On May 31 and June 1, 2010, the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), for the first time, webcast its hearing in real-time to the public in the Pac Rim Cayman LLC v. Republic of El Salvador case. ICSID’s decision is a major step towards increasing transparency in investor-State arbitrations, as the debate over webcasting judicial proceedings in international dispute settlement has moved to international economic dispute settlement bodies.
While international economic dispute bodies have been reluctant to webcast their oral proceedings, domestic and international judicial bodies are increasingly webcasting their oral arguments. Webcasting leads to improved transparency, awareness, accessibility, and accountability. This Issue Brief highlights the considerable strides made by domestic and international judicial bodies in webcasting, and analyzes the efforts and possible future increases in webcasting in international dispute settlement.