The Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) is an intergovernmental organization providing dispute resolution services. It is not a court as such, but renders, inter alia, administration services in arbitration cases. The organization was founded in1899, and in 1913 the Peace Palace was built for it, where the PCA’s International Bureau is seated until now.

The Administrative Council is comprised of the diplomatic representatives of Contracting Parties to one or both founding conventions, who are accredited to The Netherlands. This Body, in consultation with the Secretary-General, determines the organization’s policy. The PCA’s founding conventions are 1899 and 1907 Conventions for the Pacific Settlement of International Disputes. Ukraine is a Contracting Party to both of them since 1962. Ukraine is represented in the PCA’s bodies by the Embassy’s legal advisor.

There are currently two interstate cases initiated by Ukraine in the PCA’s docket:

• Dispute Concerning Coastal State Rights in the Black Sea, Sea of Azov and Kerch Strait (Ukraine v. Russian Federagtion). The case is currently at the merits stage, after the arbitral tribunal ruled on preliminary objections in February 2020.
• Dispute Concerning the Detention of Ukrainian Naval Vessels and Servicemen (Ukraine v. Russian Federation). The first procedural hearing in the case took place in November 2019, and in May 2020 Ukraine submitted its Memorandum.

PCA has also been providing registry services in disputes of Ukrainian investors against the Russian Federation resulting from the temporary occupation of Crimea.