Published on 20 March 2026 in Newsletters
E-Newsletter – Winter 2026
Firm news
Over the winter period, Volterra Fietta continued to be instructed by clients on the most significant international disputes and public international law matters. For example, as recently reported, the claims value of Volterra Fietta’s disputes last year exceeded USD 40,000,000,000 – which does not include the significant, “bet-the-country” matters whose monetary value cannot be defined.
In this newsletter, Volterra Fietta highlights recent developments in international organisations, international trade and investment law, international criminal law, armed conflict and international dispute resolution.
Recent developments in public international law
ICC Issues Policy on Environmental Damage under the Rome Statute
In December 2025, the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court released its Policy on Addressing Environmental Damage Through the Rome Statute. This document marks an important development in the treatment of environmental harm within international criminal law.
The entry into force of the High Seas Treaty
In September 2025, the High Seas Treaty – a multinational treaty on marine diversity on areas beyond national jurisdiction – received the 60 ratifications required for its entry into force, which occurred on 17 January 2026.
United States withdraws from WHO and dozens of international organisations
In January 2026, the United States formally completed its withdrawal from the World Health Organization and announced its intention to withdraw from 66 international organisations and multilateral bodies, including numerous United Nations-affiliated entities. The decision follows a broader governmental review assessing participation in international institutions against perceived U.S. national interests.
India and EU sign an FTA labelled “the mother of all deals”
On 27 January 2026, India and the European Union signed a free trade agreement (“FTA”), after over two decades worth of negotiations. The FTA, called by some the “mother of all deals”, is the largest deal ever signed by these two parties. The FTA is expected to cover a market of over USD 24 trillion and aims to save over EUR 4 billion per year in duties on European products.
UN General Assembly adopts resolution to improve coordination against Human Trafficking
On 18 December 2025, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution aimed at improving international coordination in efforts to combat trafficking in persons, reaffirming the need for a comprehensive and cooperative global response to one of the most pervasive forms of transnational organised crime.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia approves regulatory frameworks for its Special Economic Zones
The Saudi Council’s ministerial Resolution No. 468, published in the Official Gazette on 16 January 2026, approves the governance regulations for each of the Special Economic Zones (“SEZs”) (i.e., the King Abdullah Economic City SEZ, Ras Al Khair SEZ, Jazan SEZ and Cloud Computing SEZ), originally launched on 13 April 2023. While the first three SEZs are physically demarcated zones, the Cloud Computing SEZ offers cloud service providers with flexibility to establish data centres across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (the “KSA”). The purpose of the establishment of these SEZs is to diversify the KSA’s economy beyond oil, especially in the sectors of maritime logistics, manufacturing and energy related industries. The resolution aims to provide regulatory certainty for investors operating within these zones.
Recent and upcoming firm events
Recent:
- On 12 November 2025, partner Gunjan Sharma spoke 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 spoke on “The Adjudication of Climate Change” hosted by the Canadian International Law at a symposium.
- On 14 November 2025, partner Gunjan Sharma spoke on “The intersection between criminal law and international arbitration” at a panel for Dubai Arbitration Week.
- On 15 November 2025, partner Ahmed Abdel-Hakam spoke at the Asian Society of International Law’s annual symposium at the China University of Political Science and Law (CUPL) in Beijing, China.
- On 16 November 2025, partner Gunjan Sharma spoke on arbitration in Saudi Arabia in another panel for Dubai Arbitration Week.
- On 20 November 2025, partner Ahmed Abdel-Hakam delivered a seminar on “Mitigating the risk of disputes with Host States”, for mining companies.
- On 24 November 2025, consultant Florentine Vos gave a guest lecture at the Leiden University on “Witness, Experts and Evidence in international arbitration”.
- On 28 November 2025, partner Ahmed Abdel-Hakam spoke at the Annual Conference of the Nigerian Institute of Chartered Arbitrators (NICArb) in Lagos, Nigeria.
- On 12 December 2025, partner Robert Volterra and consultant Florentine Vos delivered a seminar on “Provisional Measures: Urgency, Risk and Strategy” before the International Court of Justice.
- In December 2025, partner Ahmed Abdel-Hakam authored an article on “Asymmetric jurisdiction clauses in international disputes” in the Butterworths Journal of International Banking & Financial Law.
- On 16 January 2026, partner Robert Volterra, partner Gunjan Sharma and consultant Florentine Vos delivered a seminar on “ICJ procedural rules as litigator tools” before the International Court of Justice.
- On 26 January 2026, partner Robert Volterra released a commentary on “What is public international law and why is it of critical importance to the world today”, in Volterra Fietta’s new podcast entitled “Volterra Fietta’s public international law commentaries” series.
- On 30 January 2026, Volterra Fietta hosted an in-house State immunity seminar on “Recent developments in State and diplomatic immunity law in England”.
- In January 2026, partner Ahmed Abdel-Hakam and associate Ramalingam Vallinayagam co-authored an article on “The interaction between without prejudice communications and alternative dispute resolution (ADR)”, on the Law Society of England & Wales’s website.
- On 2 February 2026, partner Robert Volterra and partner Gunjan Sharma spoke on “Investment Treaty Arbitrations”.
- On 10 February 2026, partner Gunjan Sharma and associate Rhianna Vonk gave a lecture in “Effective Cross-Examination in International Arbitration – Procedural, Cultural & Logistical Challenges”, as part of an MBL seminar series.
- On 17 February 2026, partner Robert Volterra, associate Ramalingam Vallinayagam and associate Margarita Adadurova delivered a lecture on “The Burden of Proof and the International Courts: the nature of evidence and its weighting” at King’s College London.
- On 20 February 2026, partners Robert Volterra, Gunjan Sharma and Ahmed Abdel-Hakam delivered a seminar on “The use of ICJ judgments in domestic court” before the International Court of Justice.
- On 23 February 2026, Bloomberg Radio interviewed partner Gunjan Sharma regarding “The Supreme Court’s decision on US Global Tariffs”.
- On 24 February 2026, partner Ahmed Abdel-Hakam released a commentary on “The States rush to critical minerals and the interaction between State-to-State MOUs and Investment Treaty” in the podcast “Volterra Fietta’s public international law commentaries” series.
- On 18 March 2026, partner Ahmed Abdel-Hakam delivered a seminar on “Mitigating the risk of disputes with Host States”, for mining companies.
- On 19 March 2026, partner Ahmed Abdel-Hakam and senior associate Ben Burnham delivered a seminar on “Litigation before the English courts: an overview for Middle Eastern litigants”.
- In March 2026, partner Ahmed Abdel-Hakam and senior associate Ben Burnham co-authored an article on “Reasons for Middle Eastern and Gulf Parties to Litigate in the English Courts”, which will be published in Corporate Disputes Magazine.
Upcoming:
- On 21 March 2026, partner Gunjan Sharma will be speaking at the seminar on “Artificial Intelligence: Prevention and Resolution of Disputes”, in Bangalore, India, as organised by the UIA India Chapter in collaboration with the Bar Association of India, the Karnataka Judicial Academy, and supported by the Karnataka High Court Arbitration Centre.
- On 24 March 2026, associate Ramalingam Vallinayagam will give a guest lecture on “Analysis of Mediation Act in India” at Jindal Global Law School in New Delhi, India.
- On 26 March 2026, partner Robert Volterra will be speaking on the panel “Arbitration in Europe – from Dusk till Dawn” at the 10th Paris Arbitration Week.
- On 27 March 2026, partner Robert Volterra, consultant Florentine Vos and barrister Maurice Mendelson will deliver a seminar on “How to plead reparations and damages effectively before the International Court of Justice”.
- On 17 April 2026, partner Robert Volterra and partner Gunjan Sharma will deliver a seminar on “Evidence before the ICJ: finding, selecting, pleading and presenting”.
- On 25 April 2026, associate Ramalingam Vallinayagam will speak on “Energy Arbitration in Times of Transition and Turmoil: Renewable, State measures and geopolitical risk” at the Clare College, University of Cambridge.
- On 15 May 2026, partner Gunjan Sharma and associate Magdalena Kowalczuk Asher will deliver a seminar on “The role of the agent: between diplomacy and advocacy” before the International Court of Justice.
- On 11 June 2026, partner Ahmed Abdel-Hakam and consultant Florentine Vos will deliver a seminar on “Procedural Innovations at the court: incremental reform or entrenched tradition?”.
- On 11 June 2026, partner Gunjan Sharma will be speaking on a panel as part of Warsaw Arbitration Week.
- On 3 July 2026, partner Gunjan Sharma and consultant Florentine Vos will deliver a seminar on “The use of experts and witness in ICJ litigation”.
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.
