive to see the research and analysis that indicates the unambiguous link between the rule of law in a nation and growth in foreign direct investment.

“Our thanks to the Government of Fiji, Asia Development Bank and the United Nations Commission on Trade Law for co-hosting the conference.”

Topics discussed at the conference include;

• Promotion of cross-border trade and foreign direct investment through international arbitration reform;
• Why an effective dispute resolution system is important to your country’s investment climate and economic development;
• Disputes in the South Pacific region, with a focus on energy (including renewable energy), construction and climate finance and how best to resolve a dispute when contracting with a foreign party;
• Overview of international arbitration, including the Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards (New York, 1958) (New York Convention), UNCITRAL Model Law on International Commercial Arbitration and its implementation in the South Pacific region;
• Contract drafting in supply-chain contracts for MSMEs in accordance with the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG); and
• Role of UNCITRAL texts on e-commerce for the implementation of free-trade agreements and trade facilitation measures