CIICA is Pakistan’s first international arbitration center and the first and currently the only arbitration/ADR center in Pakistan that has been granted a license by and registered with the Securities & Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) in compliance with the new ADR laws.
Since its establishment in April, 2015, CIICA has been raising awareness about the importance of both domestic and international arbitration. CIICA started offering both domestic and international arbitration services in May, 2016, after finalization of its institutional rules and constitution of its Arbitration Court/Council, a secretariat and a panel of arbitrators.
In addition to offering arbitration and mediation services, CIICA has been building capacity in arbitration among law students, lawyers, engineers and commercial court Judges.
CIICA’s establishment was also considered imperative in view of Pakistan’s involvement in arbitral proceedings before international arbitral tribunals including the International Center for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) and the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC). CIICA has been raising awareness about legal issues that have either been disregarded in the past by Pakistan’s legislature, judiciary and the relevant government departments/agencies or whose importance has not been fully appreciated due to the lack of knowledge and expertise in this area. A deeper understanding would, as a first step, enable stakeholders to be aware of the far-reaching implications of failure to prevent/avoid an international commercial/investment dispute. Furthermore, in case of a dispute, the stakeholders will be equipped with the relevant knowledge to understand the legal procedure adopted by international arbitral tribunals for resolving such a dispute.