Under the patronage of HE Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani, Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, QICCA organized the fourth edition of the conference from March 22-23, 2024, at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel.
Held under the theme ‘Impact of Arbitration on Achieving a Suitable Environment for Investment,’ the conference also marked the 5th anniversary of the issuance of the Qatar Arbitration Law and the launch of QICCA’s new rules for conciliation and arbitration.
The two-day conference was inaugurated by HE Masoud bin Mohamed Al Ameri, Minister of Justice, in the presence of Qatar Chamber and QICCA Chairman HE Sheikh Khalifa bin Jassim Al Thani, QICCA Board Member for International Relations Dr Sheikh Thani bin Ali Al Thani, alongside a distinguished group of experts, arbitrators, and lawyers.
About 30 senior speakers from both inside and outside Qatar shared their insights during the conference, with over 500 participants in attendance.
The conference included eight sessions addressing key issues related to arbitration.
At the closing session, QICCA announced the conference’s recommendations, which include:
- Activating Sub-article No. 10 of Article No. 11 of the Arbitration Law No. 2 of 2017, which outlines the procedures for appointing or choosing arbitrators, and activating Article 37 of the Arbitration Law, which mandates the establishment of a registry for arbitrators at the Ministry of Justice. It is recommended that this registry be supervised by a committee consisting of legal scholars specializing in international arbitration and representatives of the arbitration centres in Qatar to ensure the appointment of suitable arbitrators.
- Issuing by-laws to determine the procedures for depositing arbitral awards, as set forth in Sub-article No. 11 of Article No. 31 of the Arbitration Law, while considering the principle of confidentiality and safeguarding the parties’ data and the subject of the dispute.
- Incorporating arbitration clauses into contracts of government entities, especially in construction contracts.
- Amending Sub-article No. 3 of Article No. 33 of the Arbitration Law to specify that the court may only set aside arbitral awards at the request of the parties, and not on its own motion.
Regarding the Mediation Law, the conference recommended the following:
- Amending Article No. 22 to ensure that the stay of prescribed periods begins from the signing of the mediation agreement, rather than the start of procedures.
- Issuing a decision that outlines the procedures for applying and documenting settlement agreements in court and clarifies the nature of the decision issued by the judge in accordance with Article No. 35 of the Law.
- Amending Article No. 27 of the Mediation Law to state: “The court may decide that it is not appropriate to consider the case because it was settled by mediation.”
On the sidelines of the forum, QICCA and the Cairo Regional Centre for International Commercial Arbitration signed a memorandum of understanding to enhance cooperation and coordination in the field of arbitration. The MOU was signed by QICCA Board Member for International Relations HE Dr Sheikh Thani bin Ali Al Thani and Dr Ismail Saleem, Director of the Cairo Regional Centre for International Commercial Arbitration.
