Qatar International Court and Dispute Resolution Centre (QICDRC) has welcomed the new Arbitration Law, which has been designed to meet the economic and commercial needs of Qatar and those doing business here.

The new law, which is based upon the UNCITRAL Model Law, will, amongst other things, give the Civil and Commercial Court at the QICDRC a supervisory jurisdiction over arbitrations where the parties elect it so to have, a spokesman of QICDRC said.

"Arbitration is a popular method for resolving international commercial disputes and the issuing of this new law has come at an important time," QICDRC chief executive Faisal al-Sahouti said.

The United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL), a subsidiary body of the general assembly of the UN, was established in 1966 with the general mandate to further the progressive harmonisation and unification of the law of international trade.

"This (new Arbitration Law) will likely prove an attractive offering, especially for international companies doing business in Qatar," the spokesman added.

The UNCITRAL arbitration rules provide a comprehensive set of procedural rules upon which parties may agree for the conduct of arbitral proceedings arising out of their commercial relationship and are widely used in ad hoc arbitrations as well as administered arbitrations.

The UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules (as revised in 2010) have been effective since August 15, 2010. They include provisions dealing with, amongst others, multiple-party arbitration and joinder, liability, and a procedure to object to experts appointed by the arbitral tribunal.

Several innovative features contained in the rules aim to enhance procedural efficiency, including revised procedures for the replacement of an arbitrator, the requirement for reasonableness of costs, and a review mechanism regarding the costs of arbitration. They also include more detailed provisions on interim measures.

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