International Commercial Arbitrator Program

“Youth Public Authority” celebrates the graduation of the first batch of the Areej Hamada Initiative to qualify young people in the field of “International Commercial Arbitration” Al-Rabea:

“Paying attention to Kuwait's human wealth and empowering and caring for youth through many programs and projects”

Al-Shariaan: Kuwaiti youth have the ability to work in any field with high efficiency

Hamada: The initiative is the first in the Middle East and aims to create a promising generation in international commercial arbitration

The Authority stated, in a press release, that the program aims to qualify Kuwaiti arbitrators at the international level in the fields of law, engineering, and commerce (accounting and finance), and to provide international job opportunities for Kuwaiti youth. It added that the program contributes to qualifying legal cadres technically and professionally among young Kuwaitis, and works to raise awareness in international legal arbitration. Furthermore, the authority stated that the program also aims to familiarize young people with the basics of international commercial arbitration processes, raise their efficiency, and refine their talents through academic training curricula that provide them with job opportunities in the field of international commercial arbitration. It also pointed out that the program includes merging the academic side of legal studies with the practical side, training young people on how to initiate an arbitration case, how to form the arbitrators’ panel and draft a claim for the nullity of arbitration. In addition, it stated that the program qualifies Kuwaiti youth to work in the field of international commercial arbitration, equipping them with the skills of concluding international arbitration agreements and discovering loopholes, besides clarifying the basic principles of international arbitration rules and their applications. It stressed the importance of strengthening the presence of Kuwaiti international commercial arbitrators in international commercial arbitration centers, indicating that Kuwait is currently represented by arbitrators from other countries. The Authority stressed the need to develop the legal skills of Kuwait's youth, to avoid making mistakes, to achieve success in the competitive international arbitration market.

Today, Sunday, the Youth Public Authority concluded the “International Commercial Arbitrator” program, in cooperation with the Center for Excellence in Management, at the College of Administrative Sciences, Kuwait University. As well as the Chinese European International Arbitration Center, and the Hamburg Chamber of International Commercial Arbitration to qualify Kuwaiti arbitrators at the international level.

The Director General of the Authority, Dr. Mishaal Al-Shaheen, said in a speech he delivered on this occasion: 56 trainees participated in the program and obtained certified international certificates after completing the program successfully.

In this context, Al-Shaheen added that the participants were trained according to the principles of international commercial arbitration processes, raising their efficiency and refining their talents through academic training curricula that provide them with job opportunities in the field of international commercial arbitration. He also emphasized the importance of youth acquisition of the necessary skills for success, stressing the Authority's keenness to provide various programs to embrace and direct youth energies.

Dr. Al-Rabee' stated that the Authority has qualified young people to work in the field of international commercial arbitration and has provided them with the skills of concluding international arbitration agreements and discovering loopholes, in addition to clarifying the basic principles of international arbitration rules and their applications.

He mentioned that the Authority offers many programs that qualify young people to keep up with the labor market and provide them with the necessary skills and develop their capabilities, including the “Work Makers” project, which aims to employ newly graduated Kuwaiti youth from various scientific disciplines.

Moreover, he stated that the Authority has always paid attention to Kuwait's human wealth and has taken upon itself the empowerment and professionalization of youth and care for them by offering many programs and projects available to them, stressing the importance of investing in the national youth component.

For his part, the Head of the Economics Department at the College of Administrative Sciences, Kuwait University, Dr. Anwar Al-Shariaan, clarified in a similar speech that a group of professors of international law participated in the program to qualify Kuwaiti arbitrators to create international job opportunities for young people.

Dr. Al-Shariaan explained that the Center for Excellence in Management at the College of Administrative Sciences is working to contribute to serving young people and qualifying them for better jobs through the many skills that the center embraces and works to develop and refine them.

He stressed the importance of the presence of Kuwaiti international commercial arbitrators due to the scarcity of Kuwaiti arbitrators in Kuwait. As well as to create job opportunities for young people in international commercial arbitration centers, indicating that Kuwaiti youth have the ability to work in any field with high efficiency.

For her part, the regional representative of the European-Chinese Commercial Arbitration Center, Attorney Areej Hamada, stated that she presented the initiative of the International Commercial Arbitrator Program, the first of its kind, to the Youth Public Authority in cooperation with the Hamburg Center for International Commercial Arbitration, the Chinese-European Commercial Arbitration Center in Germany. As well as the Center for Excellence in Management at College of Administrative Sciences, Kuwait University.

In addition, Hamada explained that the objective of the program is to create international job opportunities for Kuwaiti youth in international commercial arbitration centers in various countries of the world by qualifying them to become international arbitrators in the field of international trade. She also pointed out that the program aims to create a new promising generation in the field of international commercial arbitration, which is a new initiative of its kind and is the first in the Middle East in terms of youth support.

She added that the program targeted Kuwaiti youth between the ages of 23-34 and holders of a bachelor’s degree in law, engineering, or accounting, provided they are proficient in the English language, as the training during the program is delivered in English. She pointed out that it was supposed to train 30 people, but about 200 people applied for registration, 164 were interviewed of those who met the conditions, 76 of them were accepted, and in the end, 56 people were able to pass the test.

Moreover, Hamada pointed out that 7 international arbitration lawyers from Germany trained the participants in the program, and they are considered among the most famous and experienced lawyers in Europe. Their work was voluntary, but the Youth Public Authority paid the expenses of hosting them and organizing the training program.

Advanced Stage

Hamada stated that the certificates obtained by those who passed the program, after they completed 56 hours of the duration of the training program, were signed by two international arbitration centers, the Hamburg Chamber of Commercial Arbitration and the Chinese-European Arbitration Center, which are affiliated with the German Chamber of Industry and Commerce in Hamburg. She pointed out that the training period was daily from 4 to 10 pm at the College of Administrative Sciences, Kuwait University.

Hamada indicated that 9 of the participants in the program were accepted to become members of the Chinese-European Arbitration Center, which is considered a success for the program, which marks their entry into the second stage in the field of work in international commercial arbitration centers. She also added, “We in this program will not only qualify them, but also we will endeavor to provide all support for their appointment to international centers and organizations.”

She expressed her pride in all the Kuwaiti youth competencies that participated in the program from various disciplines, noting that the program will continue in the coming years in cooperation with various government agencies in order to qualify and appoint qualified national competencies to work in the field of commercial arbitration.

Furthermore, Hamada indicated that the lecturers in the training program expressed their great admiration for the young people participating in the program and their precise discussion style and intelligence in analyzing cases, expressing her pride in this elite host of graduates of the International Commercial Arbitrator Program.