The American Arbitration Association-International Centre for Dispute Resolution® (AAA-ICDR®) is a not-for-profit organization that offers alternative dispute resolution (ADR) services to parties in commercial disputes. The organization has been providing ADR services since its founding in 1926 and has administered over seven million ADR cases. The International Centre for Dispute Resolution® (ICDR®) is the international division of the American Arbitration Association® (AAA®) and is the largest international provider of dispute resolution services. Established in 1996, the ICDR serves parties from countries around the world with multilingual staff experienced in international dispute resolution proceedings, and a roster of over 850 arbitrators and mediators.
In 2022, the ICDR administered 755 international business-to-business (B2B) cases, representing a 12% increase over the number of cases filed in 2021. The organization’s international caseload for last year comprised $4.2 billion in total claims and counterclaims. The largest single case claim or counterclaim amount in last year’s international caseload was $200 million. The ICDR’s 2022 caseload included parties from 94 countries around the world, including the United States (825 parties), and various regions outside of North America, such as Asia (264 parties), Europe (251 parties), Latin America (133 parties), and Africa (25 parties).
Among the non-U.S. countries with the highest representation in last year’s ICDR caseload were Canada (120 parties), China (106 parties), the United Kingdom (57 parties), Mexico (31 parties), and Switzerland (28 parties). Additionally, multiple filings included parties from India, Germany, Nicaragua, Japan, and Italy.
The majority of international cases filed last year involved companies in the technology industry (133 cases), as well as construction (55 cases), financial services (48 cases), life sciences (38 cases), and real estate (36 cases). The insurance, entertainment, energy, transportation, and legal services sectors were also represented.
Last year, 23% of the arbitrators on AAA-ICDR’s international roster were women and racially and ethnically diverse professionals, and 28% of the arbitrators appointed to oversee international cases met the organization’s diversity criteria.
Among international cases filed last year, 215 (28% of the total) involved multiple parties, including parties from multiple countries. In addition, the ICDR administered 91 international mediations in 2022.
The most frequent U.S. venues for arbitration administered by the AAA-ICDR were New York (141 cases) and Miami (123 cases), along with hundreds of additional international cases seated throughout the U.S. and abroad. With offices in Singapore and a network of 87 cooperative agreements in 54 countries, the AAA-ICDR is uniquely positioned to provide U.S. and other companies involved in international disputes with easily accessible venues around the world for resolving their cases.
In last year’s international caseload, 127 cases (17% of the total) were expedited. The AAA-ICDR’s rules for international arbitration allow cases with claims totaling up to $500,000 to be fast-tracked.
The flexibility of the ICDR’s ADR administrative processes, the specialized business sector knowledge and experience that its international arbitrators possess, and the enforceability of the ICDR’s international arbitration awards, all continue to increase global awareness and acceptance of the ICDR’s ADR system.
