organizations to adapt at short notice to new means of working and offer solutions to parties and practitioners that will enable dispute resolution in a time of enforced social distancing. In response to this situation, the CIArb Egypt Branch in cooperation with CRCICA organized a webinar on 14 October 2020 titled "Online Dispute Resolution and the COVID Revolution: A Blessing in Disguise?” The guest speaker was Prof. Dr. Mohamed Abdel WahabFounding Partner & Head of the International Arbitration, Construction, Oil & Gas and Projects Groups, Zulficar & Partners Law Firm; and Vice-President of the ICC International Court of Arbitration, The moderator was Ms. Fatma Ibrahim, Mediation Special Advisor to CRCICA.
Prof. Dr. Abdel Wahab delivered an insightful presentation on the historical background of the stages of ODR adoption in the past until the present. The audience learned how ODR started from being challenged, then promoted until the world had to acknowledge and believe in it recently, due to the COVID 19, as a framework for online arbitration and mediation. Prof. Dr. Abdel Wahab shared a forward-looking approach into the future of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and where it may take the world. Reference was made to possible present and future fears that all increasingly integrate and replace the human element in various practices. The event was exceptionally witnessed by more than 1000 viewers from all over the world. Participants lively shared views and reacted to the polling questions initiated by Prof. Dr. Abdel Wahab.
Interestingly, the webinar broadcasted a short video of a speech by Prof. Dr. Abdel Wahab at the UN Forum on Online Dispute Resolution in 2006, long before the current digital leap and the COVID consequences, where Prof. Dr. Abdel Wahab emphasized that “ODR is a reality and it does exist, and not a dream anymore”!
At the end of the event, Dr. Ismail Selim, Director of CRCICA, announced a co-organization between CRCICA and Arbitrate.Com for the virtual training course on Online Arbitration- Best Practices and Avoiding Pitfalls, taking place in November 2020. The Training gives a comprehensive overview of online arbitration and its best practices presented by top leaders of ODR. To know more about the training visit: https://lnkd.in/dUQR4Fu