The Arab Parliament, the Arab Union of International Arbitration (AUIA), CRCICA and the Arab Investors Union organized a pan regional conference on Inter-Arab Investments and related Disputes on 10-11 October 2011 in Cairo, Egypt. Held under the auspices of H.E. Dr. Nabil Elaraby, the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States and the Chairman of CRCICA’s Board of Trustees, the Conference provided a regional forum for Arab investors, jurists and parliamentarians to explore common challenges and share views on inter-Arab investments in a politically and economically changing environment and the challenges they unfold.
Through six successive working sessions, 40 Arab speakers tackled the legal and economic environment of inter-Arab investments. It is noteworthy that the remarkable participation of eminent Arab businessmen helped in defining common obstacles likely to hinder the flow of investments among the Arab States.
The Conference was attended by 200 participants from 17 Arab countries being, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Tunisia, Algeria, Syria, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Sultanate of Oman, Iraq, Qatar, Libya, Palestine, Morocco, Kuwait, Lebanon, Yemen and Egypt.
The Conferees concluded a number of constructive recommendations defining some practical institutional steps meant to improve the legal and economic background in the Arab States in encouragement of inter-regional investments. This includes, for instance, a recommendation to draft an Arab Investment Model Law and to see through the possibility of merging joint Arab investment agreements. The recommendations were closely monitored by the League of Arab States which attended all sessions as an observer.
