GAR Live: ISDS 2026

In its third edition, GAR Live: ISDS brings together arbitrators, expert witnesses, and in-house counsel from Europe and beyond, offering a leading forum for examining emerging trends in investor-state dispute settlement. The full-day programme features interactive panels and discussions led by some of the most respected practitioners in the field, covering global trends, quantum analysis, artificial intelligence, and the evolving role of ISDS in an era of geopolitical uncertainty.

SCC Secretary General delivers keynote

SCC Secretary General Caroline Falconer will deliver the keynote address at this year’s event, taking the stage for the morning fireside chat. In a landscape where investor-state arbitration faces mounting scrutiny and shifting geopolitical dynamics, Caroline’s address will offer timely insight from one of the world’s foremost arbitration institutions. This is a unique opportunity to hear directly from the SCC on the key issues shaping international dispute resolution today.

Agenda highlights

The day’s programme opens with a session on Arbitration in an era of geopolitical upheaval: what role for ISDS and the rule of law in a fragmented world?, exploring how practitioners can navigate geopolitical tensions to achieve durable resolutions, and asking whether investor-state arbitration can continue to uphold the international rule of law.

Further sessions will address Quantum in a time of geopolitical uncertainty, examining best practices for handling quantum evidence and damages calculations in an ever-changing political landscape, as well as AI and Arbitration – do the benefits outweigh the risks?, which considers how AI-focused regulations may affect dispute settlements and how practitioners can safely and effectively deploy AI in their cases.

The day concludes with the popular What Would You Do? session, in which esteemed panellists recount a difficult conundrum relating to arbitrator challenges and invite the audience to benchmark their own approach against thought leaders in international arbitration.