MENA

Abu Dhabi, Courts, Dubai, MENA, Pathological arbitration agreement, UAE, UAE Federal Arbitration Law, Uncategorized

(Al Owais Advocates & Legal Consultants)/ /1 Comment

Pathological clauses are not an infrequent occurrence in the arbitration world. We often see arbitration clauses which are poorly drafted and may result in rendering the clause inoperable. Being able to predict how a court would treat a pathological clause would help the parties and specifically the party wishing to file proceedings decide whether they…

Asia, LIDW 2023, MENA

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London International Disputes Week 2023 (“LIDW 2023”) kicked off on 15 May 2023. This year’s theme explores how the disputes community, is and should be, adapting to a changing world. The first day – International Arbitration Day followed the “arbitration disputes sun” across key regions and jurisdictions exploring recent developments and connections of those regions…

ADGM, Advocacy, Corruption, ESG, ICSID, ICSID Amendments, MENA, Sovereign Wealth Funds, state-owned

(Hadef & Partners)/ /Leave a comment

On 17 March 2022, Abu Dhabi witnessed an event which was five years in the making: a joint-conference by ICSID and the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) titled “Investment Arbitration in the Middle East”. This post recaps some highlights from the event, as well as offering further views and commentary.   Event Kick-off and Its…

Arbitration, DIAC, DIFC, Dubai, MENA

(Blanke Arbitration LLC)/ /Leave a comment

The recent adoption of Decree No. 34/2021 (see Dubai Government Decree No. 34 of 2021, which entered into force with effect from 20 September 2021) provides for the consolidation of local arbitration centers into a single institution, the Dubai International Arbitration Centre 2.0 (DIAC 2.0). Some perspectives on Decree No. 34/2021 have already been shared…

currency, Enforcement, Enforcement of an arbitration clause, Lebanon, MENA

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Much like Beckett’s Vladimir and Estragon, desperately waiting for Godot without success, the citizens of Lebanon are protagonists of a living theater of the absurd which their country has become, desperately waiting for legal, institutional and social reforms to no avail. While the collapse of the Lebanese financial system and the de facto capital controls…

DIAC, DIFC, DIFC conduit jurisdiction, Dubai, MENA, Qatar, Qatar Financial Centre

(Armstrong Teasdale)/ /Leave a comment

On 14 September 2021, a Decree (no. 34) by the government of Dubai (currently only available in Arabic)  (the Decree) abolished two of Dubai’s most successful arbitration institutions: the Dubai Maritime Arbitration Centre (EMAC) and the DIFC-LCIA Centre.1)The DIFC-LCIA was established as a joint venture between Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), Dubai Arbitration Institute (DAI),…

Annulment, Arab World, Constitutional Court, Egypt, MENA

(Amereller)/ /1 Comment

On 6 January 2021, the Egyptian Government introduced a draft law for parliament’s approval, seeking to expand the Egyptian Supreme Constitutional Court’s (“ESCC”) jurisdiction to scrutinize international arbitration awards rendered against the Egyptian State and acts of international organizations affecting the Egyptian State. The legislative amendment is in line with previous legislative measures designed to…

Arbitration Agreements, Construction arbitration, Dubai, MENA

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The Dubai Court of Cassation, in its recent judgement, DCC 1308 of 2020, explored the effect of incorporation of arbitration clauses by reference. Typically, “incorporation by reference” refers to parties agreeing to incorporate arbitral clauses found in separate standard-form agreements (“SFAs”) into the agreement between the parties by making reference to the same. Such reference…

Abu Dhabi, COVID-19, LegalTech, MENA, Technology, UAE, Virtual hearings

(University College Cork) and (Al Tamimi & Company)/ /Leave a comment

The Abu Dhabi Global Market Arbitration Centre (“ADGMAC”) introduced its Protocol for Remote Hearings (“Protocol”) in June 2021. The Protocol provides parties, their lawyers and the Tribunal with a set of procedural and logistical arrangements for the conduct of hearings that may be conducted remotely (whether fully or in part). Previously, in September 2019, ADGMAC…

Egypt, Lloyd’s Standard Salvage and Arbitration Clauses, London Maritime Arbitrators' Association, Maritime Arbitration, Maritime Arbitration Rules of the New York Society of Maritime Arbitrators, MENA, Middle East, Shipping, York-Antwerp Rules

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The grounding of the container carrier “EVER GIVEN” in the Suez Canal in March 2021 has been dubbed by some as “shipping’s 15 minutes of fame”. This post hitches its star to that wagon and considers the contracts, claims and dispute resolution clauses likely to be affected by this casualty.   The Casualty, Salvage and…

COVID-19, LegalTech, MENA, Technology, UAE, UAE arbitration chapter, UAE Federal Arbitration Law

(Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP) and (Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP)/ /Leave a comment

There is at least one commonality between new technologies and arbitration in that they both aim to make processes more accessible to users.  Indeed, the two should go hand-in-hand.  After a brief overview of the interplay between technology and arbitration in general, this post focuses on the position in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).  It…

Arbitration, Arbitration Agreements, Investment Arbitration, Investment law, Investment Treaties, MENA, Middle East, Multilateral Investment Treaties, United Arab Emirates

(Allen & Overy LLP)/ /Leave a comment

The announcement on 13 August 2020 of a rapprochement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates (‘UAE’) took the world by surprise. Seasoned regional observers noted quiet cooperation and cross-border transactions over the past few years, but few expected these covert relationships to burst into public view so fully and wholeheartedly. The joint declaration, soon…

Annulment, Egypt, International Investment Arbitration, Investor-State arbitration, Libya, MENA

(Riad & Riad; Cairo University School of Law)/ /1 Comment

In a ‘ground-breaking’ precedential decision, Al-Kharafi v Libya (Judgment No. 39 of 130 JY, 3 June 2020), the Cairo Court of Appeal in Egypt ruled that it can review an arbitral award for fundamental errors of law that amount to a violation of public policy or equity and justice notions. The decision relates to an…

Abu Dhabi, ADGM, DIFC, Dubai, Free Trade Zones, MENA, Middle East, UAE

(Blanke Arbitration LLC)/ /Leave a comment

As some readers of this blog will, no doubt, be aware, free zone arbitration is a comparatively recent phenomenon that has been championed in particular by the UAE in order to create an alternative to arbitrations seated onshore. By way of reminder, in the UAE, free zone arbitrations are seated in one of the judicial…

Abu Dhabi, ADGM, DIFC, Dubai, Free Trade Zones, MENA, Middle East, UAE

(Blanke Arbitration LLC)/ /Leave a comment

This is Part 2 of a blog published in two parts. Part 1 dealt with the Abu Dhabi Global Market Court of First Instance (“ADGMCFI”)’s rulings in A3 v. B3 [2019] ADGMCFI 0004 (4 July 2019), enforcing an ADGM arbitration agreement, and in A4 v. B4 [2019] ADGMCFI 0007 (8 October 2019), enforcing a foreign…

COVID-19, MENA, Middle East, Moot Courts, Videoconferencing, Vis Moot, Willem C. Vis Moot

(Bahrain Chamber for Dispute Resolution), (Commercial Law Development Program of the US Department of Commerce), and (CILE; Reed Smith LLP)/ /Leave a comment

The Middle East Vis Pre-Moot Program (the “Program”), scheduled in Bahrain from 10 to 14 March 2020, was prepared and excited to welcome over 200 students, faculty, and lawyers to celebrate the Program’s 10th anniversary. However, on 25 February, amid the unfortunate COVID-19 global pandemic, Bahrain took precautionary measures to prevent the spread of the…

CIAMA, Maritime Arbitration, MENA, Middle East, Morocco

(Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne)/ /Leave a comment

As the backbone of globalization, the shipping industry is at the heart of cross-border transportation networks that support supply chains and facilitate international trade. In the MENA region, the maritime sector is a significant industry. In order to manage the rise in foreign trade, both governments and the maritime industry have increased investment into the…

CRCICA, Egypt, Interviews with Our Editors, MENA, Middle East

(Dentons & Co, Dubai)/ /Leave a comment

Dr Ismail Selim, thank you for joining us on the Kluwer Arbitration Blog! We are grateful to have the opportunity to share your unique perspective with our readers.   1. Could you give our readers a brief introduction to yourself and your route to becoming Director at CRCICA? I graduated from Cairo University in 1997…

Africa, MENA, Middle East, Morocco, OHADA, Organization of Islamic Cooperation

(Concepción Global, PLLC, Universidad Complutense de Madrid)/ /Leave a comment

In light of several recent developments in Morocco, its status as an international arbitration hub in Africa is worth a focus. This blog post will specifically consider the rise and recognition of economic opportunities in Africa, Morocco’s lead as a diplomatic power in Africa, the country’s experience with investment and commercial arbitration, and the emergence…

Enforcement, Foreign arbitral awards, MENA, Middle East, United Arab Emirates

(Watson Farley & Williams (Middle East) LLP)/ /Leave a comment

Introduction On 9 December 2018, the UAE adopted Cabinet Resolution No. 57 of 2018, which entered into force on 16 February 2019 (the “Cabinet Resolution“). The Cabinet Resolution introduces significant amendments to the UAE Civil Procedure Code (Federal Law No. 11 of 1992), which considerably enhance a wide array of procedures before the UAE onshore…

Appointment of arbitrators, Arab World, Fork in the road, Indonesia, Investor-State arbitration, Libya, MENA, Middle East, PCA, Permanent Court of Arbitration

(Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne University)/ /5 Comments

On 27 March 2017, the Secretary-General of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (“PCA“) designated an appointing authority in an OIC arbitration by applying the UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules, despite the absence of any reference to these Rules in the OIC Agreement. This decision, which concerns a pending case, DS. Construction v. Libya , could mark the…

Investment, Investment Arbitration, MENA, Middle East, Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Qatar

(DWF (Middle East) LLP)/ /Leave a comment
Young ITA

Young ITA has organised over fifteen successful events this year all over the world including in Sao Paolo, Buenos Aires, Guatemala City, Miami, Washington DC, New York City, London, and India. The first Dubai Young ITA talk took place on Wednesday 5 December 2018. The event hosted by Vinson & Elkins featured two panel discussions…

Appointment of arbitrators, Arbitrator Challenges, Counsel, Counsel conduct, Disclosure, Dubai, ICC, International arbitration, International Arbitration Procedures, MENA, Middle East, UAE, UAE Federal Arbitration Law, UNCITRAL Model Law, United Arab Emirates

(Dentons & Co, Dubai)/ /Leave a comment

Participants at this year’s Dubai Arbitration Week gathered for the ICC conference hosted by Al Tamimi & Co on 14 November 2018. The conference featured a lively roundtable discussion on the subject of “Arbitrator Disclosure – Local Flavour or International Standards?” chaired by Nadia Darwazeh. The panel comprised practitioners from across the MENA region and…