I have been blessed and honored by my renewal as Director of the CRCICA as of 1^st January 2021 for a second four-year term by virtue of a unanimous decision of the Board of Trustees. I hope that the efforts that I exerted during my 1^st term have met the expectations of the CRCICA users and the arbitration community as a whole. I have endeavored to maintain the high level of services provided by the CRCICA through creating a harmony between its experienced employees and those newly appointed showing great promise and dedication. I have to pay tribute to the distinguished members of the CRCICA Advisory Committee for their contribution in elevating CRCICA‘s performance in its administration of arbitral justice. I am also proud with the promotion made for CRCICA on the Arab and Afro-Asian as well as on the international levels, which have been reflected in many recognitions and awards won by CRCICA. Our institution has also withstood the test of the Covid 19 pandemic due to its continuous investment in technology and the dedication of its employees. I hold ambitious prospects to continue to serve CRCICA’s interest internationally and domestically by building upon the experience that I gained during my 1^st term, with the support of my deputy and fellow colleagues at CRCICA.

Throughout my 1^st term, I endeavored to enhance the managerial role of the Centre in accelerating the arbitral process and expediting the issuance of awards. However, the execution of arbitral awards in the Host State remains a daunting task and an onerous procedure. Despite the adherence of the Host State to the New York Convention of 1958 and its enactment of a Model Law based legislation coupled with its arbitration friendly local courts, winning parties may occasionally face some hurdles in the phase of the execution of their awards. While these challenges are not exclusive to arbitration and may also be faced by winners in litigation before state courts, one of the top priorities during my 2^nd term would be to find the proper solution to these challenges through a constructive dialogue with the competent authorities to facilitate the execution of arbitral awards.

Further, our work during the 1^st term led to the introduction of CRCICA Dispute Board Rules with the support of renowned experts in the field, thereby responding to the needs of parties to long-term contracts and projects. The 2^nd term will hopefully witness the finalisation of a revised version of our arbitration rules, which shall respond to the evolutionary needs of the arbitration community beyond the response already provided by our UNCITRAL based Rules at the time they were issued in 2011. Our new CRCICA Rules will still be inspired by the UNCITRAL Rules but with a smooth professional and institutional administration variation where needed.

By aiming to work on the improvement of both institutional and post-arbitral levels, with the support of the users and the arbitration community, I wish to achieve the above plans building on the lessons learned from my 1^st term as well as my predecessors’ achievements.

Yours sincerely,

Dr. Ismail Selim

Director