Crisis Impact on International Trade Law: COVID-19 and Beyond

COVID-19 and International Trade Law Instruments: a Legal Toolkit by the UNCITRAL Secretariat

Background

Notes by the Secretariat

• A/CN.9/1039/Rev.1 - Submission by the Governments of Armenia, the Russian Federation and Viet Nam
• A/CN.9/1080 - Exploratory work on the impact of COVID-19 on international trade law – Part I
• A/CN.9/1081 - Exploratory work on the impact of COVID-19 on international trade law – Part II
• A/CN.9/1119 - Exploratory work on the impact of COVID-19 on international trade law
• A/CN.9/1144 - Exploratory work on the impact of COVID-19 on international trade law
  • Annex COVID-19 and international trade law instruments: a legal toolkit by the UNCITRAL secretariat

Commission Reports

• A/75/17 - Report of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law Fifty-third session
  • Summary of round-tables, paras. 107-117
  • Mandate, paras. 86-89, 91(f)
  • Decision on "UNCITRAL texts and COVID-19 response and recovery", para. 27
• A/76/17 - Report of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law Fifty-fourth session
  • Mandate, paras. 238-241
• A/77/17 - Report of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law Fifty-fifth session
  • Mandate, paras. 207-208

Questionnaires 

Responses were received from 31 States: Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Canada, Czechia, Ecuador, India, Indonesia, Italy, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Madagascar, Malta, Poland, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Türkiye and the United States of America. Below is a compilation of responses of States that are publicly available. The responses are in the language and format they were received.

• Questionnaire
• Compilation of responses

Events 

2023

• 23-23 February 2023 "Impact of International Health Crisis on Legal Infrastructure for Trade and Implications for Structural Reform”, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), Economic Committee Policy Dialogue, Palm Spring, the United States
• 13 June 2023 "The impact of international health crisis on legal infrastructure for trade”, Yerevan, Armenia
  • Programme
  • Presentations
    • Mr. Lev Gershanok, Director of the Legal Department, Ministry of Economic Development, Russian Federation
    • Mr. Ren Yuh Kay, Assistant Director, TradeTrust, Digital Utilities, Sectoral Transformation Group, INFOCOMM Media Development Authority, Singapore
    • The aftermath of Covid: measuring the impact on international trade (brief introduction) by Mr. Jan Hoffmann, Chief, Trade Logistics Branch, Division on Technology and Logistics, UNCTAD
    • Ms. Dorina Jitaru, Acting Counsel, Legal Transition Programme, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)
    • Mr. Yann Duval, Chief of Trade Policy and Facilitation Trade, Investment and Innovation Division, UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP)
    • Ms. Tianmi Stilphen, Lead, Regulatory Affairs of International Chamber of Commerce (ICC)
    • A legal toolkit by the UNCITRAL Secretariat
  • Video of the event

2022 

• 24-25 March, 2022 “The Impact of Covid-19 on International Trade Law: MSME and Digitalisation” (postponed)

2021 

• 30 March 2021, "Digitalization of International Trade"
• 21 May 2021, "MSE Debtors and Creditors in Trouble: Is a Simplified Insolvency Regime the Solution?", St. Petersburg International Legal Forum  English / Русский
• 18 June 2021, "Webinar on COVID-19 Measures Implemented by States"
• 30 June - 15 July 2021, "Side events at the 54th Commission Session"
• 15 November 2021, Side event of the 41st Session of Working Group III (ISDS Reform): "Stocktaking: Pandemic Related Measures by States and Treaty-Based Disputes" (no recording available)

2020 

• 8-9, 13-16 July 2020, "Virtual Panel Series: UNCITRAL Texts and COVID-19 Response and Recovery"