
Last modified: 2023-06-03 by  zachary harden
 zachary harden
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![[Permanent Court of Arbitration]](../images/i/int-pcah.gif) 
 
image by Zachary Harden, 29 March 2022
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The PCA is an intergovernmental organization with over one hundred member 
states. Established in 1899 to facilitate arbitration and other forms of dispute 
resolution between states, the PCA has developed into a modern, multi-faceted 
arbitral institution that is now perfectly situated at the juncture between 
public and private international law to meet the rapidly evolving dispute 
resolution needs of the international community. Today the PCA provides services 
for the resolution of disputes involving various combinations of states, state 
entities, intergovernmental organizations, and private parties.
The PCA's 
Secretariat, the International Bureau, headed by its Secretary-General, provides 
full registry services and legal and administrative support to tribunals and 
commissions. Its caseload reflects the breadth of PCA involvement in 
international dispute resolution, encompassing territorial, treaty, and human 
rights disputes between states, as well as commercial and investment disputes, 
including disputes arising under bilateral and multilateral investment treaties.
The PCA is housed in the Peace Palace in The Hague, which was built 
specially for the Court in 1913 with an endowment from Andrew Carnegie. From 
1922 on, the building also housed the distinctly separate Permanent Court of 
International Justice, which was replaced by the International Court of Justice 
in 1946.
Unlike the ICJ, the PCA is not just open to states but also to 
other parties. The PCA provides services for the resolution of disputes 
involving various combinations of states, state entities, intergovernmental 
organizations, and private parties.
 Zoltán Horváth, 5 March 2010
The Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) has a flag which is different from 
the UN one. This flag has the PCA seal in white on a UN blue flag. Please see 
the nice attached photo and the links below showing the flag
http://www.pca-cpa.org/showpics.asp?ac=view&pic_id=94&pag_id=1031&page=1 
http://www.pca-cpa.org/showpics.asp?ac=view&pic_id=66&pag_id=1031&page=0 
http://www.pca-cpa.org/showpics.asp?ac=view&pic_id=99&pag_id=1031&page=3 
I hope that readers, particularly any near The Hague, can provide more back 
up and a flag image. The seal I mentioned for the PCA and its flag is shown in 
white on the top of the PCA pages and on the main intro page...
http://www.pca-cpa.org/ 
Ben Cahoon, 
29 May 2009
![[Permanent Court of Arbitration]](../images/i/int-pca.gif) 
 
	
image by Pascal Gross, 22 December 1999
	
From http://www.pca-cpa.org/pcanews.htm:
On 13 October 1998, the Administrative Council adopted a design for a flag of the PCA, selected by a working group out of some 160 competing entries from around the world. The winning design came from Ms. Faith Tay Suan Koon, an art student from Singapore. The PCA flag has a blue background with two white bands at the top and bottom. This symbolizes that the parties involved in disputes come to the PCA with sincerity to work out a peaceful resolution of their dispute. At the center of the flag is a diamond-shaped symbol, that may be interpreted as a simplified image of one of the elements of the PCA emblem, namely the "eye" which means wisdom and awareness. This symbol is surrounded by two crossed olive branches which may be regarded as a symbol for peace and arbitration. The artist attended the inauguration ceremony of the flag, which took place at the Peace Palace in The Hague on 8 April 1999, during a meeting of the Administrative Council.
Pascal Gross, 22 December 1999