For information only - not an official document
UNIS/L/288
12 December 2019
VIENNA, 12 December 2019 (UN Information Service) - With its accession to the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG), Guatemala becomes the 93rd State Party to the Convention. The Convention will enter into force for Guatemala on 1 January 2021.
The CISG is a major success of uniform law and an early outcome of the work of UNCITRAL. It provides an equitable and modern uniform framework for the contract of sale, which is the backbone of international trade in all countries, irrespective of their legal tradition or level of economic development. Its adoption and use may contribute significantly to introducing certainty in commercial exchanges and decreasing transaction costs.
The CISG establishes a comprehensive code of legal rules governing the formation of contracts for the international sale of goods, the obligations of the buyer and seller, remedies for breach of contract and other aspects of the contract. It is a fundamental international trade law treaty and has inspired several national and regional legislative texts.
The UNCITRAL Secretariat is working with governments and academic institutions from around the world to organize a series of awareness-raising events and technical assistance activities to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the CISG in 2020 ("CISG@40"). More information on events and other activities related to CISG@40 is available on the UNCITRAL website.
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The United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) is the core legal body of the United Nations system in the field of international trade law. Its mandate is to remove legal obstacles to international trade by progressively modernizing and harmonizing trade law. It prepares legal texts in a number of key areas such as international commercial dispute settlement, electronic commerce, insolvency, international payments, sale of goods, transport law, procurement and infrastructure development. UNCITRAL also provides technical assistance to law reform activities, including assisting Member States to review and assess their law reform needs and to draft the legislation required to implement UNCITRAL texts. The UNCITRAL Secretariat is located in Vienna, Austria, and maintains a website at https://uncitral.un.org/ .
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For more information please contact:
José Angelo
Estrella Faria
Principal Legal Officer and Head, Legislative Branch
UNCITRAL Secretariat
Email: joseangelo.estrella-faria[at]un.org
