Joinder of Third Parties in International Arbitration

Multiparty arbitration has been recognized as an important feature in international arbitration and has consequently become an indispensable part of arbitration rules. With its inherent features and peculiarity, the provisions regulating multiparty proceedings are frequently ameliorated as they are constantly in the center of discussion among drafters and working groups, together with legal commentators. Arbitration rules were silent on the matter of a joinder for a long period. Gradually, joinder provisions have been introduced and are now being improved and enhanced with almost every revision of the arbitration rules. This paper discusses the joinder as one of the main mechanisms for transforming proceedings into multiparty proceedings. The author provides a comparative analysis of the joinder provisions under different sets of arbitration rules, focusing on key elements — the consent of the parties and the equal treatment of the parties.