H - Developments in Enforcement of Arbitration Awards in the UAE

Since the UAE Federal Arbitration Law, Federal Law No. 6/2018 came into force on 15 June 2018, a number of procedural developments have been introduced on both the conduct of arbitration proceedings and the enforcement of arbitration awards before the local UAE courts. Federal Law No. 6/2018 repealed the UAE Civil Procedure Code (Federal Law No. 11/1992), Arbitration Chapter and addressed a number of common pitfalls which existed under its old arbitration regime.

Introduction

This has been a welcome development for the international arbitration community and has helped support the UAE's drive to become a leading international arbitration hub. As a result, businesses operating and doing deals in the UAE now have access to a more flexible and efficient arbitration process than before, particularly in relation to the enforcement of arbitration awards.

Scope of application of the Federal Arbitration Law

The scope of application of Federal Law No. 6/2018 is quite broad in the sense that it applies to both existing and future arbitration proceedings, unless the parties agreed to contract out of it*[1].