The International Chamber of Commerce Qatar will hold a panel discussion on ‘Party Participation in an Arbitration’ on February 21, the second seminar in ICC Qatar’s newly-launched monthly ‘Arbitration Series’ as part of the 2017 programme of its Commission on Arbitration and ADR.
The panel discussion will bring together high-level speakers from top companies and international organisations, including Michael Mitchell of Qatar Foundation, Stephen Hibbert of Qatar Rail, Christopher Newmark, representing the International Chamber of Commerce Global Commission on Arbitration and ADR, and Thomas Wilson of Squire Patton Boggs.
 The ‘Arbitration Series’ aims to foster the development of trade and investment between Qatar and the international business community, and was designed to help inform not only arbitration practitioners but professionals across the entire Qatari community from businesses, governmental agencies, and public and private sectors to students.
“After the successful launch of the ‘Arbitration Series’ last month and its positive reception, we are happy to continue to share knowledge on Arbitration and ADR with the Qatari business community,” said ICC Qatar chairman Sheikh Khalifa bin Jassim al-Thani, who is also executive board member of ICC International Secretariat.
He further noted that the rapid economic growth that Qatar is witnessing across all fields “further underscores the importance of arbitration as a means of dispute settlement.”
“Thousands of trade contracts are signed every year from which hundreds of disputes arise. A key focus of our work has been to ensure that all businesses operating in Qatar have knowledge of and access to the best possible dispute resolution mechanisms administered in the most efficient manner,” he said.
Charbel Maakaron, head of the ICC Qatar Commissioner on Arbitration and ADR, said “I am very pleased with the success we are seeing with the series and the engagement that we are getting from the Qatar legal community. This February event is particularly valuable as we will hear prominent members of the Qatar business and legal community discuss their first-hand experiences with arbitration as a dispute settlement option. I believe that it will be an enlightening discussion and informative.”
The seminars are presented by commission members and colleagues, and will address the changes and developments in foreign and domestic arbitration in Qatar, how Qatari professionals might prepare for arbitration and ADR proceedings, and discussion of how arbitration in Qatar links to the international business community and investments.