Submission Procedure:

An abstract in English (max. 400 words) along with a short biography (max. 150 words) should be sent to info.mena@kas.de no later than October 31, 2019.

Submissions will be reviewed by the members of the Scientific Committee:

• Dr. Abderrahim El Maslouhi, Professor of public law at UAE University – College of Law
• Dr. Cheryl Saunders, Former President of IACL, Professor Emeritus, Melbourne Law School
• Dr. Anja Schoeller-Schletter, KAS, Head of the Rule of Law Program Middle East / North Africa
• Mr. Zaid Al-Ali, Member of AACL Executive Committee

Successful authors will be notified by November 11, 2019.
Draft papers shall be submitted by December 2, 2019 and the finalized versions by February 28, 2020.

 

Agenda:
The following questions will be at the center of the debate at the conference:
 

• The historical evolution of IRAs in the MENA region and the gradual convergence process of Arab regulatory regimes with international standards.
• The constitutional and legislative foundations and conceded scope of work of regulatory governance and IRAs in the MENA countries. Institutional and functional legitimation of IRA's and their activities.
• Organizational structure and composition of IRAs, appointment processes to IRAs in the light of constitutional and legislative rules. Their role and position within the constitutional order and democratic framework of accountability.
• Powers and competences granted to IRAs: scope of their regulatory competences, e.g., establish regulatory rules for specific sectors, provide technical assistance to public authorities, monitor regulated sectors, and impose sanctions.
• Constitutional limits for the delegation of competences and perception of the state: The state's core responsibilities and the distinction between direct and indirect regulation.
• Procedural, administrative, and financial aspects of IRAs: Internal decision-making processes for the production of regulations and norms; human and financial resources and funding mechanism.
• Coordinating relations between IRAs and the legislative and executive branches through legal and institutional mechanisms.
• The role of the judiciary and auditing courts in protecting IRA's legal status. The role of the judiciary in reviewing IRA's actions. Complaint procedures and procedures before courts, impact of judicial review.
• Typology of regulatory independent bodies and scope of their functional and organic independence.
• What are the roles for IRAs in strengthening administrative governance and management policy in MENA countries? Developing transparency, performance, and competitiveness of the public sector, strengthening public-private partnerships, promoting social justice, and equal opportunities.