Law firm highlights (November 2019)

• Pinsent Masons, and Constructing Excellence Qatar have revealed the results of their 2019 Qatar Construction Improvement Survey – which is the first-of-its-kind ever produced for Qatar’s construction industry. The event was held at the Intercontinental City Hotel, Doha on November 5, 2019. More than 90 construction experts, professionals and leading sector representatives attended the event, which focused on the survey results in the context of the current business climate. The event also provided a platform for attendees to discuss current challenges facing the industry and opportunities for the year ahead. The survey examined the responses of 127 construction industry professionals. It found that the majority of respondents expected a large increase (over 10 per cent) in workload in the next year, reaffirming Qatar’s 2030 vision and the projects that are expected to come to market in the next 12 months. Additionally, transport was seen as a sector with the strongest opportunities, which correlates with Qatar’s ambition to expand not only its existing metro area coverage but also the Hamad International Airport, giving it the capacity to be the 13th largest airport in the world. Speaking on the event, Pamela McDonald, senior associate, Pinsent Masons, said, “The results of the survey have been incredibly insightful and have provided us with a much deeper understanding in terms of what is working well in the sector and what still requires improvement. Events such as this provide a unique opportunity for all stakeholders to come together to focus on how we can continue to evolve this crucial sector, in line with the Government’s ambitious plans for growth.” The survey also revealed that the vast majority of respondents agree that Qatar is a good place to do business in 2020. A large number of participants also expressed that they were considering the PPP opportunities being brought to market in Qatar under Ashghal. Also commenting on the event, head of Constructing Excellence in Qatar, Don Ward said, “We are pleased to partner with Pinsent Masons. Our seminars have proven that there is an appetite for progression and improvement in construction performance, and the results presented today showcased excellent progress in recent years whilst shedding light on what can still be improved in the future.” As part of the presentation, specialists in Qatar’s construction sector offered some insights on key themes within the survey. Operational Manager for HKA Qatar, Tom Kapapa, focused on the theme of project finance, dicussing the recent introduction of a unified form of Demand Guarantee Letter announced by the ICC Qatar, which aims at attracting more foreign investment into Qatar. Pamela McDonald, also discussed changes in the dispute resolution landscape in Qatar including Qatar’s adoption of the Singapore Mediation Convention on 7 August 2019, which provides robust enforceability confidence for users of mediation as an alternative to litigation and arbitration in Qatar. The event concluded with the opportunity for attendees to have their say on the construction industry in Qatar and the announcement that the results of the survey will be published online on Constructing Excellence in Qatar’s website.

• Baker McKenzie announced a plan to significantly reduce its global carbon emissions over the next decade. The reductions are part of the Firm’s wider sustainability strategy and support of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The Firm commits: to reduce its global energy consumption by 92 per cent by 2030 (from a 2019 baseline); to develop a strategy and target by 2021 to lower emissions from its business air travel; and to report its emissions with the Carbon Disclosure Project starting in 2020. “Climate change is one of the most pressing issues facing humanity,” says global executive committee member Ai Ai Wong who is also chair of the Firm’s Asia Pacific Region and the Global Environmental Committee.  “Limiting warming requires everyone – including Baker McKenzie — to take action to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, without delay.  We are setting targets to drive better environmental performance across our global operations, and to clearly demonstrate our commitment.” “These targets are part of the Firm’s continuing effort to integrate sustainability meaningfully into our strategy and operations,” added Christie Constantine, Baker McKenzie’s global director of sustainability.   “Climate change is a priority and a concern for many people at our Firm, as well as for our clients and the communities where we do business.  Our various stakeholders want to know that we are part of the solution.” Constantine, who has been with Baker McKenzie since 2013, was appointed to the newly created global director of sustainability role earlier this year, reflecting the Firm’s commitment to sustainability. Last year, the firm launched a refreshed global sustainability strategy, centered on the environmental, economic, social and governance issues most material to the Firm as identified by more than 1400 stakeholders.  Additionally, Baker McKenzie has prioritised a number of the UN Sustainable Development Goals linked to these issues which it will focus on over the next ten years. With respect to business air travel, which is the Firm’s biggest emissions source, in addition to lessening non-essential travel, Baker McKenzie will assess investments in enhanced video conferencing technology and redesign key meetings and events to make virtual attendance viable. The Firm currently offsets all business air travel associated with its annual and regional partners meetings, using offsets that provide social benefits in addition to carbon abatement, such as reducing poverty, improving health, empowering women, job creation, or other benefits to local communities. The new targets build on successive efforts by the Firm to make its operations more environmentally sustainable in recent years.