Doha: The Arbitration Affairs Department at the Ministry of Justice announced that the number of rulings issued in arbitration cases during 2024 increased to 85 rulings, compared to 70 rulings issued during 2023, an increase of 21 percent.
According to Qatar News Agency, in its annual report for 2024, the Arbitration Affairs Department indicated that the number of original lawsuits sent to the department and decided on during 2024 reached 78 lawsuits. Additionally, 4 additional, corrective, and interpretative rulings were issued, while one partial ruling was issued, along with one ruling of lack of jurisdiction.
The report added that the number of rulings issued in arbitration cases through the Qatar International Center for Conciliation and Arbitration (QICCA) reached 37 rulings, representing 44 percent of the total number of rulings issued during 2024. The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) issued 11 rulings, representing 13 percent of the total number, and the Qatar Sports Arbitration Tribunal (QSAT) issued 5 rulings, representing 6 percent.
In the field of free arbitration, 30 rulings were issued, representing 35 percent of the total number of rulings issued during 2024. The London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA) issued one ruling, accounting for 1 percent of the total rulings.
According to the report, the number of rulings issued based on the Law of Arbitration in Civil and Commercial Matters No. 2 of 2017 reached 54 out of 84 rulings, representing 64 percent.
Regarding the languages used in the issued rulings, English constituted 64 percent, and Arabic 36 percent, due to the nature of the cases and the parties involved in the implementation.
Concerning the areas of arbitration decided upon, contracting contracts constituted the majority of cases in dispute, at a rate of 44 percent of the total lawsuits.
Regarding the total financial claims settled during 2024, the total arbitration claims reached QR 1,716,082,797 compared to the total arbitration claims for 2023, which reached QR 950,775,716, an increase of 80 percent.
In her remarks, director of the Arbitration Affairs Department Noura Hammoud Al Mannai emphasized the significance of the data included in the department's annual report on arbitration cases. She noted that the Ministry of Justice, under the directives of HE Minister of Justice and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Ibrahim bin Ali Al Mohannadi, is working on new measures to develop arbitration procedures and enhance its role in resolving disputes.
She added that the number of rulings issued during 2024 and the total financial claims settled reflect the successful efforts of arbitrators in the State of Qatar, and Doha's advanced position as a leading destination for resolving commercial and investment disputes efficiently and professionally, and encouraging alternative means of resolving disputes.