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On 12 March 2020, Qatar ratified the Singapore Convention. On 16 March 2022, United Arab Emirates officially announced it will follow suit and will be the 56th signatory to the Convention. It is perhaps now timely to consider how mediation is used (or not used) in these jurisdictions, and what commercial parties intending to mediate should bear in mind, particularly in the context of 'mediation in arbitration' ('Med-Arb', or 'Arb-Med-Arb' etc).
The speakers will briefly address Qatari Law No. 20/2021 on Mediation in the Settlement of Civil and Commercial Disputes issued on 4 November 2021, as well as UAE Federal Law No. 6 of April 2021 on Mediation for the Settlement of Civil and Commercial Disputes.
The speakers will also consider other jurisdictions such as England and Wales, particularly in the context of the research on the use of mediation undertaken by the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, available guidelines, and other important considerations.
Opening remarks by Ahmad Al-Ansari (Chair of the Qatar Branch) and Iryna Akulenka (Chair of the UAE Branch).
This event is free: for registration, please CLICK HERE.
Please note the times listed are in Arabia Standard Time (UCT+3)
Event Speakers
Jane Gunn, FCIArb, FRSA, FPSA, CEDR accredited and IMI Certified, Mediator
Jane Gunn, is an expert in the field of conflict resolution, a trained mediator and facilitator, known to her clients as “The Barefoot Mediator”. Listed as a Global Leader in Who’s Who Mediation and featured in Legal 500 Hall of Fame, she is President of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb) and is a former director and board member of the Civil Mediation Council of England and Wales (CMC).
She has been invited to speak at the United Nations, the White House, the European Commission and the International Energy Agency and has spoken at conferences and events all over the world
She has worked with organisations large and small including Cable & Wireless, The NHS, BAA, Bacardi- Martini, McLaren Racing, The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, ACCA and many more
She is also the author of 2 popular books on conflict management “How to Beat Bedlam in the Boardroom and Boredom in the Bedroom” and “The Authority Guide to Conflict Resolution”
Jane’s skill is in getting people
- Talking about what matters most – both to them and to their organisation
- Motivated, energized and committed to what needs to happen next
Jane Gunn, FCIArb, FRSA, FPSA, CEDR accredited and IMI Certified, Mediator
Jane Gunn, is an expert in the field of conflict resolution, a trained mediator and facilitator, known to her clients as “The Barefoot Mediator”. Listed as a Global Leader in Who’s Who Mediation and featured in Legal 500 Hall of Fame, she is President of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb) and is a former director and board member of the Civil Mediation Council of England and Wales (CMC).
She has been invited to speak at the United Nations, the White House, the European Commission and the International Energy Agency and has spoken at conferences and events all over the world
She has worked with organisations large and small including Cable & Wireless, The NHS, BAA, Bacardi- Martini, McLaren Racing, The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, ACCA and many more.
She is also the author of 2 popular books on conflict management “How to Beat Bedlam in the Boardroom and Boredom in the Bedroom” and “The Authority Guide to Conflict Resolution”
Jane’s skill is in getting people
- Talking about what matters most – both to them and to their organisation
- Motivated, energized and committed to what needs to happen next
Thomas Williams Partner, Sultan Al-Abdulla & Partners (Qatar)
Thomas has been in the legal profession since 2002. Prior to joining the Firm, he was head of the arbitration and commercial dispute resolution practice at the London office of an international law firm.
Thomas is an English qualified barrister and leads the Firm’s arbitration practice. He is an experienced advocate in arbitrations under all of the major institutional rules, and in ad hoc arbitrations and has also appeared regularly as an advocate in the English High Court (including the Commercial Court), and the Court of Appeal.
Thomas has particular experience of complex commercial disputes arising in the fields of energy, oil & gas, banking and financial services, and construction and engineering. Much of his work involves cross-jurisdictional issues and the conflicts of laws, such as asset-tracing and the enforcement of judgments and arbitral awards. He has substantial experience in international cases, and frequently works with overseas lawyers in common law and civil law jurisdictions.
Thomas is a graduate of Cambridge University and was called to the Bar by Lincoln’s Inn in 2002
Dr Isabel Phillips Director of ADR and Mediation Development, CIArb (UK)
Isabel is a conflict specialist and mediator with over 20 years of experience. She joined the full-time staff of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators at the start of 2021. She brings global experience in the application of complementary application of different forms of ADR, and the development of the skills and knowledge of those working in and with conflict and disputes.
Isabel’s mediation experience encompasses a wide range of domestic and international commercial disputes including construction, commercial contract, and employment disputes. She has designed, delivered, and evaluated interactive conflict training and dispute systems design for governments, IGOs, NGOs and commercial businesses across four continents. She has also spent five years working on conflict and disputes in deep-field, fragile and post-conflict environments including Bosnia-Herzegovina and Ethiopia.
She worked with CEDR from 2003 to 2018 as mediator, consultant, and lead faculty and has been a Visiting Lecturer at the University of Westminster Law school and Institute of Advanced Legal Studies at LLB and LLM level since 2005. Her work with the Conflict Research Society includes being an Advisory Board and Jury member for their prestigious ‘Book of the Year’ prize.
Isabel is a qualified ‘Peace Specialist’ (Friedensfachkraft, AGQ 2000) a CEDR accredited mediator (2003), and was awarded her PhD (University of Bradford, 2017) on the theory and practice of mediation in commercial and socio-political contexts.
Her publications include: ‘Writing a field Into Existence’ The International Journal of Arbitration, Mediation and Dispute Management, 2021; ‘How to Mediate’ Resolver, 2021; ‘Emotion and Negotiation’ (Book Chapter) in How to Master Negotiation Bloomsbury, 2015; Heuristics and Bias in Mediation, Paper for the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications 2010 and “A Meeting of Minds: Bringing Academics and Practitioners in the world of conflict management together” Feature, Training Journal, August 2010.
Robert Sliwinski Counsel, Al Suwaidi & Company (UAE)
Robert has a wealth of legal and commercial experience from over 35 years’ involvement in all aspects of the property and construction industry. He continues to act as a party representative whilst undertaking appointments as arbitrator, adjudicator, expert determiner, mediator and dispute board member.
Robert’s work as a neutral dispute resolver has involved him in cases in both the UK and internationally as the sole decision maker and as part of a panel of two or three members. He has also acted as Counsel in litigation and arbitration (both domestically and internationally).
The types of disputes he has been involved with include claims for professional negligence, property, landlord & tenant, delay analysis, costs, variations, defects, interpretation of contracts, repudiation, and many other aspects of contract in the areas of building, civil engineering, mechanical & electrical, wastewater treatment and process engineering as well as property related issues.
Robert has substantial knowledge and experience of the contracting and dispute processes within the United Arab Emirates, Africa and the Far East (Singapore, Hong Kong and Malaysia). His role as a neutral dispute resolver has taken him across the world including the Middle East, USA, Caribbean, Europe and Cyprus.
Robert provides training, seminars and undertakes assessments on international and domestic arbitration, mediation as well as adjudication on behalf of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators both in the UK and overseas. He is also a regular speaker at various seminars and conferences on all aspects of alternative dispute resolution.
Robert joined Al Suwaidi in May 2020 as Counsel in order to allow him to expand his practice as the dispute resolver and client representative in the Middle East and Asia as well as accepting appointments as a Neutral though ArbDB Chambers in London. He also is the Chair of the President’s Panels Group and sits on the Committee of the UAE Branch of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators.
Huw Davies, Mediator on Qatar International Court and Dispute Resolution Centre (QICDRC)
Huw Davies qualified as a barrister in the UK in 1998 and has since practiced in both the UK and Qatar. Huw’s broad experience of employment issues, regulatory frameworks, corporate governance, commercial contracts, investment agreements and construction related matters, both within the public and private sectors as a lawyer, mediator and negotiator, has transitioned well into his alternative dispute resolution practice. Huw is passionate about creating opportunities for people to explore and resolve disputes and has written numerous articles on dispute resolution and effective relationship management. Huw is an accredited Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) commercial mediator and a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. He is on the arbitration panel of the London Court of International Arbitration and the Qatar Chamber of Commerce and the mediation panels for Sports Resolutions and the Qatar International Court and Dispute Resolution Centre.
Ahmad Al Ansari, Chair of the CIArb Qatar Branch
Ahmad started in 1984 at Qatar fertilizer Company (QAFCO) for almost 13 years from a Mechanical Technician to Mechanical Project Engineer. In 1997 was Joined the Water Projects Department at Ministry of Electricity & Water which he became the Head of the Department in 1999.
In 2001, Ahmad moved to Qatar National Olympic Committee as the Programme Leader responsible for planning and delivery of some 32 prestigious sport facilities and projects for Doha 2006 Asian Games. In 2006 he was the Managing Director of Lagoon Qatar, providing multi-disciplinary engineering and construction services, and in 2013 he joined Public Works Authority in and now he is in charge of the President Technical Office.
Ahmad has a University Degree in Mechanical Engineering, a Master Degree in Project Management in Construction, a Master of Laws in Construction Law & Arbitration, and he is a Chartered Construction Manager as well as Fellow and Chartered Member of various International Professional Institutions.
Iryna Akulenka, Chair of the CIArb UAE Branch
Iryna is a Senior Consultant at HKA and also acts as an arbitrator in construction disputes. Iryna is the Chair of the UAE Branch of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and also teaches International Arbitration for the Institute.