14 May 2025

The International Bar Association (IBA) Arbitration Committee has published the first global empirical study focussing solely on ethnic diversity in international arbitration. The research reveals that a high level of respondents in the legal profession believe that diversity is ‘lacking’ in arbitration tribunals, and that although gender diversity has seen some progress, ethnic diversity has been insufficiently explored and addressed around the world.

Chiann Bao, Co-Chair of the IBA Arbitration Committee, thanked "the IBA for supporting this project through its generous grant" and stated that the study was "[w]ell aligned with the IBA’s mission and our mandate within the Arbitration Committee, [...] foster[ing] a platform to tackle core issues within our community. After all, dialogue alone is not enough – but it is where progress begins."

https://www.ibanet.org/Ethnic-diversity-in-international-arbitration