Ecuador appoints its first woman to ICSID panel of arbitrators

Mélanie Riofrio Piché is the first woman appointed by Ecuador to the ICSID roster of arbitrators

 Mélanie Riofrio Piché, general secretary of the Madrid International Arbitration Centre (CIAM), is the first woman appointed by Ecuador to the list of arbitrators of the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), becoming the only woman to receive this appointment since Ecuador’s first accession to ICSID.

This appointment highlights Ecuador’s clear support for the promotion of gender diversity, which is in line with ICSID’s efforts to promote the diversity of its arbitrators.

The Ecuadorian-Canadian, Riofrio Piché, has extensive experience in investment arbitration and her position as secretary general of CIAM does not imply any incompatibility to act as arbitrator in ICSID arbitration proceedings. For Ecuador, she is one of the four confirmed arbitrators, together with Álvaro Galindo Cardona, Hernán Pérez Loose and Ricardo Noboa Bejarano.

Ecuador signed the ICSID Convention in 1986. In 2009, former president Rafael Correa denounced the Convention and withdrew Ecuador. The country’s current president, Guillermo Lasso, has opted to rejoin the institution 12 years later, ratifying the Convention on 16 July and depositing the instrument on 4 August, which has been in force since 3 September. This is part of its strategy to attract more foreign investment to the country, offering greater legal certainty to international investors.