On Saturday, 14 February 2026, the establishment of an Arbitration Centre was officially announced in Algiers under the auspices of the Algiers Bar Association and with the support of the Ministry of Justice.
This announcement might have gone largely unnoticed had it not been accompanied by a major international conference dedicated to international arbitration.
Among the topics discussed was the following question:
To what extent does a State’s submission to the jurisdiction of an international arbitral tribunal constitute an infringement of its sovereignty?
This issue, which lies at the heart of the contemporary balance between State sovereignty and legal certainty for investments, gave rise to particularly substantive and insightful discussions.
Our Managing Partner, Georges Sioufi, who spoke at the conference, addressed this issue by emphasizing that, in a globalized and constantly evolving economic environment, States are increasingly required — in their dealings with international investors, major operators, or financing institutions — to accept international arbitration as a dispute resolution mechanism.
Arbitration therefore no longer appears as a waiver of sovereignty, but rather as a legal instrument enabling States to reconcile sovereignty, economic attractiveness, and the security of their international commitments.
