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Unicon v. Afghanistan, Petition to Confirm Arbitration Award, November 20, 2025

20 Nov 2025
Unicon Limited v. Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (Ministry of Energy and Water) (II), ICC Case No. UNC 211/ELU
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Petition to Confirm Arbitration Award
Document Details:
LISTED PARTICIPANTS
Petition to Confirm Arbitration Award
Participants listed are for this document only and may not include all participants involved in the entire case. Always consult the original documents.
Claimant appointee
Respondent appointee
Tribunal/Panel chair
Arbitrator(s)
Sole Arbitrator
ICSID Annulment Committee president
ICSID Annulment Committee members
WTO Appellate Body members
WTO Appellate Body chair
Judges
Claimant's counsel
Akin M. Alcitepe
Claimant's law firm
Respondent's counsel
Respondent's law firm
Other counsel
Claimant's expert
Claimant's expert firm
Respondent's expert
Respondent's expert firm
Claimant's witness
Respondent's witness
Other witnesses
Tribunal secretary
Tribunal assistant
Third-party funder
Entities
Unicon Limited, Rimon, Afghanistan
Country
United States
Print reporter
Document Summary
Petition to Confirm Arbitration Award
This summary note is machine-generated. Always consult the original materials.

Procedural Posture

This document constitutes a Petition to Confirm a Foreign Arbitral Award filed by Unicon Limited against the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and its Ministry of Energy and Water in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. The Petitioner seeks recognition and enforcement of a November 23, 2022 arbitral award rendered in Paris, France, under the UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules, pursuant to the New York Convention and Chapter 2 of the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA).

Factual and Legal Background

The underlying dispute arose from a contract for transaction advisory services related to a World Bank-financed electricity generation and transmission project (CASA-1000). Following Afghanistan's failure to pay for services rendered, the sole arbitrator awarded the Petitioner damages for breach of contract, plus interest and costs. In this enforcement proceeding, the Petitioner asserts that the Court possesses subject matter jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. § 1330(a) and 9 U.S.C. § 203. The Petitioner argues that Afghanistan is not entitled to sovereign immunity under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act (FSIA) due to the arbitration waiver exception (28 U.S.C. § 1605(a)(1)) and the underlying contract's express waiver of immunity.

Relief Sought

The Petitioner requests that the Court enter an order confirming the arbitral award and enter judgment against the Respondents for the principal amounts of USD 444,807 and USD 444,807, along with USD 237,573 in costs, plus applicable pre-award and post-judgment interest. The Petitioner further seeks an award for costs and expenses incurred in the enforcement proceeding.