Doha, November 03 (QNA) - Under the patronage of HE Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani, the 6th World Conference on International Arbitration opened in Doha on Tuesday, bringing together judges, arbitrators and legal experts to examine the future of dispute resolution amid sweeping economic, legal and technological shifts.

Organized by the Qatar International Centre for Conciliation and Arbitration (QICCA) at Qatar Chamber, the conference is being held under the theme "Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration in a Changing World: From Judicial Oversight to Artificial Intelligence".

The conference was inaugurated by HE Minister of Justice and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs, Ibrahim bin Ali bin Issa Al Hassan Al Mohannadi, in the presence of HE Chairman of Qatar Chamber and Chairman of QICCA, Sheikh Khalifa bin Jassim bin Mohammed Al-Thani, alongside judges, arbitrators and legal experts from around the world.

In his opening remarks, HE Al Mohannadi said Qatar was forging ahead with efforts to advance its legal and statutory framework, foster investor confidence and provide as stable and reliable a legal environment as possible, thereby reinforcing its standing as a regional and international hub for arbitration and dispute resolution.

Qatar has made substantial strides in developing its legislative framework for dispute resolution through the enactment of Law No. 2 of 2017 on arbitration in civil and commercial matters and Law No. 20 of 2021 on mediation in the settlement of civil and commercial disputes, the Minister said.

HE Al Mohannadi further noted that Qatar had joined the New York Convention and the Singapore Convention and established the Investment and Trade Court, providing an integrated system encompassing arbitration, mediation and specialized judicial proceedings.

  As a strategic partner of the conference, the Ministry is pursuing three primary tracks, HE Al Mohannadi said: finalizing and implementing the regulations governing the Arbitration Law; further developing mediation, conciliation and arbitration and strengthening integration among these mechanisms; and leveraging digital transformation and artificial intelligence to streamline dispute-resolution procedures, subject to the requisite legal safeguards.

A country's selection as a seat of arbitration invariably reflects the confidence placed in its legislation, judiciary and institutions, he underlined, adding that Qatar was committed to bolstering that confidence through legislative stability, legal clarity and the expeditious adjudication of disputes.

HE Al Mohannadi also commended Qatar Chamber and QICCA for organizing the conference, highlighting QICCA's role since its establishment in 2006 in promoting a culture of arbitration, advancing national expertise and strengthening Qatar's presence on the international arbitration map.

He expressed hope that the conference would produce concrete recommendations to advance the justice and arbitration systems, reaffirming the Ministry's commitment to being a strong partner in translating those recommendations into practical measures that further consolidate Qatar's standing as a reliable international hub for arbitration and dispute resolution.

For his part, HE Sheikh Khalifa stressed that justice in commerce and investment is not confined to the issuance of rulings but extends to procedural integrity, the protection of rights and the stability of legal positions.

Arbitration, he said, has evolved into a comprehensive legal system grounded in the autonomy of the parties, domestic legislation and international conventions, and underpinned by the independence of arbitral tribunals, fair-trial guarantees and the enforceability of arbitral awards.

The relationship between the judiciary and arbitration is one of integration, HE Sheikh Khalifa clarified, noting that the judiciary plays a supportive role in arbitral proceedings and exercises oversight in accordance with the law, thereby safeguarding arbitral independence and the guarantees of justice. He also highlighted the importance of conciliation and mediation in bringing opposing viewpoints closer together and preserving commercial and economic relationships.

He noted that the conference examines the future of international arbitration amid sweeping economic, legal and technological shifts, focusing on judicial-arbitral integration, the limits of judicial oversight, AI-driven advances in arbitral proceedings and greater women's participation in the field. 

He hoped that the conference would help facilitate an exchange of expertise, foster professional partnerships and produce recommendations to advance the arbitration and conciliation framework, bolster cooperation among arbitral institutions, and strike a balance between arbitral autonomy and judicial oversight.

For his part, Chair of the International Chamber of Commerce's (ICC) Governing Body for Dispute Resolution Services, Prof. Dr. Mohamed Salah El Din Abdel Wahab, outlined trust as the kernel of the arbitration framework. He opened with the historical account of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), before his prophethood, arbitrating a dispute among the Quraysh tribes over the placement of the Black Stone - a historic precedent in which the parties chose an arbiter who commanded their confidence and acceptance and voluntarily participated in implementing the resolution.

Prof. Abdel Wahab also identified four dimensions of trust in arbitration: states' confidence in arbitration, disputing parties' trust in arbitrators, arbitrators' confidence in the parties' compliance with procedural requirements and, finally, collective trust in artificial intelligence.

He further traced the evolving relationship between the judiciary and arbitration, from oversight to partnership and support, highlighting the State of Qatar's experience and its legislative and judicial advances, alongside arbitration's growing regional and international role as an effective means of dispute resolution.

While AI unlocks vast prospects for advancing arbitration, legal research and analysis, he stressed that it must remain an instrumental tool supporting human judgment, not a substitute for human decision-making.

Prof. Abdel Wahab concluded by underscoring the importance of preserving what cannot be delegated to technology: conscience, judiciousness and human intellect. AI, he remarked, should be a cloak on which we carry the Black Stone, not a hand that places it in our stead.

On the sidelines of the conference's opening, QICCA signed three memoranda of understanding (MOUs) with Lusail University, the International Valuation Standards Council (IVSC), and the Women in Arbitration Support Campaign. (QNA)