MoFA undersecretary meets UNCITRAL secretary-general

Manama, Jan. 9 (BNA):  Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA)'s Undersecretary for International Affairs, Dr. Shaikh Abdullah bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, met the Secretary General of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL),  Anna Joubin-Bret.   At the beginning of the meeting, Dr. Shaikh Abdullah welcomed the Secretary General of the UNCITRAL on her visit to the Kingdom of Bahrain, praising the constructive cooperation and qualitative partnership between the Kingdom and the United Nations and its various committees and agencies.  During the meeting, they discussed existing cooperation projects between the two sides and ways of developing the partnership in light of the next government work program, in accordance with the Bahrain Economic Vision 2030 and the United Nations Agenda for Sustainable Development 2030. They also reviewed joint cooperation in the field of international trade law and the alternative ways to settle disputes, such as arbitration and mediation.  The undersecretary noted the important role played by UNCITRAL in constructing and improving the legal framework in order to facilitate international trade and investment and to develop modern, fair and harmonized rules on commercial transactions. He also affirmed that the Kingdom of Bahrain, under His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, has succeeded in modernizing the investment environment in accordance with international standards and providing legal protection for investments. He noted that the Kingdom occupies  a leading position in implementing the provisions of the UNCITRAL Law after the promulgation of Law Law No. 9/2015 on Arbitration. Article (1) of which stipulates that, "taking into account the provisions of international conventions in force in the Kingdom of Bahrain, the provisions of the " UNCITRAL " Model Law on International Commercial Arbitration Act attached to this law shall apply to all arbitration whatever the nature of the legal relationship of the dispute herewith". The Undersecretary for International Affairs also added that the Kingdom of Bahrain, as an advanced financial and logistic center and a key interface for entrepreneurship and new sectors of the economy, has focused its efforts on establishing an integrated legal and regulatory framework based on international best practices and providing professional, transparent and expeditious services to alternatives to dispute settlement, which contributes to  creating a secure environment for investments, supported by a modern and reliable legislative structure. Dr. Shaikh Abdullah bin Ahmed Al Khalifa called for concerted efforts to promote international awareness of the legal texts drafted by UNCITRAL and to facilitate the unification of interpretation and application of these provisions in international trade practices and means of contracting, which is vital and indispensable to promote sustained and comprehensive economic growth as one of the sustainable development goals.   For her part, the Secretary-General of UNCITRAL, Anna Joubin-Bret, praised Bahrain's outstanding position in implementing the provisions of the UNCITRAL Law and the Kingdom's compliance with international legal standards.