In partnership with UNCITRAL, the SCCA concludes the 3rd Arabic Moot
Published Date: 19/05/2022
444 students from 64 universities in 14 countries
The Saudi Center for Commercial Arbitration has concluded the third edition of the SCCA Arabic Moot, a competition it organized in partnership with several international organizations. The international competition began eight months ago with the release of the mock case and passed through several stages, including submission of respondent and claimant memos and then oral proceedings. The final round of oral proceedings was held yesterday, followed by the crowning of the winners.
The 3rd Arabic Moot built on the achievements of the last two years. The first edition of the competition was organized for students at Saudi universities, and the second for students at Gulf universities. This year, it was opened to competitors from around the world, and 84 teams from 64 universities in 14 countries took part. The 444 students and 142 academic supervisors hailed from countries stretching from the United Kingdom in the west to Malaysia in the east.
The King Saud University from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia won first place in the competition, while King Faisal University (Saudi) finished second. The Birzeit University (Palestine) took the top prize in the category for Best Claimant Memo, followed by the Kuwait International Law School (Kuwait) and the Alexandria University (Egypt). In the category of Best Respondent Memo, The King Saud University (Saudi) won the top prize, followed by the Taibah University (Saudi), then Al-Qassim University (Saudi).
The final stage of the competition was oral pleadings week. Over the course of five days, 115 hearings were held in five elimination rounds, totaling more than 170 hours of pleadings. The competing teams played the roles of claimant and respondent in front of arbitration tribunals comprising more than 140 top arbitrators from around the Arab world.
The Saudi Center for Commercial Arbitration hosted the closing ceremony at its headquarters in Riyadh, attended by its chairman, Dr. Walid Bin Sulaiman Abanumay, and its CEO, Dr. Dr. Hamed Bin Hassan Merah. UNCITRAL Director Ms. Anna Joubin-Bret and CIArb Director General Catherine Dixon addressed the attendees remotely.
Commenting on the occasion, Dr. Abanumay said the arbitration moot, in its third year, is a distinctive reflection of the SCCA’s global mission, given that it was the first international edition of the competition and attracted a strong showing from universities and students. In the same context. He said the initiative is an outgrowth of the SCCA’s role in promoting the culture of arbitration and fostering a new generation of Arab talent in the promising field that is the international commercial arbitration industry.
Dr. Abanumay added: “The SCCA congratulates the competitors, and its goal is that this international event will provide a gateway for Arab university students to move from academic theory into the real world of commercial arbitration. The SCCA moot reinforces the practical dimension of the academic instruction that students receive inside the university walls and serves as a true bridge to the labor market.”
Dr. Merah said the SCCA Arabic Moot proves, year after year, that the Arab world abounds in true wealth, namely its young students, and the role of this competition is to reveal their talents, refine their skills, and pave the way for their growth so they can make an active contribution to their homelands.
Dr. Merah added: “This competition helps to mold talented Arab youth into the arbitrators of the future and reinforce institutional arbitration practices, consistent with international standards and best practices, among students from the faculties of Sharia and law. This in turn will help stem the flow of arbitration cases out of Arab countries and give Arab arbitrators a greater presence in international forums and arbitration centers.”