ADR in the Arab Gulf

The Future is so Bright, We Will have to Wear Shades

One panel speaker, Assistant Professor Andrew Dahdal, had this to say about last week's ADR conference sponsored by Qatar University College of Law:   

The conference was insightful in many respects. Given that some of my recent research has been looking at the relationship between financial centres and broader national jurisdictions, the discussion concerning the enforcement or arbitral awards in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) was especially interesting.

The conference -- entitled, The Future of Alternative Dispute Resolution -- A Qatari Perspective -- brought together lawyers, scholars, and ADR neutrals to discuss ADR in the Arab Gulf and MENA regions.  Most of the presentations focused on arbitration, which remains the dominant (and nearly exclusive) form of ADR in the region.

The agenda included opening and keynote speeches by:

• Dr. Mohammed Abdulaziz Al-Khulaifi, Dean of Qatar University College of Law.
• Lord Nicholas Phillips, President of Qatar International Court and Dispute Resolution Center (QICDRC).
• Sultan Al-Abdulla, Managing Partner of Sultan Al-Abdulla & Partners, a sponsor of the event.
• Prof. Bridgette Stern, Emeritus Professor of International Law at the University of Paris,I, Pantheon-Sorbonne.
• Dr. Talal Al-Emadi, Chair of the Advisory Board of the QU College of Law Center of Law and Development (CLD).
• Prof. Mohamed S. Abdel Wahab, Chair of Private International Law and Professor of Dispute Resolution at Cairo University.

The conference also consisted of four panel presentations.  Topics included:

• Alternative Means for Resolving Economic Disputes.
• Arbitrating Natural Resources Disputes: Current and Future Trends.
• Arbitration in Intellectual Property Disputes.
• Conciliation versus Court Ruling -- Management of Chances and Risks.
• The Role of Civil and Commercial Court of Qatar Financial Center (QFC) Consumer Dispute Resolution Scheme.
• Alternative Dispute Resolution in Contemporary Times.
• Future Challenges and Paradigmatic Changes in International Arbitration: A View from Behind the Curtain.
• Effect of Minority Not Signing Arbitration Award on the Validity of Arbitral Award.
• New [Qatar] Arbitration Law no. 2 of 2017: Pros and Cons.
• Arbitration and Criminal Law: The View from Qatar and UAE.
• Alternative Methods for Resolving Administrative Contract Disputes in Qatar.
• The Rise and Fall of International Administrative Arbitration: A Revision on the Commerciality of International Arbitration under Egyptian Law.
• Enforcement of Arbitral Awards.

Several of my QU College of Law colleagues covered these topics, along with representatives of QICDRC and regional lawyers.

I hope that my colleagues create more opportunities to discuss ADR in the region.  As my own research is beginning to reveal, ADR is still in the early stages of institutional development in the Arab Gulf region.  I also hope that the papers presented at the conference get published in a symposium issue of a law journal. 

I have encouraged the conference organizers to create a webpage where people can access conference slides.  I'd hate to see this material go unrecognized in the future.