Facing the international trade challenges of tomorrow: The Hyman Soloway Chair in Business and Trade Law

My name is Wolfgang Alschner, I’m the Hyman Soloway Chair in Business and Trade Law here at the University of Ottawa. The Hyman Solway Chair was created in 1988 by the renowned Ottawa–based lawyer, businessman and philanthropist Hyman Soloway. The mandate of the Hyman Soloway Chair is to promote teaching and research in the field of international trade law but also to create linkages between governments, private practice and Academia. Finally, the chair is supposed to act as a focal point for the development of trade law expertise here in Canada’s capital. A list of highly distinguished individuals have held the Hyman Soloway Chair. Professor Don McRae, who is an international lawyer and who is one of the few Canadians who have been appointed to serve on the United Nations in the International Law Commission. Debra Steger has represented the Canadian government in the negotiations leading up to the creation of the World Trade Organization and also served as the head of the Appellate Body Secretariat of the WTO. Finally, Anthony Vanduzer is a renowned expert in international investment law, and he is also the author of the seminal textbook on corporate law. The work of the Hyman Solway Chair is more important today than ever. International trade is under pressure from multiple directions. The pandemic has exposed new vulnerabilities; protectionism is on the rise across the globe; and it has become more and more clear that international trade does not only have winners, it also has losers. Canada as an economy dependent on international trade needs to find new ways to address these challenges. I’m convinced that the Hyman Soloway Chair can play a role in reimagining international trade law in order to create a multilateral trading system that is more inclusive, more resilient and more equitable.