Published on 7 November 2025 in Newsletters
E-Newsletter – Autumn 2025
The last few months have seen numerous significant developments in relation to public international law. Below, Volterra Fietta highlights key recent developments in the areas of foreign relations, international trade law, international criminal law, armed conflict and international dispute settlement.
Recent developments in public international law
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: New Draft Arbitration Law
On 24 September 2025, the National Competitive Centre (“NCC”) of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (“KSA”) published the “Draft of Arbitration Law” (the “Draft Arbitration Law” or the “DAL”), following the Council of Ministers’ June 2025 Resolution, as part of KSA’s efforts to modernise the regulatory framework of arbitration, with the objective of “enhancing perceptions of arbitration in the Kingdom, in a manner that positively reflects on the relevant international indicators”.
China and Russia reportedly sign Bilateral Investment Treaty
Specialized press reported that on 8 May 2025, the Russian Federation (“Russia”) and the People’s Republic of China (“China”) reportedly signed a bilateral investment treaty “on the Promotion and Reciprocal Protection of Investments” (“BIT”), to update and put an end to the 2006 bilateral investment treaty previously signed by the countries (“2006 Agreement”).
ITLOS amends guidelines on the preparation and presentation of cases before the Tribunal
In September 2025, the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (“ITLOS”) adopted amendments to its Guidelines concerning the Preparation and Presentation of Cases before the Tribunal (“Guidelines”). The revised text updates the Guidelines that the Tribunal originally adopted in 1997.
On 3 August 2025, Algeria adopted Law No. 25‑12 of 3 August 2025 governing mining activities, which was published in the Official Journal No. 52 on 7 August 2025 (“New Mining Law”). The law repeals the previous mining regime established under Law No. 14-05 of 24 February 2014.
Recent and upcoming events
- On 15 September 2025, Associate Ramalingam Vallinayagam gave a guest lecture at Jindal Global Law School’s Centre for Alternative Dispute Resolution on “Fraud in international arbitration – ‘the red flags’”.
- On 16 September 2025, Associate Margarita Adadurova spoke on the panel at the 3rd Bangalore Dispute Resolution Conclave on “Multi-Seat Arbitrations and their Implications on the Applicable Law to the Arbitration Agreement”.
- On 17 September 2025, Associate Ramalingam Vallinayagam spoke on the panel at the 3rd Bangalore Dispute Resolution Conclave on “Reconsidering Finality: A Panel on the Judicial Review of Arbitral Institutions’ Administrative Decisions”.
- On 17 September 2025, Partner Robert Volterra gave a lecture on “The police power doctrine in international investment arbitration: balancing State sovereignty and investor rights” at Peking University Law School.
- On 19 September 2025, Partner Robert Volterra delivered three seminars at the China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (CIETAC), co-hosted with the China International Investment Arbitration Forum, on the theme “When Host States Say ‘No’: How Chinese Companies Can Use International Law to Protect Investments”. Associate Haoyu Rao also spoke at one of the seminars, focusing on “China’s bilateral investment treaty network and its role in protecting outbound investments”.
- On 22 September 2025, Counsel Angela Ha spoke at an Oxford-style debate on “The Role of Precedent in the Reformed Version of ISDS”, organised in Vienna by the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law as part of the 52nd session of UNCITRAL’s Working Group III on Investor-State Dispute Settlement Reform.
- On 9 October 2025, Partner Robert Volterra spoke on “When Everything Hits at Once: navigating economic nationalism, climate change and armed conflict in international arbitration” at the ICC Canada Arbitration Committee Annual Conference in Ottawa.
- On 14 October 2025, Volterra Fietta hosted an in-house State immunity seminar on “Recent developments in State and diplomatic immunity law in England”.
- On 14 October 2025, Counsel Angela Ha spoke on a panel about the protection of digital assets and infrastructure under international investment law at Australian Arbitration Week in Sydney.
- On 14 October 2025, Partner Gunjan Sharma and Associate Javid Rahimli delivered a seminar on “International legal protection of Turkish investors in India”.
- On 16 October 2025, Counsel Angela Ha spoke on “Investor-State Dispute Settlement in a Changing World” as part of a panel at Australian Arbitration Week in Sydney.
- On 17 October 2025, Partner Ahmed Abdel-Hakam published an article on asymmetric jurisdiction clauses in the Butterworths Journal of International Banking & Financial Law.
- On 22 October 2025, Partner Robert Volterra along with Associate Haoyu Rao gave a lecture on “Risks of Transactions Involving Sovereign States” hosted by the Department of Justice of Hong Kong SAR, in Hong Kong.
- On 22 October 2025, Partner Robert Volterra gave a lecture on “Balancing Sovereignty and Investor Protection in International Arbitration: Reassessing the Police Powers Doctrine” at the Hong Kong University.
- On 24 October 2025, Associate Haoyu Rao moderated the panel of “From Investment Tribunals to Domestic Courts: Battles After the Award” at the annual conference of China International Investment Arbitration Forum, in Beijing.
- On 6 November 2025, Gunjan Sharma spoke on “Countermeasures in International Law and the WTO Dispute Resolution Board” during the annual conference of The Society of Legal Scholars, hosted at Brunel University of London.
- On 7 November 2025, Gunjan Sharma spoke on “Expert Witness Evidence in the US and UK: Comparing Differences and Commonalities”, before an audience of several hundred expert witnesses and legal experts at an annual conference hosted by Bond Solon.
Upcoming
- On 12 November 2025, Gunjan Sharma will speak on “Dealing with Criminal Matters before International Tribunals and Investment Arbitration Tribunals”, as part of Dubai Arbitration Week in the UAE.
- On 12 November 2025, Associate Rhianna Vonk will speak on “The Adjudication of Climate Change hosted by the Canadian Yearbook of International Law” at a symposium.
- On 15 November 2025, Partner Ahmed-Abdel Hakam will speak at the Asian Society of International Law’s annual symposium at the China University of Political Science and Law (CUPL) in Beijing, China.
- On 24 November 2025, Consultant Florentine Vos will give a guest lecture at the Leiden University on “Witnesses, Experts and Evidence in international arbitration”.
- On 28 November 2025, Partner Ahmed Abdel-Hakam will speak at the Annual Conference of the Nigerian Institute of Chartered Arbitrators (NICArb) in Lagos, Nigeria.
In the coming year, Volterra Fietta plans to offer seminars on the following topics:
- Arbitrations in the mining sector: a 12-month review.
- Provisional measures: urgency, risk and strategy.
- The ICJ and its procedural rules as litigator tools.
- The use of ICJ judgments in domestic courts.
- Pleading reparations and damages before the ICJ.
- Evidence before the ICJ: finding, selecting, pleading and presenting.
- The Role of the agent: Between diplomacy and advocacy.
- Procedural Innovations at the Court: Incremental reform or entrenched tradition?
- The use of experts and witnesses in ICJ litigation.
- Mexico’s judicial reforms and their impact on foreign investors.
- Climate change causation and the burden of proof.
- Public international law and the future of transboundary infrastructure projects.
- Private climate change litigation: are claims coming to England and Europe?
Volterra Fietta has been described as “The law firm which other law firms fear.” If you would like to be added to Volterra Fietta’s invitation list for future events, please email your name and affiliation to info@volterrafietta.com.
