Anna Joubin-Bret

Secretary-General of the United Nations Commission on International

Trade Law (UNCITRAL)

Distinguished Judges,
Distinguished Members of the International Commercial Expert Committee,
Ladies and Gentlemen, 

It is a great pleasure and honour to join you today for the Fifth Seminar of the International Commercial Expert Committee and the Reappointment Ceremony of its expert members. 

At the outset, allow me to express my sincere appreciation for the kind invitation and for bringing us together on this occasion. 

We meet at a time when international commerce is becoming increasingly interconnected and complex. Commercial transactions routinely involve parties, assets, technologies and legal relationships spanning multiple jurisdictions. At the same time, digitalization is transforming the way businesses trade, contract and communicate across borders. For businesses engaged in international trade, this reality creates both opportunities and challenges. One of the most important conditions for a predictable and resilient international business environment is a legal framework that provides clarity, consistency and confidence. 

For more than six decades, UNCITRAL has been at the centre of international efforts to harmonize and modernize the law of international trade and commerce. Its work brings together States and experts from different legal traditions to develop practical legislative and non-legislative solutions to the legal challenges facing international commerce. Our work covers a broad range of areas, including international commercial dispute resolution, insolvency, electronic commerce, transport, secured transactions and other aspects of cross-border trade. By preparing and promoting the use and adoption of legislative and non-legislative instruments in a number of key areas of commercial law, UNCITRAL provides States with tools to develop modern and effective legal frameworks for international commerce.

However, the work does not end with the adoption of a convention or model law. The effectiveness of international commercial law ultimately depends on how those rules are interpreted and applied in practice. UNCITRAL placed considerable emphasis on the consistent interpretation and application of its legislative texts. Through initiatives such as the Case Law on UNCITRAL Texts, or CLOUT, as well as our work on judicial and professional capacity-building, we seek to facilitate the exchange of experience and promote a common understanding of UNCITRAL instruments across jurisdictions. 

Moreover, the effectiveness of international trade law depends on judges, arbitrators, practitioners, academics and other legal professionals who give life to those rules in concrete cases and transactions. Judicial dialogue and the exchange of professional experience can serve as a bridge between different legal systems, professional communities and areas of expertise. It provides a forum where complex international commercial issues can be examined from different perspectives, and where experience gained from practice can contribute to a deeper understanding of international commercial law. 

This is why occasions such as today's Seminar are so important. It provides an opportunity to exchange views on particular legal issues, to strengthen mutual understanding and professional cooperation, and to share practical experiences across jurisdictions and legal traditions. Over time, such dialogue can contribute to greater consistency, predictability and confidence in the resolution of international commercial matters. 

I am particularly pleased that today's programme brings together experts from different backgrounds. I hope that the discussions will be open, substantive and forward-looking, and that they will generate ideas that can contribute to the continued development of international commercial law and practice. 

Let me also reaffirm UNCITRAL's strong interest in continuing our engagement with the Chinese legal community, including courts, expert bodies, academics and practitioners. We greatly value the contributions and engagement of Chinese judges, government officials, academics and practitioners in our work. And we look forward to further opportunities to exchange experiences and to cooperate in areas of common interest. 

I wish the Fifth Seminar of the International Commercial Expert Committee every success and, above all, two days of fruitful and inspiring discussions. 

Thank you very much.