Cooperation between Jeddah Chamber and "Saudi Center for Commercial Arbitration" (SCCA) in Service of the Business Sectors in the Western Region

Rajab 28, 1444 AH (19/2/2023)

Jeddah Chamber and Saudi Center for Commercial Arbitration (SCCA) signed a cooperation agreement to form a strategic partnership between the two parties in service of the business sectors in western Saudi Arabia and to make it easier for businessmen to access the SCCA’s package of institutional dispute resolution solutions, thus facilitating the conduct of business and improving the commercial environment in the Region.

The signing ceremony took place at the Jeddah Chamber headquarters in Jeddah Governorate. The Chamber was represented at the signing ceremony by its secretary general, Mr. Ramez Mansour Al Ghalib, while the SCCA was represented at the signing ceremony by its Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Dr. Hamid Hassan Merah. The signing ceremony was attended by His Excellency the Vice-Chairman of the Chamber’s Board of Directors, Mr. Fayez Alharbi, delegated by the Chairman of the Board of Directors, and was attended by the SCCA Chairman, Dr. Walid Suleiman Abanumay, as well as several board members and executives of both organizations.

The agreement provides for the Chamber to host SCCA western regional office in its building in Jeddah, putting the SCCA into close contact with the business community in the region.

Under the agreement, SCCA will provide technical support in the drafting of dispute resolution clauses for business establishments' and Chamber members' contracts, thus making institutional arbitration and institutional mediation clauses a feature of more business contracts in the western region. In addition, parties and arbitrators in ad hoc arbitration will be able to benefit from the services offered by SCCA in this context, and it will be possible to flexibly refer cases of this type to institutional arbitration managed by the SCCA according to its rules.

The two organizations will cooperate in holding specialized training programs, with the Chamber hosting and promoting training programs organized by SCCA, as well as in raising awareness of alternative dispute resolution through joint educational campaigns via the social media and various publishing channels.

Commenting on this step, Mr. Fayez Alharbi, Vice-Chairman of the Chamber’s Board of Directors, confirmed that concluding the strategic partnerships with organizations and programs relevant to the Chamber’s work is one of the strategic goals which the Board of Directors hopes to achieve in its 22^nd session, and that the cooperation concluded with the SCCA falls within this context, where such cooperation aims to facilitate business sectors' access to the institutional form of alternative dispute resolution, thus helping to promote the western region and Jeddah Governorate as an ideal destination for doing business.

On his part, the SCCA Chairman, Dr. Walid Suleiman Abanumay, said that the inauguration of SCCA office in Jeddah is a continuation of efforts to strengthen SCCA relationships with the Saudi business community, especially the business community in the western region. It will enhance its role in supporting establishments and projects therein by offering a package of institutional dispute resolution solutions, such as commercial arbitration and commercial mediation that meet the businessmen's needs and are aligned with international best practices, thus enhancing the investment attractiveness of Jeddah and the region. The secretary general urged the business sector and its affiliates to benefit from the SCCA's services and specialized courses.