Founding of the Permanent Court of Arbitration

The Permanent Court of Arbitration, based in The Hague, is the oldest institution for the settlement of international disputes, established by the Hague Convention for the Pacific Settlement of International Disputes. The convention was adopted at the first Hague Peace Conference, called on the initiative of Tsar Nicholas II to discuss disarmament and the peaceful resolution of conflicts. Despite its name, the PCA is not a standing court but a framework providing a list of arbitrators from which states can choose, together with administrative support. It has handled disputes between states, as well as cases involving private parties and international organizations. Its first case, the Pious Fund of the Californias between the United States and Mexico, was decided in 1902, and since 1913 it has shared the Peace Palace, financed by Andrew Carnegie, with the International Court of Justice.

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