The Qatar International Centre for Conciliation & Arbitration (QICCA) at Qatar Chamber will organise the ‘4th World Conference on International Arbitration’ on March 22 and 23 under the patronage of HE the Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz al-Thani.
Under the theme ‘Impact of Arbitration on Achieving a Satisfactory Environment for Investment’, the conference will also mark the fifth anniversary of the issuance of the Qatar Arbitration Law.
The two-day event will gather arbitration senior experts from Qatar and other countries and 30 prominent speakers to share their insights and expertise about arbitration and its impact on the investment environment.
In a press conference Tuesday at the chamber’s headquarters, QICCA and Qatar Chamber chairman Sheikh Khalifa bin Jassim al-Thani expressed his sincere gratitude to the Prime Minister for his patronage.
He stressed that the Qatar Arbitration Law contributed to promoting the arbitration culture in the business community and enhancing investors’ confidence in the Qatari economy.
Sheikh Khalifa noted that the conference represents an international forum for arbitration experts, and stressed that the conference’s sessions will review many important issues, including recent trends in the rules of international arbitration centres, recent international trends in the settlement of commercial disputes, and the impact of the Covid-19 on arbitration proceedings.
Discussions also will cover the third-party financing for arbitration in international commercial disputes and arbitrator and arbitration litigation, in addition to the enforcement of foreign arbitration awards in Qatar.
Sheikh Khalifa said the conference will also focus on arbitration in Qatar, the GCC, and Arab countries, as well as the role performed by QICCA in developing the arbitration process in the country.
He said arbitration has become the easiest and shortest way to reach quick settlements for commercial disputes, in accordance with legal frameworks and regulatory controls, and offers a mechanism that ensures the highest levels of justice.
QICCA board member for International Relations Sheikh Dr Thani bin Ali al-Thani said the conference will be attended by leading Qatari, Arab, and foreign experts in arbitration, noting that it aims to shed light on the impact of international commercial arbitration on the growth of investments, as well as recent updates and developments in rules of international arbitration organisations.
Sheikh Thani also noted that the conference coincides with the launch of QICCA’s new arbitration and conciliation rules, and stressed that the centre has been working over the past two years, in cooperation with a group of legal experts, Qatari, and foreign university professors, and arbitration practitioners in the State to update its rules in line with the latest standards of international commercial arbitration.
He said QICCA strives to offer practical solutions for the business community, assuring that this positively reflects on the development of investment opportunities in the State.
He invited all those interested in arbitration inside or outside Qatar to participate in the conference, pointing out that it will include discussion sessions that are of high value in terms of attendees and scientific material.
On the cases settled by QICCA in 2021, Sheikh Thani said the centre received 40 cases that were worth over QR2bn. This year, there centre received eight cases, so far. He added that the UN Commission on International Trade Law ‘UNCITRAL’, the International Chamber of Commerce, the Arbitration Institute of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce, and the Cairo Regional Centre for international commercial arbitration will be present at the conference.