Bangladesh International Arbitration Centre or BIAC yesterday teamed up with the Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration to promote mutual assistance and sharing of expertise. Muhammad A (Rumee) Ali, chief executive of BIAC, and Hugo H Siblesz, secretary general of PCA, signed an agreement in this regard.

Leoni Margaretha Cuelenaere, ambassador of the Netherlands to Bangladesh, exchanged the signed papers of the agreement on behalf of PCA with BIAC's CEO at the Le Meridien Hotel in Dhaka.

The agreement will provide a framework for cooperation between both the institutions involved in the peaceful settlement of international disputes, BIAC said in a statement.

“This agreement will enable BIAC and PCA to hold hearings and meetings in the facilities among themselves as well as to receive assistance with the arrangement of local support services for ADR (alternative dispute resolution) related issues.”

The PCA provides administrative support in international arbitrations involving various states, state entities, international organisations and private parties. 

Former Chief Justice Md Tafazzul Islam and former High Court judge Justice Awlad Ali, who are the members of PCA arbitrator panel for dealing with international arbitration, attended the ceremony along with Mahbubur Rahman, chairman of BIAC.

The PCA is one of the renowned ADR institutions around the globe. It is the first permanent intergovernmental organisation with 121 member states to provide a forum for the resolution of international disputes through arbitration and other peaceful means.

BIAC is Bangladesh's first and only alternative dispute resolution institution. It is registered as a not-for-profit organisation and started operations in April 2011.

Rokia Afzal Rahman, vice president of ICC Bangladesh; former attorney general Barrister Fida M Kamal and Barrister Ajmalul Hossain QC were also present.