For information only – not an official document
UNIS/L/336
8 December 2022
VIENNA, 8 December (UN Information Service) – The United Nations General Assembly adopted three draft resolutions pertaining to the work of UNCITRAL at its most recent meeting.
The first resolution adopted by the General Assembly welcomed the decision of UNCITRAL to proceed with its exploratory work on the impact of the COVID‑19 pandemic on international trade law, the stocktaking of developments in dispute resolution in the digital economy and the progress of preparatory work on warehouse receipts. The General Assembly also reaffirmed the importance of the technical cooperation and assistance work done by UNCITRAL in the field of international trade law reform and development – particularly for developing countries. The importance of promoting the use of UNCITRAL texts for the unification and harmonization of international trade law was also stressed by the General Assembly and it urged States to consider signing, ratifying or acceding to conventions, enact model laws, or encourage the use of other relevant UNCITRAL texts.
As stated in a press release issued earlier today, in the second resolution the General Assembly adopted the United Nations Convention on the International Effects of Judicial Sales of Ships. It also authorized a signing ceremony for the Convention to be held as soon as practicable in 2023 in Beijing and recommended that the Convention be known as the “Beijing Convention on the Judicial Sale of Ships”.
The third resolution adopted commended UNCITRAL on its adoption of the Model Law on the Use and Cross-border Recognition of Identity Management and Trust Services and requested the Model Law to be published with an explanatory note in the six official United Nations languages. Identity management services provide assurance as to the proper online identification of physical and legal persons, while trust services certify data qualities such as its origin and integrity. Together, these services play an important role in promoting confidence and certainty in digital trade. The Model Law sets uniform rules for the provision of identity management and trust services, as well as for the recognition of the results of those services. The Model Law is the first to set international legal standards for these services and serves as an important legislative building block for digital trade worldwide, complementing the existing suite of UNCITRAL legislative texts on electronic commerce. The resolution recommends States to consider the Model Law when revising legislation in this area and invites them to advise UNCITRAL when they have adopted the Model Law. The Model Law is the latest in a series of legislative texts prepared by UNCITRAL on electronic commerce and digital trade. The General Assembly also used this opportunity to recommend States to consider becoming party to the United Nations Convention on the Use of Electronic Communications in International Contracts and to consider the Model law on Electronic Commerce, Model Law on Electronic Signatures and the Model Law on Electronic Transferable Records when revising or adopting legislation in the area of electronic commerce.
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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 uncitral.un.org.
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For information, please contact:
José Angelo Estrella Faria
Principal Legal Officer and Head, Legislative Branch
