Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin - International Dispute Resolution

Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin | Faculty of Law | International Dispute Resolution | Prof. Franco Ferrari on “International Uniform Law”

Prof. Franco Ferrari on “International Uniform Law”



On Friday, July 5 the IDR LL.M. had the honour of welcoming Prof. Dr. Franco Ferrari of New York University School of Law for a guest lecture on International Uniform Law.

Using the New York Convention as an example, Prof. Ferrari aptly demonstrated how the lack of a definition of what constitutes an award has led to a multitude of different definitions and diverging interpretations of each contracting state’s judiciary. Consequently, the contracting states, while adhering formally to the same law, namely the New York Convention, effectively differ in the application of said law for lack of a unifying interpretation of the key term “award”. This divergence can be countered through treaty interpretation recognizant of the need for uniform interpretation or animus unificandi.

Our deep gratitude goes out to Prof. Franco Ferrari for his phenomenal delivery of such an intellectually intriguing topic.