At the kind invitation of the Prime Minister’s Office of Malaysia, the Secretary-General of the Centre, Dr. Rami Sulaiman, participated in the opening of the Asian Legal Forum, held in Kuala Lumpur on August 19–20, 2025, under the theme: 'ASEAN Law Forum 2025: Enhancing Access to Justice in the ASEAN Community – Bridging Legal Cooperation for Inclusive Growth in the Digital Age.' The forum brought together prominent legal experts from the member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), including Malaysia, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

In his address at the opening session, the Secretary General highlighted a critical challenge regarding the enforcement of foreign arbitration awards in jurisdictions where public policy may conflict with the provisions of Islamic financial law. He underscored the added complexity arising from the diversity of legal systems across the countries represented at the forum.

The Secretary General also took part as a speaker in the conference’s dialogue sessions, notably in Advancing ASEAN’s Vision: The Intersection of Arbitration and Islamic Finance. In his presentation, he provided both a scholarly and practical analysis of the issues discussed, while also highlighting the pivotal role of the International Islamic Centre for Reconciliation and Arbitration in strengthening the legal and regulatory framework of the Islamic financial industry.

On the sidelines of the forum, the IICRA Secretary-General held a series of meetings with stakeholders from ASEAN countries interested in arbitration, during which he discussed opportunities to strengthen cooperation and expand the utilization of IICRA’s services.