Terms of use

Article 1Definitions

In these terms, the words below have the following meaning.

DUKAAT, we, us: Stichting Nederlands-Arabische Handelskamer, trading as DUKAAT, as described in article 2.

Member, you: the company, or the person acting in the course of a business or profession, with whom we have concluded a membership agreement. Where these terms refer to members, they also cover a client to whom we provide project services without membership.

Membership agreement: the written agreement by which we admit a member, recording at least the level, the start date of the membership year and the subscription.

Membership year: the period of twelve months beginning on the start date recorded in the membership agreement, and each following period of twelve months.

Level: Member, Professional or Executive.

Project services: work outside the subscription, such as market entry, supplier search and representation, quoted per engagement in writing.

Introduction (qualified introduction): putting a member in contact with another member or a third party whom we have checked and whose interest we have tested, with a written brief to both sides.

The club: the members, the persons and organisations who work with us, such as ambassadors, partners and specialists, and every channel in which information is shared among them, including the member directory, DUKAAT Market, events and meetings.

In writing: on paper or by e-mail.

Article 2DUKAAT and these terms

DUKAAT is the trading name of Stichting Nederlands-Arabische Handelskamer, a foundation under Dutch law established in 2018 and based in the Rotterdam region, the Netherlands. Chamber of Commerce (KvK) number 73318205, address Kelvinring 11, 2952 BG Alblasserdam.

DUKAAT is a private business club. It is not a public body, does not represent any government and does not issue official documents. The name of the foundation reflects the purpose for which it was established; it confers no public-law status.

Membership is a contract for the services of the club. A foundation has no members in the sense of Book 2 of the Dutch Civil Code; membership therefore gives no rights in the governance or the assets of the foundation.

These terms form part of every membership agreement and every quotation for project services. General terms of a member are expressly rejected. Where the membership agreement or a written quotation departs from these terms, the membership agreement or the quotation prevails.

Article 3Admission

Membership is by nomination or invitation: a member puts forward the name of a company, or we invite a company ourselves. A company may also apply. Membership is open only to companies and to persons acting in the course of a business or profession; we do not conclude membership agreements with consumers.

Before admission we verify the company: company registration, activity and references, and any further information or documents we reasonably ask for, including information on the persons who own or control the company.

Admission is at our discretion. Neither a nomination nor an application gives a right to admission, and we are not obliged to give reasons for our decision. We inform the company of our decision in writing within 10 working days after we have received the information we asked for.

The membership agreement is concluded when we have confirmed admission in writing and the member has signed the membership agreement. On admission we issue a membership number and a membership card.

Article 4Membership levels

Membership has three levels: Member, Professional and Executive. Descriptions on this website are a summary; where they differ, the membership agreement prevails.

We set the programme of events, trade missions, courses and reports: their content, their dates and, where relevant, their places. Where a level includes access, priority or a discount, it relates to the programmes we organise during the membership year, within the capacity of each programme.

A member may move to a higher level during the membership year; the difference in subscription is then charged pro rata. A move to a lower level takes effect from the next membership year.

Membership is personal to the member and cannot be transferred without our written consent. The member names the persons who represent it within the club and is responsible for their conduct.

Article 5Term, renewal and notice

Membership is concluded for one membership year and renews each time for a further membership year, unless the member or we give written notice of termination no later than [one month] before the end of the current membership year. Notice given later takes effect at the end of the following membership year.

During a membership year, membership can be ended early only as provided in articles 12, 15 and 16 or by law.

A project engagement runs for the period and scope set out in the written quotation, and ends when the agreed work is completed, unless the quotation provides otherwise. The end of a membership does not end a running project engagement, nor the other way round.

Article 6Fees and payment

Membership is an annual subscription. Project services (market entry, supplier search, representation) are quoted per engagement in writing. No hidden commissions.

The subscription is invoiced in advance for each membership year. A quotation for project services states the scope, the fee and any costs; the work begins once the quotation has been accepted in writing. All amounts are exclusive of VAT unless stated otherwise.

Any commission or fee in connection with a transaction between members, or with a transaction that results from an introduction, is communicated clearly and agreed in advance, in writing, with every party concerned.

Invoices are payable within the term stated on them. If payment is late, we may, after a written reminder, suspend our services until the invoice has been paid; reasonable collection costs are then payable by the member.

We may change the subscription rate for a following membership year. We announce such a change in writing no later than [two months] before the end of the current membership year, so that the member can give notice in time.

Article 7Your obligations

You provide us with accurate, complete and current information, and tell us without delay of any change that matters for your membership, such as a change in ownership, management or registration.

You act lawfully in everything you do through the club, including under the rules on bribery, money laundering, competition, customs and export control.

You comply with the sanctions that bind you and us, including those of the European Union, the United Nations and the Netherlands. You warrant that neither your company nor the persons who own or control it are subject to such sanctions, and you tell us at once if that changes. You do not use the club for any transaction that would breach sanctions or export controls.

You treat as confidential every introduction, request, offer, document and conversation shared within the club, and use it only for the purpose for which it was shared. You do not pass it on without the consent of the party who shared it.

You use the member directory and DUKAAT Market only to make contact for genuine business purposes. You do not copy, collect or resell their data, use it for bulk or unsolicited messages, or use it to build another network.

You do not state or suggest that DUKAAT endorses, certifies or guarantees you, your products or your transactions. When you nominate someone, you do so in good faith and on the basis of your own knowledge of them.

You indemnify us against claims by third parties that result from a breach of these obligations by you or by the persons who represent you.

Article 8Introductions, not transactions

We introduce, verify basic information and support. We are not a party to any agreement that results from an introduction, whether between members or between a member and a third party, unless we have expressly agreed so in writing.

Members negotiate, contract and perform at their own risk and under their own responsibility, including for their own due diligence and for the quality, delivery, payment and lawfulness of what they agree. Our verification is a check of basic information at a given moment; it is not an audit and not a guarantee.

We do not take custody of members’ funds, we do not act as a bank or payment provider, and we do not guarantee any transaction between members. Payments between members are made directly between them, or through the bank, notary or licensed escrow provider they choose, on the terms they agree.

We do not act as agent, broker or commercial agent for any member, except where a written engagement for representation says so, and then only within the scope set out in it. We cannot bind a member, and a member cannot bind us.

Article 9Investment information

DUKAAT does not provide investment advice, does not arrange or broker investments, and does not offer securities. Opportunities are presented for information only. Independent legal, financial and technical due diligence remains essential before any investment decision.

This covers every opportunity presented through the club, including in the formats Meet the Developer and Meet the Project Owner. Information about an opportunity comes from the party presenting it, which is responsible for that information and for complying with the rules on offering investments. We accept no liability for that information or for any investment decision.

Article 10Our advice and specialist advice

We advise members ourselves, from practical experience, as part of membership or a project. Specialist legal, tax, financial, marketing, PR and structuring advice is given by independent specialists from our network. They advise in their own name and under their own terms and professional rules. The engagement, and the responsibility for the advice, lie between the member and the specialist.

We introduce the specialist and, where a level includes advisory hours, arrange those hours. We are not responsible for the content of a specialist’s advice or for how it is carried out. Work beyond the included hours is charged as agreed in advance and in writing; any fee connected with a specialist engagement is communicated clearly before the work begins.

Our own advice and guidance, in the course of membership or a project, support your own decisions. They are general business advice based on practical experience — not a guarantee, and not legal, tax, financial or investment advice, unless a written engagement expressly says otherwise.

Article 11Liability

Our total liability, on whatever ground, is limited to direct damage, up to at most [the fees paid by the member in the twelve months before the event that caused the damage].

We are not liable for indirect damage, including loss of profit or turnover, lost savings, loss of reputation, business interruption, and damage arising from a transaction that is delayed, not concluded or not performed.

We are not liable for the acts, omissions or information of members, counterparties, specialists, ambassadors, partners, carriers, banks, authorities or other third parties.

These limitations do not cover damage caused by intent or gross negligence on the part of DUKAAT or its management, nor cases in which mandatory law does not permit them.

A claim for damages lapses if it has not been reported to us in writing within [one year] after the member became aware, or could reasonably have become aware, of the damage. These limitations also protect our board members, staff and the persons we engage in providing our services, who may invoke them directly.

Article 12Force majeure and changes to programmes

We are not liable for a failure caused by circumstances beyond our control, such as war, unrest, terrorism, epidemics, natural disasters, government measures, sanctions, travel advice, strikes, disruptions of transport, energy or the internet, and failures of venues, carriers or other suppliers.

During force majeure our obligations are suspended. If it lasts longer than [two months], either party may terminate the affected part of the agreement in writing, without any obligation to pay damages.

We may change the programme, date or place of an event or trade mission, or cancel it, where travel advice, security, legal or insurance conditions, government measures or circumstances at the destination require it. We inform participants as early as we can. What happens to amounts already paid for that event or mission is set out in its invitation or confirmation.

Article 13Intellectual property

All rights in the content of this website and of the club’s publications — texts, photographs, design, reports, course materials, the name DUKAAT and the tulip mark — belong to us or to our licensors. Nothing may be reproduced, published or used commercially without our prior written consent.

Members may use the DUKAAT Member badge and the membership certificate we issue, as issued and only while the membership lasts. Reports and market information are for the member’s own internal use and may not be passed on.

You keep the rights in what you supply to us, such as profile texts, logos, photographs and product information. You grant us a non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to use it for the purposes of your membership, within the limits of our terms for the publication of member data, and you warrant that you are entitled to grant this licence.

Article 14Confidentiality and privacy

We treat the non-public information you share with us as confidential. We share it with a proposed counterparty, ambassador or specialist only as far as an introduction, a search or a project engagement for you requires, or where the law obliges us to.

We process personal data in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), as described in our Privacy statement on this website. What we publish about members, and how to correct or withdraw it, is set out in our terms for the publication of member data. Verification data and documents are never published.

Article 15Suspension and termination

We may suspend a membership in whole or in part, or terminate it with immediate effect by written notice, if the member materially breaches these terms or the membership agreement and has not remedied the breach within a reasonable period after written notice, or at once where remedy is not possible.

We may do the same if the member has given false or misleading information; becomes subject to sanctions; is involved in, or reasonably suspected of, fraud, money laundering, corruption or another serious offence; is declared bankrupt or granted a suspension of payments; fails to pay an invoice after a written reminder; or behaves in a way that harms the club, its members or its reputation.

Termination under this article gives no right to a refund of the subscription already paid and does not affect our right to payment for work already done. The membership number and access to the club end with the membership.

Each party keeps its statutory rights, including the right to dissolve the agreement if the other party fails seriously in its obligations. Provisions that by their nature continue — on confidentiality, intellectual property and liability — remain in force after the membership has ended.

Article 16Changes to these terms

We may change these terms. We announce a change in writing at least [one month] before it takes effect, and publish the new version on this website with its date.

If a change materially limits your rights, you may terminate your membership in writing with effect from the date on which the change takes effect. A change required by law takes effect when the law requires it.

Article 17Governing law, disputes and language

These terms, and every agreement to which they relate, are governed by Dutch law.

We first seek to resolve any dispute through consultation. A dispute that cannot be resolved in this way is submitted exclusively to the competent court for the place where DUKAAT has its statutory seat, without prejudice to mandatory rules of jurisdiction. We may also bring a claim before the competent court at the member’s place of business.

These terms are published in Dutch, English and Arabic. Where the versions differ, or where the meaning of a provision is in doubt, the Dutch text prevails.