Conflict and instability in the Middle East has created significant challenges for companies operating in the region, particularly on large-scale projects. As delays mount and performance becomes more difficult, what disputes are emerging and how are parties responding?

The panel are expected to discuss:

• The impact of instability on construction and infrastructure projects
• Force majeure claims arising from geopolitical instability
• Workforce mobility and access challenges in affected regions
• Allocating risk in an increasingly uncertain environment

Expert evidence remains one of the most hotly debated aspects of arbitration. Counsel and tribunals often take very different views on how experts should be used and managed. This session will examine how different jurisdictions, tribunals and practitioners approach expert evidence in arbitration.

• Common law and civil law perspectives on expert involvement
• Tribunal-led vs party-led management of experts
• Expert evidence across different types of disputes
• The role of counsel in shaping expert evidence

Large-scale projects rarely involve just two parties. From joint ventures and consortiums to complex contractual chains, this session will examine the challenges of resolving disputes when multiple stakeholders are involved.

• Disputes involving joint ventures and consortium arrangements
• Strategic considerations when stakeholders' interests diverge
• Joinder and consolidation in complex proceedings
• Managing parallel proceedings and inconsistent outcomes

Finality is often cited as one of arbitration’s greatest strengths, and courts are frequently praised for enforcing awards with minimal interference. But should every award be enforced? When does judicial restraint support arbitration, and when might it undermine confidence in the process?
In this interactive session, leading practitioners will share their experiences of enforcement and set-aside proceedings, examining the tension between finality and judicial oversight. Following this, the audience will be invited to contribute their views and questions in an extended Q&A, creating a candid exchange on one of arbitration’s most debated questions: what does it really mean to be pro-arbitration?