The ICC's historical links with the 1958 New York Convention are well known. The ICC played a prominent role in bringing about the adoption of the Geneva Protocol and Convention, predecessors to the New York Convention. Subsequently, the ICC was instrumental in the negotiations and consultations which resulted in the adoption of the New York Convention itself. Since 1958, the ICC, through its expanding membership, has encouraged countries to ratify the Convention, as some 148 States have now done.

In order to mark the 50th anniversary of the New York Convention, the ICC published a study of national rules of procedure for the recognition and enforcement of foreign arbitral awards. It is now my pleasure to introduce a new, second, edition of the Guide and to congratulate those who have contributed to it. It has been produced in order to ensure that the Guide remains an up-to-date, practical reference tool, providing country-by-country information on local legal conditions affecting the recognition and enforcement of foreign arbitral awards and reflecting the many developments worldwide since the publication of the first edition.

The ambit of the Guide has been expanded to consider the 'state of play' in some 79 countries and territories (13 more than those reviewed in the first edition) and almost all the contributions reflect the law as at 31 December 2012.

In addition to being published in hard copy form, it is also available online in the ICC Dispute Resolution Library (www.iccdrl.com). It will continue to be updated periodically as local conditions for recognition and enforcement change.

John Beechey

President

International Court of Arbitration