The  AFSIA Steering Commitee - National Committees Group has appointed thirteen National Committees until present.

As one of the AFSIA's main objectives is to create a network through which Alumni and Friends of the School of International Arbitration can keep in touch both professionally and socially, the National Committee Group has in recent months been implementing this objective by stimulating and promoting the creation of local Committees. The idea behind the creation of such National Committees is on one hand to foster the activities and scope of the AFSIA in defined geographical areas (either within national boundaries or broader regions) and on the other hand, to create a forum for more concrete and frequent opportunities at national level that are often more difficult to achieve on a broader international basis.

To date the AFSIA has formally appointed National Committees in the following jurisdictions: Austria, Brazil, Greece, Italy, Middle East, Nigeria, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom and the United States. These Committees are operating under the AFSIA umbrella, but are independent and have their own separate organization and autonomous status. Some (e.g. the Brazilian National Committee) have already successfully organized an event in conjunction with the AFSIA and the SIA; others (e.g. the Portuguese National Committee) are planning  similar events in 2011.

Furthermore, the National Committee Group has established links and gathered preliminary consensus in other jurisdictions, and is further considering the possibility to appoint further Committees in Germany, France, India and Switzerland. The intention is to spread the AFSIA network through strong local foundations in as many local areas as possible, in order to reflect the international character of the SIA and the wide international variety that must be present in a truly global arbitration environment. Therefore, as soon as the opportunity will arise, the National Committee will consider the opportunity to establish new Committees in other regions.

Alumni and others with any form of connection to the SIA are welcome to join a National Committee and/or promote the creation of a Committee in a different regional area. Guidelines for National Committees are published on the AFSIA website, and the National Committee Group will be glad to suggest and support any such initiative.

For any questions with regard to National Committees, please contact Paolo Esposito and Clare Connellan at national_committees@afsia.org