The Bahrain Chamber for Dispute Resolution (BCDR) participated in the Sharm El Sheikh IX Conference on the Role of State Courts in International Arbitration, held in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, from December 4-5, 2024. The conference was organized by UNCITRAL, the Cairo Regional Centre for International Commercial Arbitration (CRCICA), the International Council for Commercial Arbitration (ICCA), the International Federation of Commercial Arbitration Institutions (IFCAI), and the Arab Union for International Arbitration (AUIA).
On the first day of the conference, a soft launch of the Arabic version of ICCA's Judges' Guide to the Interpretation of the 1958 New York Convention (Second Edition) took place. BCDR's CEO, Ahmed Husain, participated in presenting the guide to H.E. Judge Adnan Fangari, Egypt's Minister of Justice, alongside other distinguished figures.
The presentation ceremony included remarks from Dr. Mohamed Abdel Raouf; Funke Adekoya, Governing Board Member of ICCA; Judge Dominique Hascher, advisory member of ICCA's Governing Board; and Vladimir Khvalei, ICCA Board Member.
The Arabic translation of this essential resource for judges was a collaborative effort, led by Ahmed Husain, CEO of BCDR. He translated and initially revised the amendments for the second edition of the guide, then oversaw the final review process with Dr. Mohamed Abdel Raouf, Partner and Head of Arbitration at Abdel Raouf Advocates & Legal Consultants and a member of ICCA's advisory board, along with Aysha Mutaywea, Partner at Mena Chambers, Board member of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) - Bahrain Branch, and Trustee of BCDR.
In 2014, BCDR translated the first edition of the ICCA Judges' Guide during its launch. This ongoing commitment highlights BCDR's dedication to promoting best practices in international arbitration and supporting the judiciary across the Arab world.
The Judges' Guide serves as an invaluable tool for judges tasked with interpreting and applying the New York Convention, a cornerstone of international arbitration. The availability of an Arabic version will significantly enhance its accessibility and impact within the Arab legal community.