IBA Releases Study on Ethnic Diversity in International Arbitration

On 2 April 2025, the International Bar Association (“<span class="news-text_medium">IBA</span>”) published a new study on ethnic diversity in international arbitration. In this study, the IBA Arbitration Committee provides the results of independent empirical research carried out on ethnic diversity in international arbitration, including a survey launched at the 2024 IBA Arbitration Day. The survey was distributed globally to lists and organisations to target experienced arbitration users and practitioners and attracted over 300 respondents.

The aim of the project was to establish an empirical base from which to understand and examine the perceptions of the arbitral community on the role and impact of ethnic diversity on international arbitration and on arbitral tribunals.

Key findings include that arbitration users perceive a lack of ethnic diversity in arbitral tribunals. Among survey respondents, 68% rated the current levels of ethnic diversity on tribunals as “somewhat lacking” or “very lacking”. Further, ethnic diversity is regarded as important for arbitration in at least two ways:

• a lack of diversity can affect arbitration outcomes (49% of respondents identified ethnic diversity as "very important" or "important" for arbitral outcomes).
• a lack of ethnic diversity can affect the legitimacy of an arbitration (89% of respondents responded that having some level of ethnic diversity on the arbitral tribunal supports the perceived legitimacy of international arbitration to some degree, with 37% quantifying this as "somewhat" and 35% as "to a large extent").

The study also revealed that there is a need for a nuanced approach when addressing ethnic diversity in international arbitration, considering the complexity of defining and measuring ethnic diversity. The study found significant variation in how respondents identified with ethnicity and a wide range of self-reported ethnic identities.

The IBA intends for the study to serve as a catalyst for sustained dialogue, ongoing reflection and collective action towards greater diversity and inclusion in international arbitration.

<span class="news-text_medium">Source:</span> <a href="https://www.ibanet.org/Ethnic-diversity-in-international-arbitration" target="_blank" class="news-text_link">IBA: Ethnic diversity in international arbitration</a> (2 April 2025).