The ACP Legal association is very honored to announce that Sir Dennis BYRON has been appointed President of the Board of the OHADAC Regional Arbitration Centre (the “CARO Centre”), whose services are available since 27 September 2021.

Sir Dennis is the former President of the Caribbean Court of Justice, as well as of the International Criminal Court for Rwanda. He has also been a member of the Privy Council of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II since 2004.

Well-known Caribbean and International figure, Sir Dennis played a central role in setting up reform justice programs in English-speaking Caribbean jurisdictions at the end of the 1990s. Thanks to these reforms, a Civil Procedure Code was introduced in 2000; a Code of Ethics for Judges was adopted; and innovative mechanisms to administer procedures were introduced thanks to the digitization of case management procedures.

These past years, Sir Dennis has promoted the development and use of arbitration and mediation techniques in the Caribbean territories, in light of the significant role which the Chaguaramas treaty - CARICOM founding treaty - attributes to alternative means of dispute resolution.

Sir Dennis has always been a champion of cooperation between States and institutions at a regional level. He has immediately understood the pivotal role that alternative methods of dispute settlement mechanisms could play to support increased trade in the Caribbean zone. Systematic recourse to these mechanisms would also place the rule of law at the heart of Caribbean economic growth.

The need for legal certainty in the region is indeed important. These past years the Caribbean zone has witnessed the growth of International and also Inter-Caribbean trade, but access to justice is often compromised.

A lot of efforts have been deployed to develop mediation and arbitration at a local level in the region. The creation of the CARO Centre makes possible an increased coordination between existing arbitral institutions at a regional level. This will accelerate the setting up of efficient and reliable means of alternative dispute resolution addressing the various needs of Caribbean institutions and companies.

By accepting to preside over the creation and development of the CARO Centre, Sir Dennis sends a strong signal, which forecasts the important role which the CARO Centre will play in the Caribbean zone, and beyond, in the years to come. The ACP Legal association is very grateful to Sir Dennis for his continuing support and thrilled to welcome him into the OHADAC team.