About UNCITRAL
The United Nations Commission on International Trade Law is the core legal body of the United Nations system in the field of international trade law. A legal body with universal membership specializing in commercial law reform worldwide for over 50 years, UNCITRAL's business is the modernization and harmonization of rules on international business.
UNCITRAL supports the Sustainable Development Goals. In the Addis Ababa Action Agenda, States endorsed "the efforts and initiatives of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law, as the core legal body within the United Nations system in the field of international trade law, aimed at increasing coordination of and cooperation on legal activities of international and regional organizations active in the field of international trade law and at promoting the rule of law at the national and international levels in this field."
Origin, Mandate and Composition
The United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) was established by the General Assembly in 1966 (Resolution 2205(XXI) of 17 December 1966). In establishing the Commission, the General Assembly recognized that disparities in national laws governing international trade created obstacles to the flow of trade, and it regarded the Commission as the vehicle by which the United Nations could play a more active role in reducing or removing these obstacles.
Methods of work
The Commission carries out its work at annual sessions, which are held in alternate years at United Nations Headquarters in New York and at the Vienna International Centre at Vienna. Each working group of the Commission typically holds one or two sessions a year, depending on the subject-matter to be covered; these sessions also alternate between New York and Vienna.
In addition to Member States, all States that are not members of the Commission, as well as interested international organizations, are invited to attend sessions of the Commission and of its working groups as observers. Observers are permitted to participate in discussions at sessions of the Commission and its working groups to the same extent as members.
Vacancies and Internships
UNCITRAL secretariat vacancies are managed by the United Nations Office for Human Resources Management (UN OHRM). For more information on how to work with the United Nations please visit the UN Careers - Department/Office: Office of Legal Affairs portal.
Contact Us
UNCITRAL Secretariat
Vienna International Centre
P.O. Box 500
A-1400 Vienna, Austria
- Email: uncitral@un.org
- Phone: +43-(1)26060-4060 or 4061
- Fax: +43-(1)26060-5813