Requires the development of arbitration legislation system

Sharjah – Hani Okkar:
The seminar on “Commercial Arbitration in the UAE” held the day before yesterday at Premier Al Majaz Hotel in Sharjah, hosted by the Gulf Research Centre at Dar Al Khaleej Press, Printing and Publishing, saw participants unanimously agree on the need to establish an arbitration legislation system in our country.
The participants stressed that the UAE has become one of the most important international and regional business hubs and is one of the leading investment countries, providing a safe and stable investment environment, noting that arbitration today thrives in this environment as a primary means of dispute resolution.
One participant mentioned that arbitration centres in the UAE have gone through several phases, the first of which was the Conciliation and Reconciliation Committee within the activities of the Chambers of Commerce and Industry, while the second phase focused on giving a certain administrative and technical independence to some of the centres.
Participants noted the need to train and develop a talent pool involved in arbitration, the need to provide competent arbitrators and administrative bodies for this market, and the importance of supporting citizen arbitrators, improving their professional capabilities and benefiting from the experience of arbitrators specializing in this field.
While they talked about the requirement that an arbitrator must be legal and undergo qualifications and university courses, another opinion stressed that an arbitrator does not necessarily have to be legal, but he must understand and know the legal issues that qualify him to handle his work.
They agreed on the importance of coordination and cooperation among arbitration centres in the adoption of standards and mechanisms related to the appointment of qualified arbitrators in their respective fields of work, as well as the need for cooperation between arbitration centres and the country’s judiciary.
They suggested that the state legislate to intervene in domestic arbitration issues, and many people called for the amendment of the Civil Arbitration Procedure Law, the centralization of arbitration centers, and the establishment of a special arbitration association.
They also suggested that some amendments and improvements be made to the arbitration law, which has not yet been enacted, and that state-level judicial institutions should assume the obligation to teach arbitration courses and include the course in school curricula.
Participants in the seminar, chaired by Counsellor Dr. Muhammad Al Kamali, Director General of the Training and Judicial Institute, included: Ibrahim Muhammad Ali, Assistant Secretary General of the Commercial Mediation and Arbitration Center of Ras Al Khaimah, Ahmed Saleh, Director of Sharjah International Commercial Arbitration Center Al Ajla, Lawyer Ahmed Ali Al Zaabi, Member of the National Committee, Lawyer Ahmed Mohammed Al-Rasheed, and Dr. Jamal Al-Sumaiti, Director General of the Dubai Judicial Institute.
Also present were Attorney Habib Al Mulla, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Dubai International Arbitration Centre, Attorney Zayed Saeed Al Shamsi, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Emirates Bar Association, Shaaban Raafat Abdul Latif, Director of Legal Affairs, Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Sharjah Arbitration Centre, Dr. Abdullah Ibrahim Daifis, Secretary General of the International Islamic Centre for Reconciliation and Arbitration, Chairman of the Executive Committee of Sharjah Arbitration Centre, Dr. Ali Al-Hadithi, International Arbitrator and Legal and Investment Advisor, Dr. Fawzi Muhammad Sami, Office of Hussein Lootah – Senior Advisor and International Arbitrator, Dr. Magdi Ibrahim Qassem, Advisor, Executive Director of Abu Dhabi Commercial Mediation and Arbitration Centre, Wajdi Al-Shazly, Judge of the Sharjah Federal Court of First Instance.
The center will publish details of the seminar in Al-Khaleej newspaper later.