The United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) has opened its 58th annual session in Vienna, Austria, with the Kingdom represented by an official delegation from the National Competitiveness Center and the ministries of foreign affairs, justice, commerce, investment, and transport and logistics services, as well as the Board of Grievances and the Bankruptcy Commission.
UNCITRAL seeks to remove obstacles to international commercial transactions created by national cross‑border trade laws by drafting unified international conventions and model laws, encouraging member states to incorporate them into domestic legislation, and assisting in national law‑reform projects.
At the session’s opening, held from July 7 to 23 at United Nations Headquarters in Vienna, the president and vice presidents were elected, after which delegates reviewed the draft “International Convention on Negotiable Cargo Documents.”
Produced by Working Group VI, the draft convention regulates the legal instruments governing international carriage of goods, covering both paper and electronic bills of lading and the associated rights and obligations.
The Kingdom has been a member of UNCITRAL during the 2022–2028 term and participates in its annual meetings through a working team headed by the National Competitiveness Center and comprising several relevant government entities.
