Courts Drawn Closer by UAE-Iraq Judicial Pact

A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the UAE’s Federal Supreme Court and its Iraqi counterpart to deepen judicial cooperation, exchange legal research and expertise, and bolster institutional ties.

Mohammed Hamad Al Badi Al Dhaheri, President of the UAE Federal Supreme Court, and Mundher Ibrahim Hussein, head of Iraq’s Federal Supreme Court, presided over the signing at the UAE court’s headquarters in Abu Dhabi, during the visit of an Iraqi judicial delegation. The agreement envisages structured exchanges in judicial rulings, legal studies, training, and coordination on judicial matters.

Officials from both sides characterised the MoU as a legal and institutional milestone that “contributes to supporting the judicial and legal system in both countries,” with the UAE emphasizing that the Iraqi delegation’s visit would underpin a “high level of cooperation.”

Iraq’s judiciary has grown increasingly assertive in its regional dealings. Its Supreme Court has intervened in key disputes—such as invalidation of parliament’s ratification of the Iraq-Kuwait treaty over the Khor Abdullah waterway—triggering diplomatic tension with Gulf neighbours. The court’s verdict in 2023 annulled the maritime pact, which Iraq’s prime minister and president are now petitioning to reverse.

Analysts view the pact with the UAE as part of Baghdad’s broader strategy to rehabilitate legal and diplomatic ties with Gulf states following those tensions. For the UAE, fostering judicial engagement offers a path to reinforcing its role as a regional hub for legal and institutional cooperation.

While the MoU focuses on judicial matters, its timing underscores deeper geopolitical dynamics. Iraqi courts have increasingly been drawn into contentious territory: they have ruled on the status of the Kurdistan Region’s oil and gas law—declaring it unconstitutional—and on budget allocations to regional entities. Some critics argue that the court has trended toward politicisation, straining perceptions of impartiality.

In that context, UAE–Iraq judicial linkages could serve both symbolic and practical aims. The pact may foster professional standardisation, shared jurisprudential platforms, and judgement-review channels across jurisdictions. Yet the agreement also raises questions about influence and alignment: whether cooperation will respect judicial autonomy, and how conflicts of law or principle will be handled when they arise.