Catch up below on the following Egypt Branch activities during Q4 2022

Fourth Branch Committee Meeting 2022

The fourth Committee Meeting of the CIArb Egypt Branch was held virtually on 2 December 2022. Members approved the agenda of the meeting and the minutes of the latest Committee Meeting as recorded on 6 September 2022. The Branch Chair, Prof. Dr. Abdel Raouf, presented a brief on the CIArb Congress held on 8-9 November 2022, which included a discussion amongst a number of the Chairs of CIArb Branches about what can branches do to assist members to get appointments as arbitrator, adjudicator and mediator. Dr. Abdel Rauf reported the re-election of Prof. Dr. Mohamed Abdel Wahab as the CIArb Trustee Board Member for the Middle Eastern Indian Sub-continent Region and his election as CIArb President from January 2025. The Branch Chair also presented a brief on CIArb Chair Meeting and CIArb AGM held successively on 26 and 29 September 2022. The meetings focused on the approval on the proposed amendments to the Charter, By-Laws, and BoT appointments of non-legal background.

The Branch Vice-Chair and Treasurer, Dr. Ismail Selim, presented a brief on the Branch Treasurers' Meeting held on 15 - 17 November 2022. The Treasurer meeting focused on the approval of the 2022 half-year pack, IT update, and CIArb rebranding. Members discussed other items of the agenda including the Branch Development Plan and Budget 2023, latest update on the Branch membership, Branch AFL status, possible cooperation with Metropolis Academy in Jordan and the UAE Branch. Discussions also approached the Branch future events including a seminar on a recent important Egyptian court decision related to arbitration and administrative decisions (the DIPCO Case), scheduled on 4 January 2023, a course on: Comparative Commercial Arbitration: Theory and Practice (CCATP) scheduled in May 2023, qualifying for the membership of the CIArb to be organized by the CRCICA (the seat of the Branch) jointly with the Branch, and a seminar on the Cross examination of experts. The next Branch AGM and Committee meeting were scheduled on 8 March 2023.

CIArb Chair Meeting and CIArb AGM

Prof. Dr. Mohamed Abdel Raouf, Branch Chair, represented the Branch at the virtual CIArb Chair Meeting and AGM held successively on 26 and 29 September 2022. Discussions focused on the approval on the proposed amendments to the Charter and By-Laws (more than 90% approved the proposed amendments); amendments focused on best practices while BoT amendments included the appointments of non-legal background, the implementation of new CIArb Brand, renewal and revocation campaign, and extending the early bird discounted membership fee until February 2023.

CIArb Congress and Presidential Elections 2022

On 8-9 November 2022, Prof. Dr. Mohamed Abdel Raouf, Branch Chair, represented the Branch at the virtual CIArb Congress and Presidential Elections. Prof Dr. Abdel Raouf spoke at a session held on 9 November 2022 moderated by the Chair of London Branch. The panel also included the Chairs of Australia, Brazil, Egypt, India, New York, and Zambia Branches.

The speakers gave an overview in response to the question: What can branches do to assist members to get appointments as arbitrator, adjudicator and mediator. The Egypt Branch Chair presented the opportunities provided by the Egypt Branch and the CRCICA (the seat of the Branch) to qualify its members for possible enrolment on CRCICA’s panel of arbitrators including; Branch Mentoring Programme, Branch training courses qualifying for the CIArb Membership, Branch capacity building trainings, Branch Wednesday One Seminars and other events providing opportunities of speaking for talented young practitioners with different backgrounds and networking for the Branch members. The elections for the positions of Deputy President 2023 (President 2024) and Vice President 2023 (Deputy President 2024 and President 2025) took place in the opening session of Congress. Jonathan Wood and Prof. Dr. Mohamed Abdel Wahab were elected CIArb Presidents for 2024 and 2025 respectively.

CIArb Treasurer Meeting

On 15-17 November 2022, Dr. Ismail Selim, Branch Vice-Chair and Honorary Treasurer, represented the Branch at the virtual CIArb Treasurer Meeting held on 15-17 November 2022. The agenda of the Meeting included an update on the CIArb initiatives regarding automation of branch financial templates and extranet, Branch Financial Reporting; including 2022 Half year pack, Branch Grants- 2nd tranche, Branch Plan Feedback, Branch Handbook, and new branding templates. The meeting also reported the approval on the Branch Budget 2023 by the CIArb Director of Finance, Planning and Reporting.

Seminar on International Arbitration and International Judiciary

On 5 October 2022, the Egypt Branch organized jointly with CRCICA a seminar on International Arbitration and International Judiciary, held at CRCICA (the seat of the Branch). The speaker was Prof. Dr. Moufid Shehab, professor of international law at Cairo University, former Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research , and former Minister of Legal Affairs and Parliamentary Councils, the moderator was Ambassador Mohamed Mostafa Kamal MCIArb, former Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs, lawyer and arbitrator, committee member of the CIArb Egypt Branch.

The introduction addressed the peaceful settlement of international disputes and the history of international arbitration, and the distinction between arbitration and adjudication before international courts, as well as the enforcement of international arbitral awards. The speaker also addressed the emergence of the International Court of Justice as a principal organ of the United Nations, the jurisdiction of the ICJ, the enforcement of its decisions.

Seminar on the Extension of Arbitration Agreements to Non-Signatories

On 21 December 2022, the Egypt Branch organized jointly with CRCICA the seminar on the Extension of Arbitration Agreements to Non-Signatories, held at CRCICA (the seat of the Branch). The speaker was Dr. Sherif Elatafy, Assistant Professor of Law at Ain Shams University, School of Law, Partner at Khodeir and Partners law firm, attorney at the New York State Bar and arbitrator. The moderator was Ambassador Mohamed Mostafa Kamal MCIArb, former Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs, lawyer and arbitrator, committee member of the CIArb Egypt Branch.

The seminar discussed the practical aspects of the extension of arbitration agreements to non-signatories by examining the factual basis of cases where the parties sought to extend arbitration agreements. He also shed light on recent court decisions in Egypt and the Mena region on this issue. The audience engaged in interesting discussions related to the extent of interference of non-signatories in the negotiation or performance of the contract that lead to an extension to the arbitration agreement to them.

To watch the video of the Seminar, please click here

Egypt Branch Supports the DRBF MENA Regional Conference and Workshop

On 14- 15 November 2022, the Egypt Branch supported the Dispute Resolution Board Foundation (DRBF) MENA Regional Conference and Workshop hosted by the CRCICA (the seat of the Branch). The DRBF Workshop, held on 14 November 2022, was designed for candidates interested in serving on DBs and implementing DBs for the first time. The Workshop was delivered by experienced DRBF tutors and practitioners. The Programme of the DRBF Conference, held on 15 November 2022, included topics relating to the application of the DB Rules, its best practices and dispute avoidance. Experienced DRBF speakers presented the advantages of DB Rules, CRCICA’s DB Rules, FIDIC and other international DB Rules, and their application in the region, the importance of expertise and of independence and impartiality for successful DBs. The conference was concluded by a roundtable discussion on the distinctive issues and challenges facing DB application by project and DB experts.

Egypt Branch Media Partner to Sharm El Sheikh VIII

Egypt Branch was a Media Partner for the world’s sole biennial conference Sharm El Sheikh VIII on “The Role of State Courts in International Arbitration” scheduled on 5-6 December 2022, Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. Since 2005, Sharm El Sheikh Conferences have been organized by the Cairo Regional Centre for International Commercial arbitration (CRCICA) in cooperation with the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL), the International Federation of Commercial Arbitration Institutions (IFCAI) and the Arab Union for International Arbitration (AUIA). This year, the conference is also co-organised with the Asian African Legal Consultative Organization (AALCO) and the International Council for Commercial Arbitration (ICCA).

For more information about SHARM EL SHEIKH VIII, please visit the website of the conference.