The Bahrain Chamber for Dispute Resolution (BCDR-AAA), in conjunction with the Investment Treaty Forum (ITF) of the British Institute of International and Comparative Law (BIICL), held a conference on December 10, 2015, in Bahrain on "International Investment Arbitration in the MENA Region."
From left to right: H.E. Sh. Khalid Ali Al-Khalifa, Mr. Rashid Abdelrahman and Mr. Abdulla Albuainain
Attendees at the conference
Attendees at the conference
Attendees at the conference
Attendees at the conference
BCDR-AAA's Chief Executive Officer, Professor Nassib G. Ziadé, noted in his welcoming remarks that "MENA countries are increasingly facing investment disputes at a time when regional awareness in this field is limited. It was thus imperative to familiarize governmental lawyers and practitioners in the Region with this discipline." He pointed out that the conference "attracted over 130 participants traveling all the way from Bahrain, Egypt, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, the United Arab Emirates, Canada, Germany, Austria, the U.K. and the U.S." Professor Ziadé pledged that he will "continue to bring similar events to the Region."
Prof. Nassib G. Ziadé speaking at the opening address. From left to right: Dr. N. Jansen Calamita, Prof. Nassib G. Ziadé, H.E. Sh. Khalid Al-Khalifa and Mr. Timothy Lemay
The conference focused on numerous topics, including:
- Avoiding and Addressing Conflicts of Interest in Arbitral Appointments
- Post Award Recourse
- Bilateral and Multilateral Investment Agreements in the Arab World: The Rediscovery of the Investment Agreement of the Arab League and the Islamic Conference
- What's Next for the MENA Region and Investment Treaties? Are Arab States Being Left Behind?
The opening address was attended by H.E. Shaikh Khalid bin Ali Al Khalifa, the Bahraini Minister of Justice, Islamic Affairs and Endowments; Mr. Timothy Lemay, Principal Legal Officer at the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL); Dr. N. Jansen Calamita, Director of the ITF; and Professor Nassib G. Ziadé.
The panel at the opening address. From left to right: Dr. N. Jansen Calamita, Prof. Nassib G. Ziadé, H.E. Sh. Khalid Al-Khalifa and Mr. Timothy Lemay
The opening address
The conference was divided into four panel sessions and a closing session, which featured Professor Jan Paulsson of Three Crowns LLP.
The first session on "Avoiding and Addressing Conflicts of Interest in Arbitral Appointments" was chaired by Dr. Philippe Leboulanger, Senior Partner at Cabinet Leboulanger and Associés, and included presentations by Mr. Brooks Daly, Deputy Secretary-General and Principal Legal Counsel at the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA), Ms. Fatma Khalifa, Counselor at the Foreign Disputes Department of the Egyptian State Lawsuits Authority (ESLA), and Professor Nassib G. Ziadé.
The first session panelists. From left to right: Mr. Brooks Daly, Prof. Nassib G. Ziadé, Ms. Fatma Khalifa
and Dr. Philippe Leboulanger
During the first session. From left to right: Mr Brooks Daly, Prof. Nassib G. Ziadé and Dr. Philippe Leboulanger
Ms. Fatma Khalifa speaking during the first session
Mr. Brooks Daly speaking during the first session
Prof. Nassib G. Ziadé speaking during the first session
The second session, entitled "Taking Another Bite at the Apple? Post-Award Recourse," was chaired by Dr. Antonio R. Parra, Senior Consultant at the World Bank and Honorary Secretary-General of the International Council for Commercial Arbitration (ICCA), and it included presentations by Dr. Gordon Blanke, Partner at DWF (Middle East) LLP, Dr. Georgios Petrochilos, Partner at Three Crowns LLP, and Mr. Iain Maxwell, Of Counsel at Herbert Smith Freehills.
The second session panelists. From left to right: Dr. Gordon Blanke, Dr. Georgios Petrochilos, Dr. Antonio Parra
and Mr. Iain Maxwell
Dr. Antonio Parra speaking during the second session
Dr. Georgios Petrochilos speaking during the second session
The third session dealt with "Bilateral and Multilateral Investment Agreements in the Arab World" and was chaired by Dr. Mohamed Abdel Raouf, Director of the Cairo Regional Centre for International Commercial Arbitration (CRCICA). It included presentations by Professor Adnan Amkhan Bayno, Head of Mena Chambers, Dr. Nagla Nassar, Founding Partner at Nassar Law, and Mr. Dany Khayat, Partner at Mayer Brown.
The third session panelists. From left to right: Mr. Dany Khayat, Dr. Mohamed Abdel Raouf, Prof. Adnan Amkhan Bayno
and sitting Dr. Nagla Nassar
Dr. Nagla Nassar speaking during the third session
Mr. Dany Khayat speaking during the third session
Panelists during the third session
Dr. Mohamed Abdel Raouf speaking during the third session
The fourth session, entitled "What Next for the MENA Region and Investment Treaties? Are Arab States Being Left Behind?," was chaired by Dr. N. Jansen Calamita and included presentations by Dr. Raëd Fathallah, Partner at Bredin Prat, Ms. Anne K. Hoffmann, Special Counsel at Al Tamimi & Co., and Dr. Karim A. Youssef, Head of Middle East Arbitration at Amereller Legal Consultants.
The fourth session panelists. From left to right: Dr. Karim Youssef, Ms. Anne K. Hoffmann, Dr. N. Janssen Calamita
and Dr. Raëd Fathallah
Dr. N. Jansen Calamita speaking during the fourth session
Ms. Anne K. Hoffmann speaking during the fourth session
Dr. Raëd Fathallah speaking during the fourth session
Dr. Karim Youssef speaking during the fourth session
Professor Jan Paulsson gave the concluding remarks.
Prof. Nassib G. Ziadé speaking during the closing session. On his right, Prof. Jan Paulsson
Prof. Nassib G. Ziadé speaking during the closing session
Prof. Jan Paulsson speaking during the closing session
Prof. Jan Paulsson speaking during the closing session
To see the detailed program of the one-day conference, please click here.