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31 March  2021

ANNOUNCEMENT

Dear Members,

It was around this time last year when Covid-19 had forced the world to confront a common adversary.  Amidst the tragic loss of life, we were forced to slow down, re-evaluate what matters and re-define how we live.  The International Arbitration community responded with resilience.  We effectively harnessed technology without compromising due process to ensure that access to justice was not disrupted.  SIArb quickly adapted to hold its training programs and CPD events online.  The Singapore International Arbitration Centre (“SIAC”) announced a record caseload as at 30 Oct 2020 of 1005 cases and also launched a new SIAC Americas office in New York.  The Supreme Court of Singapore continued to provide vital support to international arbitration as cases relating to jurisdictional issues, setting aside and enforcement of awards continued to be heard virtually.  I also noticed how platforms such as Linkedin have evolved in 2020 such that tuning in to my “newsfeed” has been a useful way of keeping abreast of legal developments through updates from friends globally.  We were forced to be physically distant, yet we “virtually” became closer.

As I write this, I have registered and am awaiting my appointment for the Covid-19 vaccination.  There is light emerging at the end of the tunnel.  Bill Gates who had forewarned us about pandemic risk has reportedly predicted that the world will be “completely back to normal” by the end of 2022.  But what will “normal” be after Covid-19? At this time last year, I quoted the prescient words of Dave Hollis, “In the rush to return to normal, use this time to consider which parts of normal are worth rushing back to”.  Singapore has a unique and privileged opportunity to play a part in shaping this answer when we host global leaders at the World Economic Forum (“WEF”) from 17-20 August 2020.  Not just the WEF, but all of us individually as we decide how best to live “normally” as we approach that light at the end of the tunnel.