WORLD BANK ADMINISTRATIVE TRIBUNAL AMERICAN SOCIETY OF INTERNATIONAL LAW

SYMPOSIUM on THE DEVELOPMENT AND EFFECTIVENESS OF INTERNATIONAL ADMINISTRATIVE LAW

23 March 2010
The World Bank
Washington, DC

On the occasion of the thirtieth anniversary of its establishment, the World Bank Administrative Tribunal, in conjunction with the American Society of International Law (ASIL), will be holding a high-level symposium on 23 March 2010, one day prior to ASIL's 104th annual meeting.

The Tribunal’s anniversary serves as an opportune juncture to reflect on the development of international administrative law as a distinct and effective part of the law of international organisations. To commence proceedings, Judge Robert A. Gorman, former President, founding member and longest-serving judge in the history of the Tribunal, will deliver a keynote address on the significance for international administrative law of the Tribunal’s first judgment, de Merode et al v International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (1981). Judge Gorman’s address will be followed by an expert commentary which will address the role of international tribunals in the development of international administrative law as a body of law. Thereafter a panel of experts will discuss the effect of tribunal judgments in the development of the internal laws and procedures of their respective international organizations.

In the context of assessing the state of international administrative law and its prospects, a panel will address issues of legitimacy and effectiveness. A further panel will address the implications of and prospects for a general appellate function in international administrative tribunals, a timely question following the establishment of a two-tier tribunal system by the United Nations in July 2009.

The symposium will be attended by authorities in the field of international administrative law, including judges and officials of administrative tribunals, legal advisers to international organizations and other experts. All participants will be encouraged to contribute to the discussions after the presentations in each session.

The programme for the day (which may be subject to some change) is as follows:

8.30 a.m. - 9.00 a.m.
Registration & Breakfast
9.00 a.m. - 9.40 a.m.
Opening Session

Chair: Jan Paulsson

President, World Bank Administrative Tribunal
President, Administrative Tribunal of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development

  • David Caron

    President-Elect, American Society of International Law

  • David Hawkes

    First Vice Chair, Executive Committee of the World Bank Group Staff Association

  • Anne-Marie Leroy

    Senior Vice President and General Counsel, World Bank Group

  • Graeme Wheeler

    Managing Director, World Bank Group

9.50 a.m. - 10.50 a.m.
Session I: The Development of International Administrative Law by International Administrative 
Tribunals

Chair: To be confirmed

Judge, World Bank Administrative Tribunal

Keynote Address

The WBAT's Decision in De Merode et al v. International Bank for Reconstruction and Development 
(1981) and the Development of International Administrative Law

Robert A. Gorman

Judge, Inter-American Development Bank Administrative Tribunal
Former President, Judge and Founding Member, World Bank Administrative Tribunal
Former Judge, Asian Development Bank Administrative Tribunal

Commentary

Pedro Dallari

Former President and former Judge, Inter-American Development Bank Administrative Tribunal

10.50 a.m. - 11.00 a.m.
Coffee Break
11.00 a.m. - 12.30 p.m.
Session II: The Scope of the Judicial Powers of Administrative Tribunals and the Effect of their
Judgments in the Development of the Laws of International Organisations

Chair: To be confirmed

Judge, World Bank Administrative Tribunal

  • Perfection, Best Practice, Adequacy? The Standard Applied by International Administrative Tribunals to the Behaviour of Intergovernmental Organisations

    • Peter Hulsroj

      Director of Legal Affairs and External Relations, European Space Agency

  • The Review of Regulatory Decisions by the IMF Administrative Tribunal

    • Celia Goldman

      Registrar, International Monetary Fund Administrative Tribunal

  • [Title to be confirmed]

    • David Rivero

      Chief Counsel, Legal Vice Presidency (Institutional Administration), World Bank Group

  • [Title to be confirmed]

    • Francis Sheed

      Senior Counsel, World Bank Group Staff Association

12.30 p.m. - 2.00 p.m.
Lunch
2.00 p.m. - 4.00 p.m.
Session III: The Institutional Framework - Methods and Form

Chair: To be confirmed

Judge, World Bank Administrative Tribunal

  • Antigoni Axenidou

    Acting Director, General Legal Division, United Nations Headquarters

  • Marie Chopra

    Attorney, James & Hoffman PC, Washington D.C.; counsel to the World Bank Group Staff Association and individual staff members before the WBAT

  • Waltraud Hakenberg

    Registrar, European Union Civil Service Tribunal

  • Hernan Saenz-Jimenez

    Executive Secretary, Inter-American Development Bank Administrative Tribunal

  • Maritza Struyvenberg

    Principal Registrar, Office of Administration of Justice, United Nations

  • Arnold Zack

    President, Asian Development Bank Administrative Tribunal

4.00 p.m. - 4.15 p.m.
Coffee Break
4.15 p.m. - 6.00 p.m.
Session IV: Issues of Effectiveness and Legitimacy

Chair: To be confirmed

Judge, World Bank Administrative Tribunal

  • The Effectiveness of International Administrative Law as a Body of Law

  • Chris de Cooker
    • Chairman, Standing Committee on Supranational Administration and the International Civil Service of the International Institute of Administrative Sciences
    • The Effectiveness of International Administrative Law Compared to Some National Legal Systems
    • Roy Lewis

      President of the Black Sea Trade and Development Bank Administrative Tribunal
      Former President, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development Administrative Tribunal Chairman of the Grievance Committee of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
      Barrister (Employment Law), Old Square Chambers, London

    • The Relation Between Due Process in International and National Human Rights Instruments and International Adjudication Mechanisms
    • Santiago Oñate Laborde

      Legal Adviser, Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
      Former Minister of Labour, Mexico

  • Conflicts of Interest in International Administrative Tribunals

    • Nassib Ziadé

      Former Executive Secretary, World Bank Administrative Tribunal
      Deputy Secretary-General, International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes, the World Bank

6.00 p.m. - 6.45 p.m.
Closing Remarks

Judge, World Bank Administrative Tribunal

followed by

Cocktail Reception

The symposium will take place at the Preston Auditorium in the Main Complex ("MC") at the World Bank's Headquarters, located at 1818 H Street N.W., Washington, DC.

All registered participants are invited to lunch and the cocktail reception.

For further information about the symposium, please contact the Tribunal Secretariat at +1 202 458 0271 or tribunal@worldbank.org.

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