The United Nations Development Programme in collaboration with College of Law at the AUIB is pleased to announce a call for participants in

The Summer Practicum Course on International Commercial Arbitration

14-18 July 2025 in Baghdad, Iraq

  • Are you a law student interested in international commercial arbitration?

  • Do you want to spend part of your summer learning about the legal framework and practical aspects of international arbitration?

  • Would you like to meet and network with other students and professionals in the field of dispute resolution?

     

If the answer is yes to all the above then continue reading

This one-week summer course on international commercial arbitration offers a practical introduction to the legal framework governing arbitration. The participants will:

  • Understand the main characteristics and regulatory framework applicable in international commercial arbitration.

  • Learn about the different types of arbitration agreements, the requirements for their validity and the effect of an arbitration agreement.

  • Understand the arbitration process, from the commencement of proceedings to the issuance of the arbitral award.

  • Appreciate the role national courts play in arbitration proceedings.

  • Understand the procedural possibilities and the limited grounds of recourse against the award.

     

The one-week course includes five days of training, with 3 hours of instruction each day, and the course will be fully in English. 

Who can apply:

The course is offered free of charge to all participating students within the framework of the Support to justice initiatives curbing corruption and promoting commercial dispute resolution (ACAI Project), made possible through the generous support of the EU. All students are expected to cover their own cost, including for transportation, accommodation, if needed, and meals.

The applicants should meet the following criteria:

  • Be Law student at an Iraqi University with undergraduate status to the end of July. 

  • Have sufficiently good command of English language as the course will be in English.

  • Be fully committed to all five days of the summer course.

  • Have interest in continued learning of various methods of commercial dispute resolution.

Trainers:

 

Sophie Tkemaladze, FCIArb, Commercial Dispute Resolution Team Lead, UNDP Iraq.

 

Sophie is an independent practitioner advising international organizations and public and private companies on dispute resolution system and policy. 

 

She served as a chairperson of the Georgian Association of Arbitrators (2017 - 2021) and has worked extensively outside of Georgia leading policy advise and capacity building efforts in the field of dispute resolution in Iraq, Sri Lanka, Ukraine, Fiji, Armenia, Tajikistan. She is an Approved Faculty of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb) where she tutors and assesses various arbitration pathway courses and is also assistant professor at New Vision University teaching courses on commercial arbitration, sales law and mediation.

 

Sophie has served as an arbitrator under the ICC, GIAC and DRC Rules. Her mediation practice focuses on commercial and workplace disputes, as well as facilitating disputes on behalf of the IFIs (ADB, EIB). In 2023 she has been appointed as Member of the Court of the International Court of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC). 

 

After graduating from Tbilisi State University, she obtained LL.M. in International Business Law from Central European University and Master in Public Administration from Harvard University.

 

 

 

Hayder Hameed, MCIArb, Commercial Dispute Resolution Analyst, UNDP Iraq 

Hayder is a Member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and currently serves as a Commercial Dispute Resolution Analyst with UNDP Iraq, working under the EU-funded project “Support to justice initiatives curbing corruption and promoting commercial dispute resolution.” He has previously practiced law with leading law firms in Iraq. 

Hayder has actively participated in the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot as a mooter and later as a coach for Al-Iraqia University. In 2022, he was recognized with the Best Coach Award at the Bahrain Pre-Moot and was granted an internship by the ICC Abu Dhabi. He brings over five years of experience in arbitration moots.

 

How to apply for the summer course: 

Students interested in participating should Register on or before 23 June 2025 (11:59pm Baghdad Time). Students from American University of Baghdad (AUIB) are kindly requested to apply through their university.