Equitable representation on international benches and the appointment of tribunal members in investor–State dispute settlement: a historical perspective

Abstract The lack of diversity in the appointment of tribunal members in investment arbitration has long been subject to criticism. This article analyses the design of adjudicator appointment mechanisms and challenges the mainstream view that investment arbitration is modelled after the structures and procedures of commercial arbitration. Instead, drafters of the Convention on the Settlement of Investment Disputes Between States and Nationals of Other States (ICSID Convention) largely drew inspiration from the Permanent Court of Arbitration and the International Court of Justice. Following this institutional pedigree, the development of the equitable representation requirement is linked to the growing appreciation of the public aspects of the international judicial function. Nevertheless, drafters adopted Article 14(2) of the ICSID Convention mainly to facilitate the performance of the private function of dispute resolution. Through the historical lens, controversies surrounding different approaches for addressing diversity concerns in the ongoing investor–State dispute settlement reform are essentially surface products of deeper disagreements on the private and public aspects of the judicial function.