Dubai Courts launches third phase of ‘Aoun’ initiative in response to declaration of 2017 as the ‘Year of Giving’

Voluntary initiative to promote participation of legal experts in charitable and humanitarian movement across the UAE

The Dubai Courts has launched the third phase of ‘Aoun’, a leading initiative designed to provide financially challenged litigants with assistance under the supervision of a group of volunteer legal experts. This move complements the Courts’ efforts to support the national movement towards establishing the concept of giving as an inherent value within society in response to the declaration of 2017 as the ‘Year of Giving’ by H.H. Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the President of the UAE.

The latest stage builds on the success of the previous phases of this quality initiative in providing free support services to financially constrained litigants in Personal Status cases, and labor, civil and real estate suits. It forms part of efforts to integrate the activities of the Dubai Courts and local legal offices to help boost local and global confidence in the judicial system and highlight the role of the Dubai Courts in providing community services.

Whereas the first and second phases were limited to the Center of Amicable Settlements of Disputes Department, the third phase will cover the First Instance Courts and Courts of Appeal. The current phase opens broad prospects for activating partnerships between the Dubai Courts and legal offices to facilitate the litigation procedures of financially challenged litigants and promote the spirit of volunteerism within the judicial and legal system per the wise policy of the government to ensure the good of all and uphold giving as an important value characterizing all Emiratis.

H.E. Taresh Eid Al Mansouri, Director General of the Dubai Courts, explained that the decision to expand the ‘Aoun’ initiative to include the First Instance Courts, Courts of Appeal, Labor Courts and the Center of Amicable Settlements of Disputes in the third stage is in line with the Dubai Court’s commitment to become a permanent fixture within the UAE’s charitable and humanitarian movement. He emphasized that the initiative aligns with the three main themes of ‘2017..Year of Giving,’ especially in terms of consolidating social responsibility among government and private sector organizations to enable them play major roles in national development. H.E. Al Mansouri further pointed out that the move provides a strong push towards instilling the spirit of volunteerism among legal experts and providing an opportunity for legal offices to actively contribute towards reinforcing goodness and giving throughout the UAE by extending support and assistance to financially constrained litigants free of charge as part of effective partnerships with the courts.

H.E. Al Mansouri said: “The Dubai Courts is keen on developing the judicial and legal system with a focus on uplifting the human dimension, which ensures justice and the protection of the rights of every citizen and resident in the UAE, in line with the unwavering approach laid by the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who said that ‘The UAE Federation is a realistic personification of the hopes and aspirations of the Emirati people. The federation is the dream of a nation that struggled to build a free society and a glorious future under the banner of justice.’ We are eager to launch the third phase of ‘Aoun’ as a major step forward on the path to excellence for all those who knock on the doors of the Dubai Courts. We are committed to providing legal services that are based on justice, independence, transparency and innovation for all customers, including financially challenged litigants, in fulfillment of the vision of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to offer good to everyone, everywhere.”

The Dubai Courts recently honored 12 volunteer legal experts for their valuable contributions in helping financially constrained litigants in 16 cases during 2016 as part of the second phase of ‘Aoun.’ The initiative has had a prominent role in promoting confidence in the judicial system locally and regionally, and raising the levels of happiness among customers. The support services under the ‘Aoun’ initiative are provided at the headquarters of the Dubai Courts to make financially challenged litigants happy. The litigants are given access to a selection of legal experts as well as interpreters for non-Arabic speakers.