scholarly journals THE SINGAPORE CONVENTION ON MEDIATED SETTLEMENT AGREEMENTS: A NEW STRING TO THE BOW OF INTERNATIONAL MEDIATION?

Author(s):  
Elisabetta Silvestri
2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 5-11

On 7 August 2019 the Singapore Convention on recognition and enforcement of international mediated settlement agreements (hereinafter, the Singapore Convention)1 became open for signature. This multilateral treaty was drafted by UNCITRAL after a labourious discussion that spanned several years and was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 20 December 2018. In order to mirror the provisions of the Singapore Convention, the UNCITRAL Model Law on International Commercial Conciliation of 2002 was amended and renamed as UNCITRAL Model Law on International Commercial Mediation and International Settlement Agreements Resulting from Mediation.2 The purpose of this essay is to present an overview of the major contents of the Singapore Convention, a treaty aimed at providing uniform enforcement mechanisms for the mediated settlement agreements by which international commercial disputes are resolved. The hope is that the Convention will promote a wider use of cross-border mediation. Just as the New York Convention of 19583 has been a successful instrument of international arbitration, the Singapore Convention is expected to make mediation more appealing thanks to specific and harmonized rules that are intended to make enforcement of settlement agreements easier and quicker to obtain.


The United Nations Secretary-General and the United Nations Security Council spend significant amounts of time on their relationship with each other. They rely on each other for such important activities as peacekeeping, international mediation, and the formulation and application of normative standards in defense of international peace and security—in other words, the executive aspects of the UN’s work. The edited book The UN Secretary-General and the Security Council: A Dynamic Relationship aims to fill an important lacuna in the scholarship on the UN system. Although there exists an impressive body of literature on the development and significance of the Secretariat and the Security Council as separate organs, an important gap remains in our understanding of the interactions between them. Bringing together some of the most prominent authorities on the subject, this volume is the first book-length treatment of this topic. It studies the UN from an innovative angle, creating new insights on the (autonomous) policy-making of international organizations and adding to our understanding of the dynamics of intra-organizational relationships. Within the book, the contributors examine how each Secretary-General interacted with the Security Council, touching upon such issues as the role of personality, the formal and informal infrastructure of the relationship, the selection and appointment processes, as well as the Secretary-General’s threefold role as a crisis manager, administrative manager, and manager of ideas.


2003 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 151-167 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chester A. Crocker ◽  
Fen Osler Hampson ◽  
Pamela R. Aall

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 718-752
Author(s):  
Oleg V. SHIMKO

Subject. The article addresses the EV/EBITDA and EV/DACF ratios of the twenty five largest public oil and gas corporations from 2008 to 2018. Objectives. The purpose is to identify key trends in the value of EV/EBITDA and EV/DACF ratios of biggest public oil and gas corporations, determine factors resulted in the changes over the studied period, and establish the applicability of these multipliers for assessing the business value within the industry. Methods. I apply methods of comparative and financial-economic analysis, and generalization of consolidated financial statements data. Results. The study revealed that EV/EBITDA and EV/DACF multiples are acceptable for valuing oil and gas companies. The EV level depends on profitability, proved reserves, and a country factor. It is required to adjust EBITDA for information on impairment, revaluation and write-off for assets that are reported separately from depreciation, depletion and amortization costs, as well as for income or expenses arising after the sale of fixed assets and as a result of effective court decisions or settlement agreements. It is advisable to adjust DACF for income, expenses and changes in assets and liabilities, which are caused by events that are unusual for oil and gas companies. Conclusions. The application of EV/EBITDA and EV/DACF multiples requires a detailed analysis and, if necessary, adjustments of their constituent components. However, they are quite relevant in the context of declining profitability and growing debt burden in the stock exchange sector of the global oil and gas industry.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nadja Capus ◽  
Kei Hannah Brodersen

Purpose Corporate foreign bribery can have devastating consequences on communities and states. Over the past decade, there have been several promising developments, both national and international, that might increase the chances of victim states to receive remediation for the harm they suffered from foreign bribery. In particular, awareness has risen that victim states must be considered and new innovative items have been added to the toolbox of prosecutors in the fight against corruption that is assumed to also improve victim states’ standing in these procedures. This study aims to assess whether indeed victim states receive compensation through these novel procedures. Design/methodology/approach This study uses the three case studies of Switzerland, France and England and Wales for a comprehensive empirical and normative analysis of settlement agreements between defendants and prosecution authorities and of court jurisprudence. Findings This study shows that although de jure, it seems warranted to order the payment of remedies to victim states within domestic criminal proceedings, in practice, this rarely happens. A number of legal and practical obstacles account for this situation. This study, therefore, calls for the formulation of international guidelines containing the obligation to inform victim states of ongoing criminal proceedings on corporate foreign bribery, and guidance on how to identify the victim of this crime, as well as the damage caused. Originality/value This is the first contribution to verify whether claims that settlement agreements, recently introduced in England and Wales and France (and similar procedures are available in Switzerland), are beneficial for victim states in their quest to receive compensation. As this study shows that this is – not yet – the case in practice, this study proposes solutions that could lead the way for remediation of the harm caused by corporate corruption – and thereby, ultimately, to a more just outcome.


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