On October 9 and 10, CLDP held a conference, in cooperation with the Kuwait Commercial Arbitration Center, on recent developments and best practices in international arbitration. The conference is part of a multi-phase program to strengthen contract enforcement mechanisms and practices in the Middle East and North Africa. One of the goals of this program is to strengthen the protection and enforcement of contractual rights to alternative dispute resolution mechanisms. This event focused specifically on developing the legal framework and judicial capacity to ensure that international arbitration agreements and foreign arbitral awards will be enforced. 

Former Chief Judge of the Southern District of New York, Loretta Preska, led the panel of experts, which included a representative of UNCITRAL, a former Tunisian judge and arbitrator and a legal director from Dubai. The experts highlighted the importance of including UNCITRAL Model Law principles in the legal framework and of consistently and predictably applying the provisions of the New York Convention.  The conference was attended by judges, arbitrators, academics and lawyers from Jordan, Tunisia, Morocco, Kuwait, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. The program was also supported by the Kuwait Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Al-Yaqout Law Group, which assisted with coordination with participants and on content.