Who we are

The Court of Conciliation and Arbitration, which is based in Geneva, provides a mechanism for the peaceful settlement of disputes between States. The Court was established in 1995 by the Convention on Conciliation and Arbitration. Thirty-three States are Parties to the Convention. The Court is composed of recognized experts in the field of international law who are appointed by the States Parties. The conciliators and arbitrators are headed by a bureau, which is chaired by Christian Tomuschat, professor emeritus of Humboldt University Berlin and President of the Court. The bureau is the Court’s permanent executive body and consists of the president, four members (including the vice president), and four alternate members.