Under the patronage of His Excellency Prof. Hamid M.K. Al Naimiy, Chancellor of the University of Sharjah, within the framework of the University's interest in following up on contemporary events and developments at the local, regional and international levels, and its participation in the scientific and research study of the implications of these events and developments to analyze them and determine their legal dimensions and their substantive and procedural implications. Also within the academic activities of the College of Law during the current academic year, the College is organizing a scientific forum titled "The International Forum on the Substantive and Procedural Legal Aspects of the COVID-19 Pandemic."

This was stated by Prof. Imad Eldin Abdul Hay, Dean of the College and Chairman of the Scientific Committee of the Forum, adding that this Forum deals with the most important substantive and procedural aspects of the emerging corona virus as this virus has caused many legal, health, social and economic repercussions at the local, regional and global levels. With regard to the objective legal repercussions, he added, this virus has had a direct impact on many local and international legal and contractual obligations of all kinds and nature, which has negatively affected their existence or continuity based on the issues that arose about adapting them mainly as force or an exceptional emergency circumstance or otherwise. This was especially the case with the start of the national judiciary separation of some countries in the related cases before it and giving different interpretations. This pandemic has also had a legal impact from the procedural point of view in its various stages and types whether civil, commercial, administrative and penal, before various national and international courts and national and international arbitration bodies. It also left its impact on some of the criminal descriptions and the penalties prescribed for it in accordance with the penal legislation, in addition to its direct impact on the international level for states and international organizations and their obligations.

For his part, Dr. Ahmad Farah, Vice Dean of the College, added that this Forum's various sessions, and in light of the precautionary measures currently applied, will be held through virtual platforms for remote communication in two main topics. The first deals with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on substantive legal aspects, and the second topic deals with the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on procedural legal aspects.