Americas Initiative

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ITA established its Americas Initiative in 2003 focusing originally on Latin America, and was later expanded to Canada (2018) and Caribbean (2021-Caribbean Task Force), covering both continents.

The mission of the Americas Initiative is to enrich knowledge, debate, and personal relationships within the international arbitration community in the Americas.

Americas Initiative members serve the international arbitration community by exploring opportunities, developing activities, increasing awareness, and promoting excellence in the practice of international arbitration. The geographical coverage of the Americas Initiative provides a unique setting for practitioners from Latin America, the Caribbean, US, and Canada to interact within the framework of its specific programs and working groups.

Since 2005, the Americas Initiative has offered an annual Americas Workshop, as well as an annual Young Lawyers Americas Roundtable, throughout the Americas. These yearly conferences were held in Bogotá, Buenos Aires, Mexico City, Panama City, Santiago and São Paulo, among others, and online during 2020, 2021 and 2022. Since 2018, the Workshop has been conducted together with Latin American Arbitration Association (ALARB).

In 2014, together with the ALARB and the Brazilian Arbitration Committee (CBAr), the ITA launched the ITA Latin American Arbitration Forum (ITAFOR). ITAFOR is a primarily Spanish/Portuguese language listserv, which has quickly become the leading online forum for arbitration practitioners.

The Americas Initiative is a standing practice committee of the ITA Advisory Board, open to all Advisory Board members as well as to all interested in establishing and fostering professional dialog with arbitration practitioners in the Americas.

Elina Mereminskaya
Chair, Americas Initiative
Wagemann Abogados & Ingenieros, Santiago de Chile
Eliana Baraldi
Communications Vice Chair, Americas Initiative
Baraldi Mariani Advogados, São Paulo, Brazil
Eric Franco
Membership Vice Chair, Americas Initiative
Engie, Lima, Perú
Montserrat Manzano
Programs Vice Chair, Americas Initiative
Von Wobeser y Sierra, S.C., Mexico City
Dyalá Jiménez
Policy Vice Chair, Americas Initiative
DJ Arbitraje, San José, Costa Rica
Daniel Ávila II
Communications Officer (external communications), Americas Initiative
Reed Smith, Houston, TX USA
Milagros Rojas Blas
Communications Officer (internal communications), Americas Initiative
Procuraduría Pública del Ministerio de Transportes y Comunicaciones, Lima, Perú
Marièle Coulet Díaz
Programs Officer (online programs), Americas Initiative
White & Case, Mexico City, Mexico
Rosario Galardi
Programs Officer (in-person programs), Americas Initiative
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Washington, D.C., USA
Julio César Rivera Jr.
Country Delegate for Argentina
Marval O'Farrell & Mairal
Buenos Aires, ARGENTINA
Rodrigo Araujo Gabardo
Country Delegate for Brazil
Lee, Taube & Gabardo Sociedade de Advogados
Curitiba, BRAZIL
Flavia Mange
Country Delegate for Brazil
Flavia Mange Advogados
São Paulo, BRAZIL
Orlando Palominos
Country Delegate for Chile
Lembeye Abogados
Vitacura, CHILE
Santiago Díaz-Cediel
Country Delegate for Colombia
Center of Arbitration and Conciliation of the Bogota Chamber of Commerce (CCB)
Bogotá, COLOMBIA
Sofía Gómez Ruano
Country Delegate for Mexico
Creel, García-Cuéllar, Aiza Y Enríquez
Mexico City, MEXICO
José Antonio Moreno Rodríguez
Country Delegate for Paraguay
Altra Legal
Asuncion, PARAGUAY
Edwin Pezo
Country Delegate for Peru
Estudio Muñiz
Lima, PERU
Soledad Díaz
Country Delegate for Uruguay
Ferrere Abogados
Montevideo, URUGUAY