It is my great pleasure to introduce this digest of decisions about arbitration matters made by the UAE courts over the 20 years between 1993-2012.

The period from which these cases are drawn was one of profound change in the UAE, not least, in the context of international arbitration, in that it saw the UAE's accession to the New York Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards in 2006. The UAE is regarded as an important centre for international arbitration. Hardly surprising, therefore, that developments in UAE law, and the effect and application of the law by the UAE courts, are followed closely in the international arbitration community.

I applaud the ICC UAE Commission on Arbitration, and its Chairman, Essam Al Tamimi, for their decision to produce this book. For the first time, the decisions, which are the subject of these reports have been made available to the international arbitration community in English translation.

Last, but by no means least, I acknowledge and commend the editors, Hassan Arab, Lara Hammoud and Graham Lovett, all of whom are recognised arbitration practitioners in the UAE, for the care and effort devoted to the selection and presentation of the cases, which are the subject of reports in the book.

John Beechey
President, ICC International Court of Arbitration

Paris
March 2013