Rules of Optional Conciliation of the International Chamber of Commerce

The current ICC Rules of Conciliation came into force on 1 January 1988. Conciliation is a process independent of arbitration. It remains entirely optional unless the parties have otherwise agreed. The ICC Rules of Arbitration do not require the parties to attempt conciliation prior to commencing an arbitration. So, too, the Rules of Optional Conciliation permit conciliation to be attempted without requiring that the dispute be referred to arbitration thereafter if the conciliation effort is unsuccessful.