Latest news with #dispute resolution
Zawya
4 days ago
- Politics
- Zawya
Mohammed bin Rashid issues law on settlement of disputes related to execution of citizen home building contracts in Dubai
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, issued a law on the settlement of disputes arising from the execution of citizen housing building contracts in Dubai. This measure aims to enhance citizen well-being and ensure social stability by swiftly and efficiently resolving disputes without hindering housing development projects. The law aims to develop an alternative dispute resolution system for building contracts, safeguarding the interests of all parties. It provides a swift and efficient mechanism for resolving disputes before resorting to litigation, promoting the continuity of contractual relationships through amicable and consensual solutions. This approach also offers alternative solutions to traditional litigation in the construction sector for citizen housing, ensuring projects continue uninterrupted and homes are completed and delivered on schedule. The law establishes a specialised branch within Dubai Courts' Centre for Amicable Settlement of Disputes, to handle disputes relating to the execution of citizen home building contracts. This branch will offer mediation within 20 days, extendable for another 20 days with mutual consent. Expert mediators will facilitate the process. If mediation fails, a committee comprising a judge and two specialists will adjudicate within 30 days, also extendable for a similar period if necessary by a decision of the head of the committee. Parties can appeal committee decisions to the Court of First Instance within 30 days. The law takes effect on 1 January 2026.
Arabian Business
4 days ago
- Business
- Arabian Business
Dubai Ruler Sheikh Mohammed issues new law starting January 2026
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has issued legislation establishing a framework for settling disputes arising from citizen housing building contracts in Dubai. The law, which takes effect on January 1, 2026, creates an alternative dispute resolution system designed to resolve construction-related conflicts before they reach litigation. Mohammed bin Rashid issues a law on the settlement of disputes arising from the execution of citizen housing building contracts in Dubai. This measure aims to enhance citizen well-being and ensure social stability by swiftly and efficiently resolving disputes without hindering… — Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) July 21, 2025 Under the new legislation, Dubai Courts' Centre for Amicable Settlement of Disputes will establish a branch dedicated to handling disputes from citizen home building contract execution, the Dubai Media Office said in a statement. Sheikh Mohammed establishes alternative dispute system for Dubai citizen housing contracts The resolution process begins with mediation, which must be completed within 20 days. This period can be extended for another 20 days if both parties consent. Mediators with construction expertise will manage these sessions. When mediation proves unsuccessful, a committee comprising one judge and two construction specialists will make binding decisions within 30 days. The committee head can extend this period for an additional 30 days if circumstances require. Parties retain the right to appeal committee decisions to the Court of First Instance, with appeals must be filed within 30 days of the committee's ruling. The law targets the development of alternative dispute resolution mechanisms while protecting the interests of all contracting parties. The legislation provides dispute resolution pathways that avoid traditional litigation delays. The framework also promotes continuity in contractual relationships through negotiated settlements. Construction projects can proceed without interruption while disputes undergo resolution, ensuring homes reach completion and delivery according to schedule. The measure forms part of broader efforts to enhance citizen well-being and maintain social stability through efficient dispute resolution mechanisms that support housing development projects. The law becomes effective on January 1, 2026.
The National
4 days ago
- Business
- The National
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid issues Dubai law on Emirati housing disputes
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, on Monday issued a law to settle disputes arising from citizen housing building contracts in the emirate. The legislation is aimed at efficiently resolving disputes without stalling property developments. It follows a series of policies announced in Dubai to support housing for Emiratis. In January, Sheikh Mohammed approved a 30,000-unit housing project worth Dh5.4 billion ($1.47 billion) for young Emiratis who have or plan to have families. In March, Dubai Municipality launched the Home First initiative to enhance housing facilities for Emirati families and cut bureaucracy on residential planning. Amicable solutions The new law goes one step further, aiming to develop a dispute resolution system for building contracts that safeguards the interests of all parties. The law establishes a branch within Dubai Courts' Centre for Amicable Settlement of Disputes. This branch will offer mediation within 20 days, extendable for another 20 days with mutual consent. If mediation fails, a committee comprising a judge and two specialists will adjudicate within 30 days. The law takes effect on January 1, 2026. Central to the law is the effort to eliminate interruptions to the building of homes for Emiratis. 'The law for settling disputes arising from the execution of citizen house building contracts reflects Dubai Courts' continuing commitment to enhancing the efficiency of the judicial system and ensuring all parties have access to swift justice,' said Saif Ghanem Al Suwaidi, director general of Dubai Courts. He added that the law fosters an amicable and timely legal settlements facilitated by judges and experts.
Khaleej Times
4 days ago
- Business
- Khaleej Times
Sheikh Mohammed issues new law to speed up, resolve housing contract disputes in Dubai
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minster of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, on Monday issued a new law focused on resolving disputes related to the execution of citizen housing building contracts in the emirate. The move is aimed at strengthening social stability and improving citizens' well-being. Set to take effect on January 1, 2026, the law introduces a dedicated legal framework to swiftly and efficiently handle disagreements, without disrupting the progress of housing development projects. Stay up to date with the latest news. Follow KT on WhatsApp Channels. Key objectives of the new law The law is designed to: Developing an alternative dispute resolution (ADR) system for construction contracts, protecting the rights of all involved parties. Promoting amicable and consensual solutions, encouraging the continuation of contractual relationships. Providing a swift and more efficient mechanism for resolving disputes, to streamline dispute resolution in citizen housing projects. Ensure that construction progress remains uninterrupted, even during contractual disagreements. Considering and adjudicating disputes: To implement the new law, the Centre for Amicable Settlement of Disputes will form a specialised branch to manage disputes specifically related to citizen housing construction contracts. Under the new system disputes will first undergo mediation, to be concluded within 20 days, with a possible extension of another 20 days if both parties agree. If mediation fails, the case will be referred to a dedicated committee comprising one judge and two industry specialists. This committee must issue a decision within 30 days, extendable once by the same period. Parties have the right to appeal the committee's ruling to the Court of First Instance within 30 days of the decision.
Forbes
17-07-2025
- Business
- Forbes
How To Amplify The Effectiveness Of HR With An Organizational Ombuds
Chuck Doran is an organizational ombuds and the executive director of MWI, a dispute resolution firm he founded in 1994. For more than two decades, my work has focused on providing companies and universities with the unique benefits of an organizational ombuds. One common fear prevents some organizations from fully realizing these benefits: Will the ombuds undermine or replace formal channels like Human Resources, Legal, or Compliance? The answer is no. An organizational ombuds provides unique value as an informal channel, which supports the important work of an organization's formal channels. Organizational ombuds amplify the effectiveness of formal channels by working together to help improve employee satisfaction, mitigate risk, promote transparency, and advance the organization's efficiency and effectiveness. What is an organizational ombuds? An organizational ombuds provides an independent, impartial, informal, and confidential space for employees to raise issues and gather options to address work-related concerns. Based on an employee's situation, the ombuds may provide a range of services, including assistance with navigating workplace benefits and policies, coaching employees to communicate their concerns, helping them to brainstorm options and strategies to overcome problems, and facilitating difficult or complex discussions. Organizational ombuds also provide leadership with anonymized feedback to identify systemic issues and opportunities for improvement. How do organizational ombuds differ from formal channels? There are a variety of formal channels that an organization may utilize to support its employees, each of which provides unique value. This includes departments tasked with managing employees' relationships with the organization and each other, including Human Resources, People, and Employee Relations. Other formal channels include departments that oversee employees' alignment with legal requirements or ethical expectations, including Compliance, Legal, and Ethics. Formal channels act as agents of the organization, which requires them to protect the organization and take specific actions based on the information shared with them, such as launching a formal investigation or implementing corrective measures. In contrast, a properly chartered organizational ombuds resource provides employees with an informal channel to address their concerns, meaning that discussions with an organizational ombuds remain off the record and will not trigger formal procedures. What unique value do organizational ombuds provide? An ombuds can be a useful and necessary bridge between employee concerns and formal channels. However, the idea of a resource that invites employees to confidentially and informally share concerns can feel worrisome to an organization. Nonetheless, an organizational ombuds office's informality and confidentiality are the very same features that provide their unique value to employees and organizations by surfacing issues that may otherwise remain unspoken and unresolved. Employees turn to an organizational ombuds when they feel stuck, uncertain, or unsafe when using formal channels. This is typically not the fault of any formal channel; rather, distrust is a common reaction employees have when they are in a tough spot. The employee may fear harm to their reputation or fear outright retaliation for raising concerns about a supervisor, colleague or leader through a formal channel. Moreover, they may want to avoid subjecting anyone to corrective actions that they deem overly harsh. My colleague, Chuck Howard, former Executive Director of the International Ombuds Association, dubbed this 'the blue uniform problem' in his book, "A Practical Guide to Organizational Ombuds: How They Help People and Organizations." People generally have an aversion to 'tattling' on others and fear repercussions if they do. They avoid raising concerns to those in a position to take corrective action or implement formal punishments or reprimands. This leaves employees with a tough choice. Do they launch a formal process that could spin out of control, or keep their concerns to themselves? Organizational ombuds offer employees another way to proceed. The informal nature of the organizational ombuds creates a safe, zero-barrier space for employees to brainstorm ways to balance their desire for resolution with their fears about speaking up. Organizational ombuds answer employees' questions, address their fears, help develop options to surface issues that may not reveal their identity, and support them as they navigate formal channels. This makes it more likely that an employee will utilize formal channels, since an ombuds can equip them with higher levels of knowledge, confidence and trust. How can an organizational ombuds partner with formal channels? Organizational ombuds cannot replace formal channels. However, they offer measurable value to formal channels by expanding the scope and volume of issues that are brought to formal channels, and through thoughtful partnership and collaboration with the formal channels. As an informal function, organizational ombuds often have access to employees' unvarnished concerns, feelings, hopes and fears. While they cannot share information that would break an employee's confidentiality, organizational ombuds identify trends and provide data about their work through usage summaries they share with an organization's leadership. This provides formal channels with insights into employees' experiences that can help improve policies and their implementation. Empowered with these insights, a formal channel can modify policies, review internal procedures and educate employees on their processes or services. Sometimes, employees raise serious issues with an organizational ombuds that require escalation. Organizational ombuds can break confidentiality if a situation poses an imminent risk of serious harm, and they need trusted partners in an organization, such as HR, Compliance and Legal, to address such situations swiftly and effectively. Often, employees come to the ombuds simply seeking assistance navigating a large organization or identifying the best organizational resource to meet their needs. This can include an expecting parent wanting to maximize parental leave benefits, people unsure if they qualify for government protections such as the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) or employees clarifying updated vacation policies. Organizational ombuds partner with formal channels to update onboarding procedures that proactively address common questions about benefits and the appropriate internal resources to utilize to access those benefits. Ombuds also serve as a type of 'GPS' for employees to help direct them to relevant information or resources provided by HR, Compliance, Legal and other formal channels. Another benefit of an organizational ombuds is that they provide a forum to address issues early, which enables formal channels to focus on the most serious issues. In sum, organizational ombuds provide meaningful data about the employee experience, which helps formal channels champion meaningful change. Forbes Business Council is the foremost growth and networking organization for business owners and leaders. Do I qualify?
