John Smith Trust Fellows visit CIArb HQ

CIArb were pleased to welcome John Smith Trust Fellows Hannepes Taychayev and Rano Ismailova to the CIArb headquarters on the 13 November 2019. Hannepes and Rano met with the Policy and Research Department (led by Head of Policy, Public Affairs and Research Lewis Johnston), and then with Education and Training (led by Director of Education and Training Dr Paresh Kathrani).

Hannepes’ project as a Fellow of the John Smith Trust relates to the development of arbitration as an institution of civil self-governance for improving access to justice in Kyrgyzstan for both domestic and international investors, building on his work on the country’s Investment Law.

Rano’s project is around increasing the use of mediation in Uzbekistan, with a particular focus on researching how mediation functions in the UK. Rano is particularly interested in court administration, court budgeting and mediation issues.

The Fellows began their visit to CIArb with an introduction to CIArb’s work in the area of policy and research, culminating in an in-depth discussion of issues relating to their projects with CIArb’s Lewis Johnston, Mercy McBrayer, Kateryna Honcharenko and Robin Hayden.

The Fellows then met with Dr Paresh Kathrani and Margherita Blandini from Education and Training to discuss CIArb’s resources and membership pathways, as well as gain insight into our international training framework. 

Lewis Johnston, Head of Policy, Public Affairs and Research commented:

“We were delighted to welcome Hannepes and Rano at our headquarters, for what was a stimulating and productive discussion. We were able to share CIArb’s work on investment disputes and mediation and learn about the excellent work the Fellows are doing to promote arbitration and ADR in their respective countries. We wish them all the best with their projects.”

The John Smith Trust was formed in 1996 to provide a permanent memorial to one of Britain’s best-loved politicians with the aim of honouring him by promoting the ideals he held dear. A registered charity, the Trust is actively supported by all the major parties in the UK, and a broad range of individuals and organisations across the public, private and third sectors. 

The Trust runs Fellowship Programmes, targeting countries of the former Soviet Union and the Middle East & Gulf. The JST Fellowship Programme is a unique and potentially life-changing opportunity. It offers exceptional individuals the chance to explore issues of good governance, social justice and the rule of law in an intensive four-week programme in the UK.