The Federal Judicial Council launches an integrated system for mediation and conciliation in disputes

The Supreme Federal Judicial Council announced the launch of an integrated legislative and regulatory system for mediation and conciliation in civil and commercial disputes, in implementation of Federal Decree Law No. (40) of 2023 regarding mediation and conciliation in civil and commercial disputes, by issuing 8 strategic decisions that constitute a modern framework for alternative justice, keep pace with digital transformation, and support a flexible and safe legal environment.

Resolution No. (90) of 2025 also approved the establishment of specialized centers for mediation and conciliation in Ajman, Fujairah, Umm al-Quwain, and Dibba al-Fujairah, to be effective platforms for resolving disputes away from the courts, and specified the centers’ jurisdiction, tasks, subordination, and oversight over them.

The system began with Resolution No. (18) of 2025, which adopted a precise regulatory regulation specifying the procedures for judicial mediation and conciliation and the agreement, from referral and selection of mediators, mediators’ fees and expenses, and optional and mandatory conciliation procedures, through to managing sessions and ensuring confidentiality, all the way to writing settlement agreements and appending them in the executive form, giving them the power of judicial rulings and settlement objection procedures, and establishing an electronic platform for mediation and conciliation.

Then came Resolution No. (19) of 2025 establishing a committee for accepting conciliators and mediators in the Judicial Inspection Department. The committee is responsible for registering, renewing and deleting mediators, nominating conciliators, and examining complaints and grievances, with transparent mechanisms for grievance within 30 days and deciding on it within 15 days, and creating official records to ensure oversight and quality.

In the same context, Resolution No. (20) of 2025 dealt with organizing the affairs of conciliators, specifying the conditions for filling the position, training, the duties and powers of conciliators, cases of resignation, dismissal, replacement, and replacement mechanisms, in addition to technical oversight and discipline.

Ministerial Resolution No. (711) of 2025 came to set controls and procedures for disciplining conciliators, by forming a specialized committee to investigate violations, determine its tasks and work system, and impose appropriate penalties, which start from drawing attention and warning up to deduction from salary or suspension from work, with the possibility of recommending dismissal in serious cases, in a way that ensures professional discipline and protects confidence in the alternative justice system.

Resolution No. (91) of 2025 included a document of professional conduct for mediators and conciliators, which established the principles of integrity, transparency and neutrality, and strict controls to protect confidentiality, prohibited media dealings that violated it, prevented conciliators from announcing themselves, and regulated mediators’ fees in written and fair arrangements that were not dependent on the outcome of the mediation, with disciplinary measures in case of violation.

As for Resolution No. (92) of 2025, it regulated the affairs of mediators, specifying the controls for registration, renewal and cancellation, training periods, insurance requirements, cases of invalidity, dismissal and recusal, in addition to the powers of mediators and prohibitions against them.

Finally, Resolution No. (710) of 2025 kept pace with the state’s digital orientation, as it established controls for holding mediation and conciliation meetings remotely, and approved the validity of attendance via video communication with identity verification using the digital identity (UAE PASS) or Emirates ID card, prohibiting recording or photographing sessions to ensure confidentiality, permitting the hearing of witnesses and the use of a remote translator, and adopting electronic announcements by agreement of the parties, while requiring the use of approved systems subject to information security policies.

In the context of the issued decisions, Abdullah bin Sultan bin Awad Al Nuaimi, Minister of Justice and Chairman of the Federal Judicial Council, said: “These decisions represent a qualitative leap in the development of alternative justice, in line with the state’s strategic directions towards a digital, flexible and proactive judicial system.”

He added that these steps contribute to accelerating the settlement of disputes, reducing costs, and enhancing confidence in the judicial system, while granting settlement agreements an executive force equivalent to judicial rulings, and placing the country at the forefront of systems that adopt the best global practices in innovative ways, and supporting an open government that allows transparency and keeps pace with digital transformation.

He pointed out that adopting mediation, conciliation and commercial arbitration as part of the judicial work method reflects a comprehensive approach that enhances the attractiveness of investment thanks to the speed of procedures and the efficiency of alternative solutions to disputes, which have become an important part of the judicial system, and even a popular work method that reflects the flexibility and efficiency of the business environment in the Emirates.

He praised the efforts of the work teams that completed this system in record time.

These regulations reflect the Federal Judicial Council’s direction towards establishing a modern judicial system that is efficient, flexible and proactive, enhances customer confidence and the efficiency of justice, and adopts digital and alternative solutions as effective paths to achieving sustainable justice.

This step also comes in line with the objectives of the “We are the Emirates 2031” vision in building a pioneering and high-performance judicial system, and supports achieving the sixteenth goal of the Sustainable Development Goals related to establishing peace, strengthening the rule of law, and building effective and comprehensive institutions, thus consolidating the UAE’s position as an advanced and competitive model in developing judicial systems and keeping pace with global transformations.