Building Bridges in ADR: MENA Meets Singapore (A SIDRA Forum at Singapore Convention on Mediation Week)

The Singapore Convention Week 2025 returns with refreshed programme this year from 25 to 29 August 2025, as announced by the Singapore Ministry of Law last week. As a partner event of the Singapore Convention Week 2025, the Singapore International Dispute Resolution Academy (SIDRA) at Singapore Management University (SMU) will present a forum on Building Bridges in ADR: MENA meets Singapore on Wednesday, 27 August 2025.

The Forum will showcase transformative initiatives across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region aimed at modernising and strengthening alternative dispute resolution (ADR) mechanisms. Against the backdrop of growing commercial links between Singapore and the MENA region, and rising interest among Singapore law firms to expand their footprint there, the Forum is timely and strategic.

Key highlights

• The Forum will feature Mr Murali Pillai SC, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Law and Ministry of Transport, as its Guest-of-Honour. Mr Pillai will deliver the keynote address.

• SMU will sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Omani & Partners LLP. The MOU reflects the intention to explore jointly coordinated activities, including seminars, conferences, workshops, capacity-building, and other events on international dispute resolution, as well as research projects for publication and related materials. It also provides for discussions on possible cooperation through reciprocal office visits for training and capacity building, the exchange of knowledge and best practices, the display of each other’s publications in libraries or public spaces, and the dissemination of information on each other’s activities where appropriate.

What else to expect 

In addition to promoting knowledge exchange between Singapore and the MENA region on legislative, judicial, and institutional reforms in ADR, the forum will present comparative perspectives that help align MENA ADR frameworks with international best practices (including the UNCITRAL Model Laws and the Singapore Convention on Mediation).

Through three panel sessions, expert speakers will examine the evolving landscape of dispute resolution in the MENA region. They will highlight the role of ADR institutions, key challenges and trends, and strategies to advance ADR. Discussions will also cover arbitration and mediation law reforms in the Gulf region, drawing lessons from Singapore’s UNCITRAL Model Law to inform regional harmonisation, treaty accession, and tailored legal reforms. The judiciary’s role in supporting ADR will also be addressed, with emphasis on judicial consistency, the influence of high courts, and how courts can champion effective dispute resolution across the region.

More information on the programme details can be found here: