29 December 2020 Ahead of the entry into force of the 2021 ICC Arbitration Rules, the International Court of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce has released updates to its Note to Parties and Arbitral Tribunals on the Conduct of Arbitration under the ICC Rules of Arbitration, effective 1 January 2021. Last updated in 2019, the Note provides parties and arbitral tribunals with practical guidance concerning the conduct of arbitrations under the ICC Rules and summarises the practices of the ICC Court. The updates were discussed

10 December 2020 ICC has launched a working paper outlining how changes to the application of competition law could accelerate corporate action to fight climate change. Issued on the eve of the fifth anniversary of the landmark Paris Agreement, the paper highlights how competition law – and, more specifically, the fear of unnecessarily restrictive antitrust enforcement – currently inhibits companies from working together to reduce their carbon footprints. There are signs that many businesses are eager to partner on sustainability efforts – recognising that  co-operation

10 December 2020 ICC’s Business Action to Stop Counterfeiting and Piracy (BASCAP) initiative has released a 2020 update of its 2013 publication examining the balance of facilitation and control required to combat illicit trade in Free Trade Zones. Paris, 10 December 2020 The updated paper Controlling the zone: Balancing facilitation and control to combat illicit trade in the world’s Free Trade Zones sheds light on the trends of counterfeiting and other forms of illicit trade facilitated through free trade zones (FTZs). Specifically, the report addresses how criminals

10 December 2020 The SME Climate Hub has joined forces with Oxford University to provide small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with tools and resources to help them take climate action. Ahead of the 5th anniversary of the Paris Agreement signing, the freely available tools and resources are specially selected for SMEs to reduce carbon emissions, build business resilience and gain a competitive advantage, and help them achieve the Paris Agreement goals. As the world reflects on progress on climate action since the Paris Agreement signing,

9 December 2020 In a memo to World Trade Organization Members, ICC has called on negotiators to accelerate progress and conclude a high standard agreement by the next WTO Ministerial Conference. There are now 86 World Trade Organization (WTO) Members negotiating the JSI, representing well over 90% of world trade. Citing the indispensable role of the digital economy during COVID-19, the memo says: “As communities have socially distanced to flatten the curve, contactless payments have enabled safe, COVID-free transactions; brick-and-mortar retailers have rapidly moved to

8 December 2020 ICC’s Ibero-American national committees in 13 countries have joined forces to mark International Anti-Corruption Day, underscoring the importance of the anti-corruption agenda as a key means of promoting social inclusion and economic growth in the region in the context of the current pandemic. Celebrated on 9 December each year, Anti-Corruption Day aims to raise awareness of corruption and of the role of the 2005 United Nations Convention Against Corruption in combating and preventing it. ICC national committees of the ICC in Latin America acknowledge