Riyadh International Disputes Week 2025 (RIDW), a premier global event brought together legal experts, policymakers, and industry leaders to discuss emerging trends and developments in dispute resolution. Held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the event serves as a platform for knowledge-sharing, networking, and advancing legal frameworks in international arbitration, mediation, and litigation. With a strong focus on innovation and regional collaboration, RIDW 2025 reinforces Riyadh’s position as a key player in the global dispute landscape.
On 25-02-2025, during the third day of RIDW, leading legal experts convened at the Hilton Riyadh Hotels and Residences for the session “Arbitration in the MEASA Region: Roadmap to 2030.” Hosted by Fox & Mandal (Estd. 1896), the event featured a fireside chat with Mr. R. Venkataramani, Attorney General for India; Mr. Toby Landau KC, Barrister & Arbitrator at Duxton Hill Chambers; and Mr. Kunal Vajani, Joint Managing Partner at Fox & Mandal; moderated by Mr. Tariq Khan, Head of International Arbitration at M&CO Legal.
In his opening address, Mr. Kunal spoke about the roadmap to 2030 witnessing a further integration of MEASA into global markets, especially in sectors like energy, infrastructure, finance and technology. He highlighted the need for an effective dispute resolution mechanism, with special focus on arbitration, for addressing international commercial disputes in the context of the region’s growing prominence in global trade and investment.
Mr Kunal underscored the benefits and relevance of arbitration as a preferred mechanism especially in the light of the ongoing digital transformation of the legal industry. He also spoke about the roadmap to creating a world-class arbitration framework, culture and standards.
The discussions centred on the MEASA region’s potential to become a global arbitration hub by 2030 through harmonised laws, strengthened regional treaties, and technology-driven solutions.
Opening the fire-side chat, Mr. Khan asked Attorney General for India, R. Venkataramani to share his vision of India and the MEASA region working together to strengthen reciprocal trade agreements through arbitration.
Giving a perspective to the discussion, AGI said that trade relationships must be built on reciprocity and receptivity. Over the decades, arbitration has evolved beyond adversarial legal traditions. Highlighting a few historical examples, such as legal transplants in Colombia and Spain, he pointed out that they show the importance of adapting legal frameworks to fit local economic realities. He suggested that establishing multiple regional task forces can address specific arbitration challenges in each region and enhance global connectivity.
The next question was posed to Mr. Landau regarding the creation of a robust ecosystem within the MEASA region for dispute resolution. Mr. Landau, in his response, mentioned various building blocks which were required for the said ecosystem, i.e., a legal structure, local capacity, trusted and experienced regional personnel, coordination, credible institutions, and trusted court system.
On the question about non-recognition of non-recognition of UAE-based awards for enforcement in India, Mr. Venkataramani underscored the two aspects of recognition of enforcement, namely the merits, such as increased volume of trade and transaction, and demerits such as, this issue being a very small part of India’s economic concern. He highlighted the importance of mutual trust between the two countries which would make such issues like enforcement fall automatically in place. Adding to the point of mutual trust, Mr. Toby shed light upon the structure of Saudi Center for Commercial Arbitration (‘SCCA’) which was aimed at becoming a regional hub of arbitration.
“The region becomes stronger because of the strength of the competition.”
– Mr. Toby Landau KC
Further, on the issue of bridging the gap between South Asia and Middle East, Mr. Venkatramani emphasised upon the need for transcendental understanding, the ability to transact thoughts and concerns, and working arrangements
The subsequent panel discussion, also moderated by Mr. Tariq Khan, included perspectives from Mr. Kunal Vajani, Joint Managing Partner at Fox & Mandal; Dr. Mahmood Hussain, Founding Partner of M&CO Legal; Mr. V. Bala, Deputy Head of International Disputes at Rajah & Tann Asia; Mr. Toby Landau KC; and Mr. Montek Mayal, Partner & Practice Head (Asia & Middle East) at Osborne Partners.
Beginning the session, Dr. Hussain spoke about issues with the arbitration institutions such as delay in passing an award, ballooning costs, and non-publishing of the reasoning. He underscored the interplay between public policy and Sharia, and subsequently, the need for arbitrators who were well-versed about the region. He stated that the issues arising within these institutions had to be resolved before the Courts were expected to deliver a different outcome.
On the topic of enforcement challenges faced by parties in the MEASA region, Mr. Landau provided some solutions such as training judges on local law, specialised benches, and specialised civil procedure codes which have particular targets for arbitration matters.
Mr. Mayal emphasised upon some main type of disputes in the MEASA region, namely, shareholder disputes, merges and acquisitions disputes, joint venture disputes, and sector-based disputes such as fintech and crypto disputes, ESG related claims, oil and gas pricing issues, etc.
Regarding evolution of arbitration in maritime and shipping disputes in the MEASA region, Mr. Bala shed light upon the normalisation of expedited arbitration due to the paucity of time. He mentioned that there was a transition from the domination of the English Bar to now Hong King and Singapore become alternate centres of maritime arbitration. Mr Bala stated that there was a great scope of specialism in areas like shipping, in the MEASA region, due to the peculiar and technical nature of the industry.
Shedding light on the obstacles for UAE in becoming a global arbitration hub, Dr Hussain cited issues like the diversity of cost, lack of transfer of knowledge, and appointment of non-specialised arbitrators in the arbitration conducted by institutions.
In the discussion about the investor-state disputes, Mr Landau talked about what solutions that governments can employ. He emphasised on capacity building, i.e., preparing for countering a claim, building institutional memory by recording learnings from previous cases, coordinating with legal personnel of different governments, having government protocols in place for countering a claim when a dispute arises, and positive vetting of government policies to ensure alignment with existing treaties.
Adding to the discussion on the problems with the current mechanism of arbitration, especially in cross-border disputes, Mr. Vajani stated that the institutions were very fragmented and for every region there should be one institute which collaborates with the others globally. He also spoke about the lack of technically and culturally competent arbitrators, lack of emergency arbitration in the MEASA region and enforcement concerns. He also emphasised on the need for legal and political harmonisation between the government, legal functionaries, private sectors, and legal institutions across the world.
The panel further discussed navigating investment disputes, setting aside of arbitral awards, challenges in calculation of damages, next steps to identify the overall effectiveness by 2030 and the underlying global need of aiding the emergence of the MEASA region as a global arbitration powerhouse by 2030.
Concluding the eventful day of insightful conversations, Mr. Saksham Agrawal, Chief of Staff, Fox & Mandal, delivered the vote of thanks. In his speech, Mr Agrawal individually thanked the panellists for their invaluable contributions and the supporting partners.
