35 Attorneys commenced training on “International Arbitration in Practice”

35 Attorneys-at-Law on Monday commenced an “International Arbitration in Practice” training executed by the Government of Guyana through the Attorney General’s Chambers & Ministry of Legal Affairs, in collaboration with the International Senior Lawyers Project (ISLP).

The four-day workshop, being held at Grand Coastal Hotel, Le Ressouvenir, East Coast Demerara, is the second phase of a human resource capacity-building exercise which commenced last year and is designed to further enhance the expertise of Guyanese lawyers in international arbitration, particularly with the enactment of Guyana’s new Arbitration Act 2024.

Delivering remarks at the opening of the workshop, the Hon. Mohabir Anil Nandlall SC MP, Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs underscored the importance of the training, noting that arbitration is the preferred method to settle commercial disputes and will pair well with the transformation taking place across every sector of the country.

The training will focus on drafting arbitration agreements, commencing arbitration proceedings, constituting arbitration tribunals, dealing with the written phase and document production as well as the oral phase of arbitration, enforcing and challenging arbitral awards, resisting enforcement through sovereign immunity and investor-State arbitration.

During his remarks, the Hon. Attorney General referenced a slew of recently enacted legislation, including the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 2023 and the Planning and Development Single Window System Act 2023, all of which amalgamate to modernise the legal framework of Guyana and contribute to the ease of doing business in the country. He also made reference to reviews currently being undertaken with respect to the Business Names (Registration) Act, the Companies Act and other pivotal pieces of legislation.

The Hon. Attorney General underscored that it is a legislative framework which cradles most of the transformation being witnessed across the country in the various sectors.

He emphasised that the modern Arbitration Act 2024 was crafted against the backdrop of the economic, financial and infrastructural transformation taking place in Guyana and with the country becoming a very attractive investment destination, boasting one of the fastest-growing economies in the world. The training is timely, he said, noting the necessity for human resource capacity building to execute the Act.

The Hon. Attorney General stressed that the short-term objective of the Government of Guyana is to make Guyana as attractive as possible for the resolution of disputes arising out of commercial contracts, while the long-term objective is to create the type of environment, legal infrastructure, and human resource base to make Guyana an attractive arbitration hub for the Caribbean and even South and Latin America.

He extended appreciation to the Advocates for International Development’s Rule of Law Expertise (ROLE UK) Programme and UKAid through which the training received financial and technical support. He also thanked the law firms Chaffetz Lindsey and Winston & Strawn LLP for facilitating the workshop.

Attorneys from the Attorney General’s Chambers, those employed in the public sector, as well as members of the Guyana and Berbice Bar Associations will be participating in the training.