Investment Flows and Arbitration: Dislocation and Realignment

As international arbitration increasingly migrates eastward, traditional centres such as London and Paris now face growing competition from emerging jurisdictions including Singapore and the United Arab Emirates. 

Positioned at the historical and geopolitical crossroads of Africa, Asia, and Europe, the UAE has actively cultivated its reputation as a neutral and modern seat for international dispute resolution. This panel interrogates the extent to which the UAE’s ascent reflects a broader redistribution of arbitral authority across the Global South—and whether it offers a genuinely new model or merely replicates existing power structures.

Drawing on historical trade routes, shifting geopolitical alignments, and the evolving architecture of investor-state and commercial arbitration, the discussion considers whether the UAE’s rise will foster greater regional inclusion or reinforce a two-tiered system within the Middle East and beyond.

Our speakers will explore several relevant questions including:

• As the EU and USA retreat from ISDS, will Asia and the GCC become the new centre of gravity for investor–state arbitration? And is the UAE well positioned to be a leading seat for ISDS cases? 
• With growing Russian and South Asian diasporas in the UAE, will the Emirates become the natural seat for disputes arising from those regions?
• Does the UAE offer a truly neutral and trusted platform for disputes involving African parties—or are such disputes still better resolved on the African continent itself?
• What will the UAE’s role be as the arbitration winds move from West to East?

Time

Please note that this event will take place from 5:00pm to 7:00pm Dubai time.

Organiser

This is a Dubai Arbitration Week event organised by SOAS Arbitration and Dispute Resolution Centre (SADRC).