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International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID)

  • Type: IGO
  • Field: Economics
  • Region: North America
  • Location: Washington D. C., USA
  • Internship Title: International intern
  • Duration: 3-4 months
  • Number of Interns: 1-3/semester; 3 semesters/year
  • Special Requirement: LLM or Ph.D.
  • Application Status: Available
  • Remote Internship: Unacceptable
About ICSID
 
International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) is the world’s leading institution devoted to international investment dispute settlement. It has extensive experience in this field, having administered the majority of all international investment cases. States have agreed on ICSID as a forum for investor-State dispute settlement in most international investment treaties and in numerous investment laws and contracts.
 
ICSID was established in 1966 by the Convention on the Settlement of Investment Disputes between States and Nationals of Other States (the ICSID Convention). The ICSID Convention is a multilateral treaty formulated by the Executive Directors of the World Bank to further the Bank’s objective of promoting international investment. ICSID is an independent, depoliticized and effective dispute-settlement institution. Its availability to investors and States helps to promote international investment by providing confidence in the dispute resolution process. It is also available for state-state disputes under investment treaties and free trade agreements, and as an administrative registry.
 
ICSID provides for settlement of disputes by conciliation, mediation, arbitration or fact-finding. The ICSID process is designed to take account of the special characteristics of international investment disputes and the parties involved, maintaining a careful balance between the interests of investors and host States. Each case is considered by an independent Conciliation Commission or Arbitral Tribunal, after hearing evidence and legal arguments from the parties. A dedicated ICSID case team is assigned to each case and provides expert assistance throughout the process. More than 900 such cases have been administered by ICSID to date.
 
ICSID also promotes greater awareness of international law on foreign investment and the ICSID process. It has an extensive program of publications, including the leading ICSID Review-Foreign Investment Law Journal and it regularly publishes information about its activities and cases. ICSID staff organize events, give numerous presentations and participate in conferences on international investment dispute settlement worldwide.
 
ICSID and the World Bank Group
 
ICSID is one of the five organizations of the World Bank Group, along with the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), the International Development Association (IDA), the International Finance Corporation (IFC), and the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA). The goal of the World Bank Group is to end extreme poverty within a generation and to boost shared prosperity.
 
Each of the five World Bank Group organizations contributes to the overall goal of poverty reduction through its particular work.
Internship Tasks:

ICSID offers internship opportunities to highly motivated students enrolled in a graduate degree program. This is a unique opportunity to contribute to the world’s leading institution devoted to the settlement of international investment disputes. 

Interns will be assigned to a case management team or the institutional team. Under the supervision of experienced ICSID Counsel, they will assist in the administration of cases and with institutional projects. 

Administration of cases
Case-related tasks may include drafting working papers, carrying out research, assisting with the drafting of case correspondence, making logistical arrangements for hearings, and attending hearings with permission from the parties and the tribunal. 

Institutional Matters
Interns will also contribute with research on institutional matters under the supervision of the ICSID Secretary-General and Deputy Secretaries-General.  

Internship Requirements:
Interns are selected on a competitive basis and must meet the following minimum requirements:
1. A demonstrated interest and knowledge of investor-State dispute settlement and international investment law.
2. Rising 3L, LLM or Ph.D. Student.
3. Fluency in English and preferably in at least one of the other two official languages of ICSID (i.e., French and Spanish).
4. Ability to conduct research on a range of issues in the fields of arbitration and investment law.
5. Strong writing and legal drafting skills.
6. Proficiency in MS software (e.g. Word, Excel, Powerpoint)
7. Being enthusiastic and energetic to work effectively in a team-based environment.

The deadlines for applications of each semester are:
l June 15 for the September-December Internship period (fall semester)
l October 15 for the January-April Internship period (spring semester); and
l February 15 for the May-August Internship period (summer semester).

For on-site internship only: Candidates for on-site internship must further have or be able to obtain an F1 or G4 visa, or be U.S. citizens or residents (Green Card holders), and be able to cover the costs of travel, accommodation and living expenses in Washington, D.C. In addition, ICSID recommends that selected interns procure a medical insurance for the period of the internship.
2020-06-10 | Singapore, Singapore – Young ICSID Seminar on Opportunities and Challenges in Light of the Singapore Convention on Mediation
2013 | Washington, DC USA – Annual Meeting
2012 | Tokyo, Japan – Annual Meeting
2011-03-03 | Seoul, Korea Rep – Investment arbitration conference
2011 | Washington, DC USA – Annual Meeting
2010 | Washington, DC USA – Annual Meeting
2009 | Istanbul, Turkey – Annual Meeting
2008 | Washington, DC USA – Annual Meeting
2007 | Washington, DC USA – Annual Meeting
2006-04-24 | New York, NY USA – Special high-level meeting
2006 | Singapore, Singapore – Annual Meeting
2005-11-18 | New York, NY USA – Joint annual colloquium
2005-04-18 | New York, NY USA – Special high-level meeting
2005 | Washington, DC USA – Annual Meeting
2004 | Washington, DC USA – Annual Meeting
2003 | Dubai, United Arab Emirates – Annual Meeting
2002 | Washington, DC USA – Annual Meeting
2001-11-16 | Paris, France – Joint annual colloquium
2001 | Washington, DC USA – Annual Meeting
2000-11-10 | Washington, DC USA – Joint colloquium
2000-09-26 | Prague, Czech Rep – Annual meeting
1999-09-28 | Washington, DC USA – Annual meeting
1999 | New York, NY USA – Joint colloquium
1998-10-30 | Paris, France – Joint colloquium
1998-10-06 | Washington, DC USA – Annual meeting
1997-11-21 | Washington, DC USA – Joint colloquium
1997-09-23 | Hong Kong, Hong Kong – Annual meeting
1997-03-06 | Johannesburg, South Africa – Conference on the resolution of trade and investment disputes in Africa
1997 | Hong Kong, Hong Kong – Annual Meeting
1996-11-15 | New York, NY USA – Joint colloquium
1996-10-01 | Washington, DC USA – Annual meeting
1996 | Washington, DC USA – Annual Meeting
1995-11-17 | Paris, France – Joint colloquium
1995-10-10 | Washington, DC USA – Annual meeting
1994-10-17 | San Francisco, CA USA – Joint colloquium
1994-10-04 | Madrid, Spain – Annual meeting
1993-10-25 | Coral Gables, FL USA – Joint colloquium
1993-09-28 | Washington, DC USA – Annual meeting
1993 | Washington, DC USA – Annual Meeting
1992-11-06 | Paris, France – Joint colloquium
1992 | Washington, DC USA – Annual meeting
1991 | Bangkok, Thailand – Annual meeting
1990-09-27 | Washington, DC USA – Annual meeting
1989-10-06 | New York, NY USA – Joint annual colloquium
1989-09-28 | Washington, DC USA – Annual meeting
1988-10-27 | Paris, France – Joint annual colloquium
1988-09-29 | Berlin, Germany FR – Annual meeting
1987-10-16 | Washington, DC USA – Seminar on international arbitration / Annual Meeting
1987 | Washington, DC USA – Annual meeting
1986-09-11 | San Francisco, CA USA – Symposium on international commercial arbitration and transnational litigation
Relations

Relations with Inter-Governmental Organizations

D-XD9187 – Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Commercial Arbitration Centre; F-XF3107 – Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA); E-XE3116 – Regional Centre for International Commercial Arbitration, Lagos (LRCICA); E-XE3381 – UNCTAD; E-XE6309 – United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL).

Relations with Non-Governmental Organizations

Links with other arbitration institutions, including: G-XG3399 – Australian Centre for International Commercial Arbitration (ACICA); E-XE0624 – Cairo Regional Centre for International Commercial Arbitration (CRCICA); G-XM0715 – China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (CIETAC); G-XM0716 – Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (HKIAC); N-XJ8262 – International Centre for Dispute Resolution (ICDR); B-XB1490 – International Chamber of Commerce (ICC); G-XM1167 – Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC); national organizations. Links indicated by: E-XG9252 – International Law Institute – African Centre for Legal Excellence (ILI – ACLE).

Members

Open for signature to member states of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, or any other state which is party to the Statute of the International Court of Justice on invitation of the ICSID Administsrative Council. As of 11 Jan 2018, Signatory and Contracting States (159):

Member Countries & Regions

United Arab Emirates, Afghanistan, Albania, Armenia, Argentina, Austria, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Barbados, Bangladesh, Belgium, Burkina Faso, Bulgaria, Bahrain, Burundi, Benin, Brunei Darussalam, Bahamas, Botswana, Belarus, Belize, Canada, Congo DR, Central African Rep, Congo Brazzaville, Côte d’Ivoire, Chile, Cameroon, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cape Verde, Cyprus, Germany, Denmark, Dominican Rep, Algeria, Estonia, Egypt, Spain, Ethiopia, Finland, Fiji, Micronesia FS, France, Gabon, UK, Grenada, Georgia, Ghana, Guinea, Greece, Guatemala, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Honduras, Croatia, Haiti, Hungary, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Iraq, Iceland, Italy, Jamaica, Jordan, Japan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Cambodia, Comoros, St Kitts-Nevis, Korea Rep, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Lebanon, St Lucia, Sri Lanka, Liberia, Lesotho, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia, Morocco, Moldova, Montenegro, Madagascar, Mali, Mongolia, Mauritania, Malta, Mauritius, Malawi, Mexico, Malaysia, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Nicaragua, Netherlands, Norway, Nepal, Nauru, New Zealand, Oman, Panama, Peru, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Pakistan, Portugal, Paraguay, Qatar, Romania, Serbia, Russia, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Solomon Is, Seychelles, Sudan, Singapore, Slovenia, Slovakia, Sierra Leone, San Marino, Senegal, Somalia, South Sudan, Sao Tomé-Principe, El Salvador, Syrian AR, Chad, Togo, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Turkmenistan, Tunisia, Tonga, Trinidad-Tobago, Tanzania UR, Ukraine, Uganda, USA, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, St Vincent-Grenadines, Samoa, Kosovo, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Eswatini, North Macedonia, Türkiye, Czechia

Of the above, 149 have also deposited instruments of ratification. Signatory states not having ratified the Convention (9):

Member Countries & Regions: Belize, Canada, Dominican Rep, Ethiopia, Guinea-Bissau, Kyrgyzstan, Namibia, Russia, Thailand