University of Basrah Leads Legal and Investment Initiative with the Launch of the “Basra Arbitration and Mediation Forum”
The University of Basrah has spearheaded a legal and investment initiative with the launch of the “Basra Arbitration and Mediation Forum” in the province. The forum is being held in cooperation with the College of Law at the University of Basrah, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Federation of Iraqi Chambers of Commerce, and the International Chamber of Commerce in Iraq, with the participation of senior government and academic officials.
The forum aims to advance Iraq’s legal and investment environment by highlighting national and international mechanisms for commercial arbitration and mediation, and by promoting alternative dispute resolution mechanisms in a way that supports economic stability and attracts investment in accordance with international standards.
The two-day forum includes a series of capacity-building workshops. On the first day, the workshops addressed the fundamentals of international commercial arbitration and international commercial mediation, followed by a panel discussion. The second day will feature specialized discussion sessions focusing on the role of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) in promoting the harmonization and modernization of commercial law, Iraq’s journey in developing its legal framework for dispute resolution, and practitioners’ perspectives on regional and international developments.
The forum will also feature presentations of specialized research papers prepared by a distinguished group of academics from the University of Basrah and other Iraqi universities. The papers address the enforcement of arbitral awards, the use of artificial intelligence in mediation, the 2018 Singapore Convention, and public policy in commercial arbitration.
The forum featured remarks by the President of the University of Basrah, Prof. Dr. Aqeel Fadhil Hamad Al-Dahan, who emphasized the vital importance of peaceful means of dispute resolution, such as arbitration and mediation, and their pivotal role in regulating legal and investment relations. He noted that choosing Basrah to host such an event reflects the city’s prominent position as Iraq’s economic capital and its role as an attractive environment for international contracts and trade.
He also stressed the need to identify legislative and practical gaps and address them through the development of academic curricula in law colleges and the strengthening of their practical components. He commended the tangible cooperation among the university, its local and international partners, and sponsors in organizing the forum and developing recommendations that serve Iraq’s legal and investment environment.
Department of Media and Government Communication
