Paris Arbitration Week was held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On 6 July 2020, CRCICA’s Director Dr. Ismail Selim was a Panelist at the first session on “International Arbitration in Africa: Perspectives on Virtual Hearings and the Africa Arbitration Academy Protocol” organized by the Africa Arbitration Academy in partnership with AfricArb and hosted by Hogan Lovells, Paris. The session presented the discussion of representatives from leading African arbitral institutions on virtual hearings under their rules when hearings are held virtually.

The speech of Dr. Selim focused on CRCICA’s dedication to providing technical support for virtual hearings, importance to balance safety concerns and avoiding disrupting arbitral proceedings. He also assured that virtual hearings would not endanger the enforcement or validity of awards, and assured that the COVID-19 outbreak affords an opportunity to break from traditional views in favour of stepping into the virtual future.

The session was moderated by Ilham Kabbouri, Hogan Lovells, Dubai and Member of AYA's 50 Most Promising Young African Arbitration Practitioners Think-Tank. Other panelists were representatives of OHADA, Cour Commune de Justice et d'Arbitrage (CCJA), Lagos Chamber of Commerce International Arbitration Center (LACIAC), and Kigali International Arbitration Centre (KIAC).

The Paris Arbitration Week is an annual event that brings together the international arbitration community during a week of academic debates and professional exchange with participants from all over the world. The other days of the PAW 2020 focused on: ICC’s European Conference on International Arbitration (7 July 2020), Hot topics on damages in international arbitration (8 July 2020), Arbitral Institutions: Looking Into the Crystal Ball of Arbitration (9 July 2020), and Recent developments and key arbitration trends in Asia (10 July 2020).