Calendar

Professor Jan Paulsson will deliver a keynote speech addressing the general evolution of international investment law.

Our two panels will then address the trend of the past 15 years to limit prior excesses through the new generation of BITs and through the case law addressing the interaction of contract claims and treaty claims in the context of mega projects.

Nearly four years after generative AI emerged, this session moves beyond predictions to assess its impact on international arbitration. Practitioners will examine measurable value, efficiency, quality, hidden costs, ethical and procedural risks, arbitrators’ use of AI, institutional responsibilities, data governance, unequal access, and whether innovation democratises opportunity or reinforces disparities.

The panel explores how family business disputes emerge, escalate. Framed as the “anatomy of a family business divorce”, the discussion follows the family dispute lifecycle from early warning signs and governance failures through to shareholder exits, information disputes and the central question of fair value. We explore the lifecycle and challenges through the lenses of arbitrators, legal counsels, quantum experts, and institutions.

This event consists of two panel sessions:

• Panel 1: Defence Industry Disputes: Arbitrating at the intersection of business, sovereignty and security

• Panel 2: Mining and Critical-Minerals Disputes

Following the success of 2025's inaugural Opening Reception we would be pleased if you could join us, colleagues and industry experts to celebrate the start of this year's Egypt Arbitration Days.

Dress code: Formal black tie or national dress

Please note: the Opening Reception is currently fully booked

As part of Egypt Arbitration Days 2026, Habib Al Mulla & Partners is hosting an exclusive leadership dialogue on the future of Arab arbitration and its growing role on the global stage, featuring a distinguished panel of leading arbitration practitioners and legal thought leaders from across the region.

The CISG provides a common framework for international sales contracts, but its interpretation and application can vary across jurisdictions and arbitral forums. At the same time, wars, sanctions, border closures and disruptions to shipping and supply chains are placing traditional contractual risk allocation under increasing pressure. These events may make performance impossible, or simply far more difficult and expensive. When does geopolitical disruption constitute force majeure, and when does it amount to hardship? How should tribunals assess forseeability without the benefit of hindsight? And where the CISG does not provide a clear answer, what role can the UNIDROIT Principles play? Bringing together perspectives from private practice, arbitration institutions, academia and industry across Egypt and Germany, the panel will examine how courts, arbitral tribunals and commercial parties approach these questions - and whether the CISG, the UNIDROIT Principles and arbitral practice can provide predictable solutions when geopolitics disrupts contractual performance.

Kosheri, Rashed & Riad, in collaboration with GIDE, will host a session as part of Egypt Arbitration Days 2026, exploring the role of procedural orders in shaping the outcome of arbitration proceedings before the merits stage. The session will bring together leading arbitration practitioners to discuss key procedural decisions, their strategic implications, and how they can influence the course of an arbitration.

The event will be divided into two parts. The first will address the practical considerations and strategies involved in cross-examination, with a particular focus on the intricacies of its preparation and execution. The second will address risk management in arbitration relating to mega-projects, potentially covering the pre-dispute phase leading up to arbitration and strategies for mitigating risks throughout this process.

Panel 1: The Art of Cross-Examination

Moderator: Maha Zain, Matouk Bassiouny & Hennawy

Speakers:

• Amr Omran, Freshfields

• Yahia Boussabaine, WilmerHale

• Dr Ahmed Abdelhakeem, Matouk Bassiouny & Hennawy

Panel 2: From Mega-Projects to Mega-Disputes: Managing Arbitration Risk in the Middle East's Transformation

Moderator: Aly Maged, Matouk Bassiouny & Hennawy

Speakers:

• Dr Amr A Abbas, Matouk Bassiouny & Hennawy

• Prof Dr Ismail Selim, Independent Arbitrator

• Maged Abdelsayed, HKA

• Amr Mostafa, Hassam Allam Construction

• Abdallah Hosny, London Court of Arbitration (LCIA)

Alors que Paris s’impose traditionnellement pour les arbitrages en langue française, cette rencontre interroge la place du Caire dans l’arbitrage francophone. Réunissant perspectives européennes, africaines et moyen-orientales, les échanges examineront les atouts institutionnels, juridiques et professionnels de l’Égypte, ainsi que les conditions permettant au Caire de devenir un choix de premier plan.

While Paris has traditionally been a natural choice for French-language arbitration, this meeting examines the role Cairo could play in francophone arbitration. Bringing together European, African and Middle Eastern perspectives, the discussions will explore Egypt’s institutional, legal and professional strengths, as well as the conditions enabling Cairo to become a leading choice.

Programme de l'événement:

• 15h30–16h00 : Accueil et enregistrement ;

• 16h00–16h05 : Mot d’ouverture ;

• 16h05–16h20 : Discours inaugural ;

• 16h20–17h05 : Premier panel et Q&R ;

• 17h05–17h50 : Second panel et Q&R ;

• 17h50–18h00 : Discours de clôture.

Event program:

• 03:30 pm-04:00 pm: Registration;

• 04:00 pm-04:05 pm: Opening remarks;

• 04:05 pm-04:20 pm: Keynote speech;

• 04:20 pm-05:05 pm: First panel and Q&As;

• 05:05 pm-05:50 pm: Second panel and Q&As;

• 05:50 pm-06:00 pm: Closing remarks.

N.B.: The event will be conducted in French. Non-French-speaking attendees are kindly requested to download a live translation app on their phones (e.g. Google Translate) and bring earphones to access live translation during the event.

The event will be followed by a cocktail reception. Please note that separate registration is required to attend the reception.

Middle Eastern States and State Entities are frequently parties to international arbitrations. Such proceedings raise their own set of questions: how the strategy is organized internally, how State bodies and external counsel work together, how settlement talks are conducted, and how a State's public-law framework fits within international proceedings.

To explore these questions, we are bringing together a State representative and leading arbitration counsel from Cairo, Paris, and London to offer complementary perspectives from both sides of the table.

Join ICC YAAF and Shahid Law Firm for an evening of cocktails, conversation and connection at the Atelier Lounge - Sofitel Cairo Nile El Gezirah.

Meet and mingle with members of the international arbitration community, exchange ideas, and enjoy an evening overlooking the Nile.

This panel discussion will cover the critical grey zone where engineering judgment, project management decisions, and contractual obligations intersect. It examines when a technical decision becomes a source of legal liability, how project participants should allocate responsibility and risk, and how tribunals assess the boundary between engineering discretion and contractual accountability in construction disputes.

The event will be conducted in Arabic, with live English translation

This dialogue examines the legal, practical and institutional challenges facing arbitration centres across the Arab region. Drawing on the experience of CRCICA and SCCA, it explores institutional development, capacity-building, cooperation with courts and governments, ad hoc practices, digital transformation and AI, while advancing solutions that strengthen trust, efficiency and effectiveness.

Join us for two interactive panel sessions which will explore the dispute risks emerging across Egypt's rapidly growing automotive and electric vehicle sector, covering technology partnerships, supply chain challenges, regulatory change, investment protection and practical strategies for dispute avoidance and resolution.

The session will consist of two panels:

• Panel 1 - Driving Innovation: Technology, Supply Chains and Commercial Disputes in Automotive and EV Manufacturing

• Panel 2 - Regulatory Change, Investor Protection and Investment Arbitration

REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED FOR THIS EVENT.

ينظم مكتب القشيري، راشد ورياض، بالتعاون مع مركز قطر الدولي للتوفيق والتحكيم، فعالية ضمن أيام التحكيم المصرية 2026، تتناول دعوى بطلان حكم التحكيم من منظور مقارن بين التشريع المصري والتشريعات العربية، من خلال جلستين حواريتين بمشاركة نخبة من القضاة والأكاديميين والممارسين المتخصصين في مجال التحكيم، لبحث نطاق دعوى البطلان وإجراءاتها وخصوصية حكم التحكيم

The panel will provide practical insights into the shareholder dispute lifecycle, from transaction structuring and governance design to valuation disputes and shareholder exits. Insights will be provided by a panel of experienced practitioners in the areas of corporate and M&A, dispute resolution, and business and share valuation.

The event’s central discussion theme is the identification, valuation and attribution of the different interests held by owners, brands, operators and other stakeholders when disputes or terminations arise.

Please note this is an invitation only event.

A panel examining how energy disputes move between investment treaty arbitration and commercial arbitration: overlapping fact patterns, forum selection, quantification of damages and enforcement. Speakers from private practice, the arbitral bench and the valuation profession offer counsel and in-house perspectives on structuring energy contracts and claims across both regimes.

Under the theme Technology, Trust & the Global Legal Community, three panels will examine arbitration’s unwritten rules, digital awards and cross-border enforcement, and the rise of new arbitration hubs.

The programme concludes with an editorial conversation, an Egyptian lunch and a networking reception.

Panel 1 — The Unwritten Rules of Arbitration - 1:00–1:50 PM

Good Faith, Trust and Gatekeeping Across Borders

• Moderator: Dr. Dalia Hussein — Director, Cairo Regional Centre for International Commercial Arbitration (CRCICA)

Speakers:

• Dr. Habib Al Mulla — Founder, Habib Al Mulla and Partners

• Prof. Dr. Mohamed S. Abdel Wahab — Founding Partner and Head of International Arbitration, Construction and Energy, Zulficar & Partners

• Mr. Girgis Abd El-Shahid — Managing Partner, Shahid Law Firm

• Mr. Kirill Udovichenko — Partner, Monastyrsky, Zyuba, Stepanov & Partners (MZS)

• Ms. Samaa Haridi — Partner, King & Spalding LLP; Vice President, ICC International Court of Arbitration

Panel 2 — The Award That Never Touched Paper - 2:10–3:00 PM

Electronic Awards, Digital Signatures and Cross-Border Enforcement

• Moderator: Mr. John Heath — Experienced Attorney focusing on the intersection of Law, Business and Technology

Speakers:

• Ms. Fatima Balfaqeeh — Legal Counsel, Independent Arbitrator, Mediator and Business Consultant

• Dr. Haris P. Meidanis — Managing Partner, Meidanis Seremetis & Associates

• Mr. Nathan D. Alder — Shareholder, Christensen & Jensen; Master Mediator

• Mr. John Eric Podgore — Partner, ADD Legal

• Ms. Julia Zagonek — Co-Founder, ALYF

Panel 3 — Building the Next Arbitration Hub - 4:00–4:50 PM

New Markets, New Voices and New Connections

• Moderator: Ms. Sana Belaid — Arbitrator & CEDR Accredited Mediator; ICC Commission on Arbitration & ADR

Speakers:

• Ms. Valeria Senotorova (Butyrina) — CEO, Russian Institute of Modern Arbitration (RIMA) and Russian Arbitration Center (RAC)

• Mr. Khalifah AlYaqout — Managing Partner, Al Yaqout & Al Fouzan Legal Group

• Ms. Al-Anoud Abdulaziz Al-Khaja — Founder and Chairman, Taqneen Law Firm and Legal Consultations, Doha

• Mr. Gwynn Hopkins — Founder & Managing Director, PERUN CONSULTANTS

The panel session will end with closing remarks from Taa Grays, President, New York State Bar Association, who will join online.

We look forward to closing another successful edition of Egypt Arbitration Days and celebrating the continued growth of the arbitration community in Egypt and beyond.