Judges to weigh in on key issues in the Arab world

By Ayman Adly/Staff ReporterFamily disputes in the Arab world should be resolved within a special judiciary system based on the principles of the Islamic religious law and applied civil legislation to maintain the integrity of the family, a judiciary conference being held in Doha has suggested.More efforts should be exerted to resolve such disputes outside courts using the various available social institutional tools as an alternative for the traditional legal procedures to spare families the tedious experiences of normal courts. Similarly, addressing the legal perspectives of issues such as domestic violence and child abuse should be on top of the agenda of legal experts’ discussions.The 4th Conference of the Chief Justices of High Courts in Arab Countries was inaugurated yesterday in Doha under the patronage of HH the Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani. The conference, which concludes tomorrow, is being chaired by HE Judge Masood bin Mohamed al-Amiri, chairman of the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC). Al-Amiri said that the conference would focus on three factors that have deep implications on the judicial scene in the whole Arab world. These include the role of the judiciary in establishing social security and stability regarding family matters, its role in the implementation of international agreements in the field of investment, and specialised courts as a means of upgrading judicial services. In the meantime, he stressed the role of judiciary in creating an investment friendly environment and how it should develop the necessary tools to implement international agreements to resolve and settle business disputes as speedily as possible. These should also focus on the role of arbitration to resolve related matters. SJC chairman saw that specialised courts are effective means to ease litigation procedures and save time as well. These should make the best use of the available technological advancement to provide concerned parties with the necessary judicial services and deliver the most sought-after quick justice. He said that the conference would look into the best ways to implement such factors besides the project of the Arab High Courts Union, which will be discussed on the sidelines of conference. The third conference, held in Sudan last year, had recommended that such project should be referred to the Arab Centre of Legal and Judicial Studies (ACLJC) for further study and taking the opinion of the largest number of chief justices in the Arab world. Al-Amiri suggested that a special session of the event should be assigned to the discussion of the project to issue related recommendations before the concluding session. In addition, he saw that the event is a great opportunity for the information and experience exchange among the experts in the field that would certainly enhance mutual co-operation and reflect positively on improving the performance of judges in different Arab countries. Ambassador Abdulrahman al-Sulh, assistant secretary general of the Arab League and ACLJC director, affirmed that this conference in Qatar proves Doha’s eagerness in maintaining the principles of justice and the progress of judiciary work in the Arab world as a way forward for development and stability. High-level judicial delegations from various Arab countries, including Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Sudan, Algeria, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, Yemen, Libya and Morocco, are taking part in the forum.