Advisory Committee
CRCICA has an Advisory Committee currently consisting of a Chairperson, two (2) Vice Chairpersons, and fourteen (14) members appointed by the Director of the Centre from among the members of the Board of Trustees as well as eminent African, Asian and other personalities specialized in the fields of international arbitration, alternative dispute resolution (ADR) mechanisms and international trade.
The term of the Advisory Committee shall be four years, which may be renewed once for a similar term, unless otherwise determined due to special circumstances.
The Advisory Committee shall carry out the functions provided for in the Centre’s Arbitration Rules in force as from 15 January 2024 (the Rules) as well as any other functions that may be referred to in the Centre’s future Arbitration Rules, particularly the following:
a. Providing advice with respect to the Centre’s decision not to proceed with arbitral proceedings in whole or in part, according to article 6, paragraph 2 of the Rules;
b. Providing advice with respect to the Centre’s decision not to proceed with the appointment of any arbitrator according to article 12, paragraph 3 of the Rules;
c. Providing advice with respect to the Centre’s decision to accept or reject the Request for Consolidation in accordance with article 50, paragraphs 1 and 6 of the Rules;
d. Deciding on the removal of arbitrators according to article 13 of the Rules via an impartial and independent tripartite ad hoc committee to be composed by the Centre from among the members of the Advisory Committee without disclosing their names to the parties. The decision shall be made by the majority of votes of the members of the ad hoc Committee in writing, and shall be reasoned, final and unchallengeable;
e. Deciding on the removal of arbitrators according to article 8, paragraph 4 of Annex 3 to the Rules (Expedited Arbitration Rules) via an impartial and independent member to be selected by the Centre from among the members of the Advisory Committee without disclosing his or her name to the parties. The decision shall be made expeditiously by the member in writing and shall be reasoned, final and unchallengeable;
f. Deciding on the challenge of arbitrators according to article 14, paragraph 6 of the Rules via an impartial and independent tripartite ad hoc committee to be composed by the Centre from among the members of the Advisory Committee without disclosing their names to the parties. The decision shall be made by the majority of votes of the members of the ad hoc committee in writing and shall be reasoned, final and unchallengeable;
g. Deciding on the challenge arbitrators according to article 4, paragraph 6 of Annex 2 to the Rules (Emergency Arbitrator Rules) and article 8, paragraph 3 of Annex 3 to the Rules (Expedited Arbitration Rules) via an impartial and independent member to be selected by the Centre from among the members of the Advisory Committee without disclosing his or her name to the parties. The decision shall be made expeditiously by the member in writing and shall be reasoned, final and unchallengeable;
h. Providing advice with respect to the Centre’s decision to deprive any party of its right to appoint a substitute arbitrator according to article 15, paragraph 2 of the Rules; and
i. Providing advice with respect to the Centre’s determination, according to article 45, paragraph 13 of the Rules, of the fees of the arbitral tribunal at a figure higher or lower than that which would result from the application of the tables of fees annexed to the Rules.
Dr. Amel Makhlouf
Dr Amel Makhlouf is an independent counsel and arbitrator (Paris/London), specialising in international arbitration, banking and finance, Islamic law and finance, and laws of the Arab Middle East. She has gained extensive experience in cross-border disputes and arbitral proceedings based in the MENA region.
She has acted in arbitral proceedings conducted under the auspices of the ICC, HKIAC, DIAC, BCDR-AAA, as well as ad-hoc proceedings under the UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules across a wide range of sectors. She has experience of international arbitrations governed by various laws, notably those of Algeria, Bahrain, France, England and Wales, Hong Kong, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE.
Her diverse expertise encompasses mediating disputes involving consumers and traders in various sectors, including telecommunications and e-commerce. She has served as mediator in over 350 mediation proceedings.
Dr Amel Makhlouf is a member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (MCIArb since 2019), a research associate at the Centre of Islamic and Middle Eastern Law (CIMEL) of SOAS University of London and belongs to the Management Committee of the SOAS Arbitration and Dispute Resolution Centre (SADRC). She is also a lecturer in both, international arbitration and banking and finance, at the Paris Bar School (EFB).
Dr Amel Makhlouf holds a PhD in Islamic law and finance from the Sorbonne Law School and was a Visiting Researcher at the Islamic Finance Project at Harvard University. She is the former Managing Editor for the Country Surveys of the Yearbook of Islamic and Middle Eastern Law (Vol. 21 & 22), the leading English language journal covering contemporary Islamic laws and laws of the Middle East.
In June 2023, she submitted a report to the Qatar Financial Centre addressing the challenges faced by the rise of FinTech and cryptocurrency in the MENA region. She is a national of Algeria and France.
