Former Attorney-General, Marietta Brew Appiah-Oppong, has been appointed a member of the International Court of Arbitration (ICC).

According to a letter signed by ICC President, Alexis Mourre, Mrs Appiah-Oppong’s appointment takes effect from July 1, 2018, to June 30, 2021.

The letter announcing the prestigious three-year appointment, and published in full below, states: “the inauguration of this revitalised and fully gender-balanced Court opens a promising new chapter in the Court’s history with its largest, most regionally and generationally diverse network of members to date.”

Appiah-Oppong is a distinguished Ghanaian legal practitioner and the former Attorney General of Ghana and Minister for Justice of Ghana.

Former president John Mahama appointed Appiah-Oppong in 2013. She is the second woman to hold this office in the country, the first being Mrs. Betty Mould-Iddrisu.

Her tenure as Attorney General of Ghana ended on 6 January 2017.

Below is the appointment letter:

Dear colleague,

Paris, 27 June 2018

I am writing to congratulate you upon your appointment as a member of the International Court of Arbitration following the ICC World Council meeting which took place in Paris on 21 June 2018.

I am delighted that you have agreed to serve as part of the 1 July 2018 – 30 June 2021 term of office; the inauguration of this revitalized and fully gender-balanced Court opens a promising new chapter in the Court’s history with its largest, most regionally and generationally diverse network of members to date.

In line with the Court’s decision not to permit members to serve for more than two consecutive full terms, close to half of the Court members are new entrants. The new Court is a unique group of outstanding professionals, and it will be a privilege and an honour for me to work with all of you over the next three years. We look to our renewed members to carry forward the Court’s unparalleled institutional knowledge and experience from the current term of office, as well as counting on incoming members to bring fresh enthusiasm and a broad range of new perspectives to the essential work of the Court.

The Court must continue on the path set by its outgoing members, to whom the Court is indebted for their invaluable expertise and input throughout the years, and continue striving to offer global excellence to users worldwide, in particular with respect to the Court’s signature service of award scrutiny. You will have ample opportunity throughout this term of office to contribute first-hand to this unique service by participating in the sessions of the Court and I look forward to counting on your active engagement in this regard. The Court’s success rests on the immense dedication of its members and I am confident that the Court will continue to provide users with a service of the highest quality, helping to secure ICC’s position as the parties’ preferred institution in every continent.

The ICC International Court of Arbitration is a unique organisation. It is, in fact, the only truly global arbitral institution, administering arbitrations from its offices located in Paris, Hong Kong, New York, Sao Paolo and Singapore, with a Secretariat able to work in more than 20 different languages and Court members from over 110 different countries.

Before the next term begins, I would like to draw your attention to a change in ICC’s practice with regard to reimbursements for Court members. Up to and including the current term, reimbursements were made biannually to Court members. Please note that as of 1 July 2018 reimbursements will be discontinued due to internal operational reasons.

Court members remain responsible for making their own travel arrangements and any related expenses are not defrayed by ICC. A list of hotels with which ICC has negotiated rates for its members is attached for your reference. We do not offer video link participation for plenary sessions, however, remote participation can be arranged for the weekly and special committee meetings of the Court, meaning that members need not systematically travel to Paris in order to be active in the role. Similarly, you are welcome to participate from the Hong Kong, New York, Sao Paolo and Singapore offices whenever convenient.

I attach the 2018 and 2019 Court schedules for your perusal and encourage you to attend regularly. In particular, I draw your attention to the importance of the Working Session which sees the full Court united in Paris once annually. Please mark your diaries as the Working Session provides a unique opportunity for the Court as a whole to discuss matters of ICC Court practice and policy.

In order to schedule your participation in any sessions of the Court, you are invited to contact Francesca Hill Caucat who will be delighted to provide you with all necessary information in relation to the organisational side of your new role and answer any questions you may have in this regard.

If you have not already done so, please verify that you have completed the administrative formalities requested at the stage of your nomination, in particular ensuring that your curriculum vitae and a signed copy of the non-disclosure agreement have been returned to the Secretariat before 1 July 2018.

I look forward to a fruitful collaboration in the coming three-year term and trust that you will make the most of this opportunity both to represent your region at ICC and also to promote ICC in your region.

Yours sincerely,

Alexis Mourre

 President, ICC International Court of Arbitration

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