London hosts the Gulf-British Arbitration Forum with participation of prominent international experts
The forum addressed several key topics, most notably international commercial arbitration, and introduced the upcoming Second Gulf Law and Arbitration Week, scheduled to be held in the Kingdom of Bahrain in January next year. The event served as a platform for knowledge exchange and the strengthening of legal cooperation among relevant institutions.
Mr. Abdullah Al-Omair, Director General of International Agreements at the Saudi Ministry of Investment, delivered a keynote presentation highlighting the legal environment for investment in Saudi Arabia in light of the Ministry's strategies and Vision 2030. The audience praised the Kingdom's achievements in attracting foreign investment and fostering investor confidence.
A delegation from the Supreme Judiciary Council of Qatar also participated, presenting the status of commercial courts and investment-related judicial structures in Qatar, with a particular focus on initiatives supporting and empowering women in the legal sector as part of the country's judicial system.
On the sidelines of the forum, Dr. Kamal Al-Hamad held a series of coordination meetings with several UK arbitration institutions, accompanied by members of the GCCCAC Advisory Committee. These meetings included discussions on exchanging rosters of arbitrators and experts, as well as exploring cooperation mechanisms for training and certifying legal arbitrators and specialists.
These visits are part of a broader series of international Gulf forums organized by the GCCCAC, aimed at enhancing engagement and experience exchange with leading legal and arbitration bodies worldwide. The series began in the United States in May, followed by the UK forum, and will continue in Paris this September, where meetings are scheduled with the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and Sorbonne University, under the patronage of the Arab-French Chamber of Commerce.
The forum concluded with a special tribute to Queen Mary University of London, one of the UK's prestigious academic institutions. Dr. Peter Cameron, Professor of Law at the university, delivered a speech discussing specialized academic programs in legal training and the importance of preparing legal professionals to meet the evolving demands of international arbitration.
It is worth noting that the Gulf Cooperation Council Commercial Arbitration Centre is an international regional arbitration body with legal personality, established by a resolution of the GCC heads of state during the 14th GCC Summit in Riyadh in 1993. The centre's operational framework was approved by all GCC Council of Ministers, with the aim of promoting arbitration as an independent system for resolving commercial and investment disputes. The Centre also works to train and certify arbitrators, experts, and case managers across various specialties through high-quality accreditation programs, thereby fostering a culture of justice and fairness in arbitration across the Gulf region.
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