The past decades have seen a radical increase in international dispute settlement procedures, especially in the fields of international commerce, trade and investment. International arbitration and mediation, as well as international courts and tribunals, are increasingly taking center-stage in the international legal and economic arena. Positions in arbitration departments of major law firms and in international dispute settlement institutions have consequently become among the most sought-after jobs in the field of law. To succeed candidates for these positions must distinguish themselves, which is exactly where this program will be of assistance.

Increasingly, international disputes involve both private and public international law issues. Investment disputes are a prime example. Increasingly, a variety of dispute settlement mechanisms overlap, conflict, influence each other. Trade disputes are an obvious example. The times when specialization in one field, for instance commercial arbitration, was sufficient are gone. Leaders in the field must have a solid understanding of the major international dispute settlement tools worldwide.

This program is designed to meet the educational needs which arise from this evolution. It apprehends dispute settlement in a holistic approach and covers all its aspects both private and public. It incorporates ongoing developments in workshops, seminars, conferences with leading figures and decision-makers. It is global, transnational in terms of format and faculty. It is structured in such a way as to mix the multicultural approach to legal studies in Continental Europe with the interactive teaching method of the United States and the small-group tutorial system of Oxford and Cambridge. Class size will be kept relatively small (about 30 students) to ensure maximum interaction between the faculty members and the students and foster in-class discussion. The program draws together some of the most prominent experts in each field of international dispute settlement from around the globe, from the United States, Asia and throughout Europe.

Our faculty further reflects that Geneva is an international city home to many international organizations and UN agencies. It includes professors coming international organizations such as the World Trade Organization and the World Intellectual Property Organization. Many professors are at the same time involved in the practice of law, which enables them to bring invaluable insights into the classroom. In addition, students have opportunities for networking with practitioners through social events, conferences, and visits to international dispute resolution institutions such as the WTO Appellate Body, the Court of Arbitration for Sports, or the Court of the International Chamber of Commerce in Paris.

We are now also associated to the newly founded Journal of International Dispute Settlement (JIDS). The journal, published by Oxford University Press, focuses on fundamental reflections on international dispute settlement. It will give the MIDS a greater voice outside of the classroom.

So if you are interested in a legal career with the top law firms, international organizations, justice or trade ministries of national governments, or as members of the judiciary handling international cases, if you have the ambition of working on high-stake disputes, or if you are interested in gaining a thorough understanding of international dispute settlement and pursue an academic career in it, then this program is for you.

***

If you would like to know what we did in 2008-2009, and what improvements we have made since then, please check out our Annual Report for 2008-2009. The report recaps the students' main activities and captures some of the year's highlights. It also presents the current program for 2009-10, and outlines the main developments that we have implemented for 2010-11.