IMF Administrative Tribunal: IMFAT 30th Anniversary Conference

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IMF Administrative Tribunal 30th Anniversary Conference

Date: Wednesday, November 19, 2025

Co-sponsored by

 

The IMF Administrative Tribunal is pleased to announce that it will celebrate its 30th anniversary on Wednesday, November 19, 2025, with a full day conference to discuss salient issues of international administrative law. The event will gather distinguished speakers, experts in the field, and key stakeholders.

The Tribunal is delighted to partner on this special occasion with the American Society of International Law (ASIL) and the Société française pour le droit international (SFDI), co-sponsors of the conference.

The details of the conference program and the list of speakers can be found below. Please contact the Registry of the IMF Administrative Tribunal at ATBReception@imf.org if you have any questions about the event and registration.

Download the Conference Program (PDF)

30th Anniversary Conference
of the IMF Administrative Tribunal
International Administrative Law
in Changing and Challenging Times

8:15 AM – 9:00 AM

Registration

9:00 AM – 9:40 AM

Welcoming Address and Opening Speeches

Speakers
Judge Nassib G. Ziadé, President of the IMF Administrative Tribunal (IMFAT), President of the United Nations Appeals Tribunal (UNAT)
Mélida Hodgson, President of the American Society of International Law (ASIL)
Nicola Bonucci, Vice-President of the Société française pour le droit international (SFDI), Chair of the Advisory Board of the European Space Agency (ESA)
Judge Femi Elias, Judge ad hoc, International Court of Justice, President of the OPEC Fund Administrative Tribunal, and Chairman of the Administrative Tribunal of the Islamic Development Bank
9:40 AM – 10:25 AM

Session 1 - The Sources of International Administrative Law

Moderator
Professor John Crook, international arbitrator, former Judge of the NATO Administrative Tribunal (NATOAT)
Rapporteur
Anna Holloway, Senior Legal Counsel, International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID)
Topic 1: What law or laws are applied by IATs?
Judge Maria Vicien Milburn, Judge of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development Administrative Tribunal (EBRDAT), the Inter-American Development Bank Administrative Tribunal (IDBAT) and the IMFAT
Me Rémi Cèbe, Partner at Sicault & Cèbe, A.A.R.P.I., and Lecturer at the Université Paris 2 Panthéon-Assas
Topic 2: Administrative practice as a source of international administrative law (IAL) before IATs
Brian Patterson, Deputy General Counsel, Legal Department, IMF
Judge Raul Pangalangan, President of the Administrative Tribunal of the Asian Development Bank, Judge of the World Bank Administrative Tribunal (WBAT), former Judge at the International Criminal Court
10:25 AM – 10:40 AM

Coffee Break

10:40 AM – 11:45 AM

Session 1 (continued) - The Sources of International Administrative Law

Moderator
Professor John Crook, international arbitrator, former Judge of the NATO Administrative Tribunal (NATOAT)
Rapporteur
Anna Holloway, Senior Legal Counsel, International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID)
Topic 3: Precedent and international administrative tribunals ("IATs")
Mercedes Carrillo, Secretary, Administrative Tribunal of the Organization of American States (OASAT)
Paul Jean Le Cannu, Registrar, IMFAT
Topic 4: The International Law Commission's work on the settlement of disputes to which international organizations are parties – an overview
Professor August Reinisch, University of Vienna, Special Rapporteur of the International Law Commission of the United Nations on "the settlement of disputes to which international organizations are parties"
Q&A
11:45 AM – 12:30 PM

Session 2 - Recent Developments in International Administrative Law

Moderator
Judge Deborah Thomas-Felix, Judge of the IMFAT
Rapporteur
Véronique Truchon-Lachapelle, Legal Officer, UNAT
Topic 1: Evolutions and possible reforms in international administrative law
Question: Should IATs be granted jurisdiction not only over challenges to individual decisions but also regulatory decisions?
Judge Joan Powers, Judge of the EBRDAT and GAVI Appeals Tribunal, Chair of the Appeal Board of the World Intellectual Property Organization
Judge Thomas Laker, Judge of the WBAT, NATOAT, Administrative Tribunal of the Council of Europe (ATCE), and EBRDAT
Question: Should IATs, as tribunals of last resort, consider having an appeals system?
Juliet E. Johnson, Registrar, UNAT
Judge Celia Goldman, Judge of the European Stability Mechanism Administrative Tribunal (ESMAT), former Registrar of the IMFAT
12:30 PM – 2:00 PM

Lunch

2:00 PM – 3:05 PM

Session 2 (continued) - Recent Developments in International Administrative Law

Moderator
Judge Deborah Thomas-Felix, Judge of the IMFAT
Rapporteur
Véronique Truchon-Lachapelle, Legal Officer, UNAT
Question: Should the jurisdiction of IATs extend to a wider range of subject matters, such as issues of procurement, to become more akin to the jurisdiction of domestic administrative tribunals?
Judge Pablo Sandonato de León, President of the OASAT
Jodi Glasow, Executive Secretary, World Bank Sanctions Board
Topic 2: Emerging trends and human rights before IATs
Question: Retreat or expansion - To what extent do litigants and judges rely on human rights law in IAL litigation?
Judge Kieran Bradley, Judge of the IMFAT, IDBAT, and ESMAT
Judge Paul Lemmens, Chair of the ATCE
Q&A
3:05 PM – 3:20 PM

Coffee Break

3:20 PM – 4:35 PM

Session 3 - Immunities of International Organizations, Independence of IATs, and Selection of IAT Members

Moderator
Judge Andrew Nyirenda, Judge of the IMFAT
Rapporteur
Salim S. Sleiman, International Law Fellow, ASIL
Keynote Speaker
Judge Nassib G. Ziadé, President of the IMFAT and the UNAT
Commentators
Prof. Peter Bekker, Partner at Dentons, New York and Chair of International Law at the Centre for Energy, Petroleum and Mineral Law and Policy, University of Dundee, UK
Kathryn Nelson-Indre, Chair of the Staff Association Committee, IMF
Yan Liu, General Counsel and Director, Legal Department, IMF
Q&A
4:35 PM – 4:55 PM

Closing Remarks

Speakers
Professor Sean Murphy, George Washington University Law School, Honorary Vice-President of ASIL
Professor Edith Brown Weiss, Georgetown University Law School, former Judge of the IMFAT and former President of IDBAT, former Chair of the World Bank Inspection Panel, and former President of ASIL
5:00 PM

Reception