A new development within the Dubai International Arbitration Centre

On October 10th, 2023, the Dubai International Arbitration Centre officially announced the establishment of Mediation Rules. This proactive step by the Center aims to provide best practices in alternative dispute resolution, maximizing the unique features and capabilities of mediation that align with the evolving business landscape in the entire Arab region. It’s particularly significant due to the United Arab Emirates’ accession to the Singapore Convention on Mediation, which assists in facilitating international trade and investment. This move is part of the UAE’s efforts to enhance the attractiveness of mediation within the mechanisms for setting cross-border commercial disputes. It also provides a unified and effective mechanism for enforcing settlement agreements resulting from mediation in commercial disputes.

It’s important to mention that mediation provides a flexible method for resolving conflicts. It focuses on promoting communication, collaboration and empowerment among the involved parties while maintaining confidentiality and privacy. The mediator’s main role is to help the parties find ground preserve relationships and come to agreements that satisfy everyone involved, thereby moving forward in a positive and productive way. Mediation is unequivocally a more efficient and time-effective alternative to traditional litigation, and can even be considered as a superior substitute for arbitration