UNCITRAL Events and News

UNCITRAL Events and Colloquia

01 October 2023 to 30 November 2023

The second edition of the UNCITRAL Days in Africa will be held between 1st October and 30 November 2023. This new series of event will be held under the following theme: “The use of UNCITRAL texts in Africa: Trends and prospects”. It will provide a great opportunity to discuss the impact of UNCITRAL texts in African States where they have been implemented or being considered for adoption. The need for update of existing texts with most recent UNCITRAL instrument could also be discussed, as well as explanatory and pedagogical materials being made available on various subjects by UNCITRAL secretariat to further common understanding and harmonized approach of UNCITRAL texts (such as online modules). If you are interested in attending an event organized this year, please send an email to uncitral[@]un.org to receive the updated program and the link.

01 October 2023 to 15 December 2023

The UNCITRAL Secretariat is pleased to announce that the fourth edition of UNCITRAL LAC Days will take place between 1st October and 15th December 2023. UNCITRAL LAC Days bring together members of the academia, researchers, students, and private and public stakeholders with a passion for international trade law to share experiences and best practices in an academic forum. The theme for this edition, “Exploring the digital frontiers of cross-border trade” provides a timely discussion on how UNCITRAL’s existing framework on e-commerce and ongoing legislative work could support States in developing an enabling legal framework for cross-border trade in the digital economy.

01 October 2023 to 30 November 2023

La deuxième édition des Journées de la CNUDCI en Afrique se tiendra du 1er octobre au 30 novembre 2023. Cette nouvelle série d'événements se déroulera sous le thème suivant : « L'utilisation des textes de la CNUDCI en Afrique : Tendances et perspectives ». Ce sera une excellente occasion de discuter de l'impact des textes de la CNUDCI dans les États africains où ils ont été mis en œuvre ou dans lesquels l'adoption de textes CNUDCI est envisagée. La nécessité de mettre à jour les textes existants avec les instruments les plus récents de la CNUDCI pourrait également être discutée, ainsi que des documents explicatifs et pédagogiques mis à disposition sur divers sujets par le secrétariat de la CNUDCI pour favoriser une compréhension commune et une approche harmonisée des textes de la CNUDCI (modules en ligne). Si vous souhaitez suivre un événement organisé cette année, veuillez envoyer un courriel à uncitral[@]un.org pour recevoir le programme mis à jour et le lien.

14 September 2023 to 16 September 2023

UNCITRAL RCAP held the 2023 UNCITRAL South Asia Conference, a flagship event co-hosted with the Ministry of External Affairs, Republic of India and the UNCITRAL National Coordination Committee of India on 14 - 16 September in New Delhi. Global and regional legal and judicial experts shared insights on commercial law topics including the digital economy, MSMEs and access to credit, insolvency, investor-state dispute settlement reform, international commercial arbitration and mediation, and more. Special highlights included a high-level inaugural and roundtable sessions focusing on regional perspectives on UNCITRAL. 

11 September 2023 to 12 September 2023

UNCITRAL RCAP held the 3rd Incheon Law & Business Forum (ILBF) themed “From Documents to Data: Legal and Commercial Solutions for Digital Trade,” from 11 – 12 September 2023 at the Holiday Inn Incheon Songdo, Republic of Korea. The Forum was co-hosted with the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Korea and Incheon Metropolitan City, Korea Legislation Research Institute and other partners. This two-day regional Forum brought together representatives from the law, business, and public sectors to discuss the promotion of law reform and business development in support of digital trade across the Asia Pacific, with special attention on UNCITRAL instruments.

29 August 2023

UNCITRAL’s project on the stocktaking of developments in dispute resolution in the digital economy (DRDE) was launched in 2021, conferring on the secretariat the mandate to monitor the changing landscape of dispute resolution in the digital economy by compiling, analysing and sharing relevant information with a view to laying the groundwork for updating existing UNCITRAL texts or developing new ones.

27 July 2023

The UNCITRAL secretariat is organizing a panel entitled “African Perspectives on Dispute Resolution in the Digital Economy” during the 2nd edition of the African Arbitration and Mediation Days. UNCITRAL’s project on the stocktaking of developments in dispute resolution in the digital economy (DRDE) was launched in 2021, conferring on the secretariat the mandate to monitor the changing landscape of dispute resolution in the digital economy by compiling, analysing and sharing relevant information with a view to laying the groundwork for updating existing UNCITRAL texts or developing new ones. The project gives particular attention to the disruptive aspects of digitalization in dispute resolution, in particular those with respect to due process and fairness, but also focuses on the enabling aspects of technology as far as its impact on cost and duration of procedures is concerned. In line with its mandate, the UNCITRAL secretariat is organizing discussions to seek inputs from different parts of the world so as to ensure the comprehensiveness of its work. This panel complements the “World Tour” which has been held to date in Tokyo, New York, Guatemala City, Paris and Vienna.

12 July 2023 to 13 July 2023

The Colloquium will consider areas in which international trade law can effectively support the achievement of climate action goals set by the international community, the scope and value of legal harmonization in those areas and the need for international guidance for legislators, policymakers, courts and dispute resolution bodies. It should consider in particular: (a) the contribution that UNCITRAL, being a subsidiary body of the United Nations General Assembly and an inclusive forum to devise global solutions, could make in the light of its mandate to promote the harmonization and modernization of the law of international trade in the form of possible future work and (b) how existing UNCITRAL instruments in areas such as contract law, electronic commerce, insolvency, secured transactions, public procurement, public-private partnerships and dispute resolution can be applied to support climate action. Find more information about the Colloquium here.

21 April 2023

The International Insolvency Institute and the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York, with the official support of UNCITRAL organized a conference on the occasion of the fifth anniversary of the UNCITRAL Model Law on Recognition and Enforcement of Insolvency-Related Judgments (2018). The Conference was held on Friday, 21 April 2023, from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m (EDT) following the 62nd session of UNCITRAL Working Group V (New York, 17-20 April 2023). 

14 April 2023

The International Colloquium on UNCITRAL PPP Instruments and Chinese Practice, co-organized by UNCITRAL, the Ministry of Commerce of the People's Republic of China (MOFCOM) and Tianjin University, will be held on 14 April 2023. Under the theme of "Sustainable PPP", the Colloquium will explore legislation and sustainable development issues in PPP practice, focusing on key issues such as the UNCITRAL PPP legislative practice and legal framework, PPP governance and contract,  and PPP value co-creation.

News Articles

05 September 2023

The United Nations Convention on the International Effects of Judicial Sales of Ships (the "Beijing Convention on the Judicial Sale of Ships") opened for signature at a ceremony in Beijing today, 5 September 2023.  Fifteen States signed the Convention at the ceremony, which was attended by senior officials and representatives of more than 30 States. Read the full press release here.

31 August 2023

The monthly compilation for August of the bibliography of recent writings related to the work of UNCITRAL is now available.

21 August 2023

With its accession to the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG), Saudi Arabia becomes the 96th State Party to the Convention. Read the full press release here.

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