United Nations A/C.6/54/L.

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General Assembly Distr.: Limited
29 October 1999

Original: English

Fifty-fourth session
Sixth Committee
Agenda item 156
Report of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law
on the work of its thirty-second session

Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Belgium, Bosnia

and Herzegovina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia,
Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Finland, France, Germany,
Greece, Guatemala, Hungary, India, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Ireland, Israel,
Italy, Japan, Lesotho, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mexico,
Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation,
Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and United States of America:
draft resolution

Report of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law

on the work of its thirty-second session

The General Assembly,

Recalling its resolution 2205 (XXI) of 17 December 1966, by which it created the
United Nations Commission on International Trade Law with a mandate to further the
progressive harmonization and unification of the law of international trade and in that
respect to bear in mind the interests of all peoples, in particular those of developing
countries, in the extensive development of international trade,
Reaffirming its conviction that the progressive harmonization and unification of
international trade law, in reducing or removing legal obstacles to the flow of
international trade, especially those affecting the developing countries, would contribute
significantly to universal economic cooperation among all States on a basis of equality,
equity and common interest and to the elimination of discrimination in international trade
and, thereby, to the well-being of all peoples,
Emphasizing the need for higher priority to be given to the Commission’s work in
view of the increasing value of the modernization of international trade law for global
economic development and thus for the maintenance of friendly relations among States,

United Nations A/C.6/54/L.4

General Assembly Distr.: Limited
29 O b 1999
A/C.6/54/L.4

Stressing the value of participation by States at all levels of economic development

and from different legal systems in the process of harmonizing and unifying international
trade law,
Having considered the report of the Commission on the work of its thirty-second
session, 1
Mindful of the valuable contribution to be rendered by the Commission within the
framework of the United Nations Decade of International Law, in particular as regards
the dissemination of international trade law,
Concerned that activities undertaken by other bodies of the United Nations system
in the field of international trade law without coordination with the Commission might
lead to undesirable duplication of efforts and would not be in keeping with the aim of
promoting efficiency, consistency and coherence in the unification and harmonization
of international trade law, as stated in its resolution 37/106 of 16 December 1982,
Stressing the importance of the further development of the Case Law on United
Nations Commission on International Trade Law Texts in promoting the uniform
application of the legal texts of the Commission and its value for government officials,
practitioners and academics,
1. Takes note with appreciation of the report of the United Nations Commission
on International Trade Law on the work of its thirty-second session;1
2. Commends the Commission for the progress made in its work on receivables
financing, electronic commerce, privately financed infrastructure projects and the
legislative implementation of the Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of
Foreign Arbitral Awards, done at New York on 10 June 1958;2
3. Appeals to Governments that have not yet done so to reply to the questionnaire
circulated by the Secretariat in relation to the legal regime governing the recognition and
enforcement of foreign arbitral awards;
4. Invites States to nominate persons to work with the private foundation
established to encourage assistance to the Commission from the private sector;
5. Reaffirms the mandate of the Commission, as the core legal body within the
United Nations system in the field of international trade law, to coordinate legal activities
in this field and, in this connection:
(a) Calls upon all bodies of the United Nations system and invites other
international organizations to bear in mind the mandate of the Commission and the need
to avoid duplication of effort and to promote efficiency, consistency and coherence in the
unification and harmonization of international trade law;
(b) Recommends that the Commission, through its secretariat, continue to
maintain close cooperation with the other international organs and organizations,
including regional organizations, active in the field of international trade law;
6. Also reaffirms the importance, in particular for developing countries, of the
work of the Commission concerned with training and technical assistance in the field of
international trade law, such as assistance in the preparation of national legislation based
on legal texts of the Commission;

1
Official Records of the General Assembly, Fifty-fourth Session, Supplement No. 17 (A/54/17).
2
United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 330, No. 4739.

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7. Expresses the desirability for increased efforts by the Commission, in

sponsoring seminars and symposia, to provide such training and technical assistance,
and in this connection:
(a) Expresses its appreciation to the Commission for organizing seminars and
briefing missions in Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bolivia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cameroon, China,
Guatemala, Mexico, Mongolia, Peru, Romania, Venezuela and Zambia;
(b) Expresses its appreciation to the Governments whose contributions enabled
the seminars and briefing missions to be organized, and appeals to Governments, the
relevant United Nations organs, organizations, institutions and individuals to make
voluntary contributions to the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law
Trust Fund for Symposia and, where appropriate, to the financing of special projects, and
otherwise to assist the secretariat of the Commission in financing and organizing seminars
and symposia, in particular in developing countries, and in the award of fellowships to
candidates from developing countries to enable them to participate in such seminars and
symposia;
8. Appeals to the United Nations Development Programme and other bodies
responsible for development assistance, such as the International Bank for Reconstruction
and Development and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, as well
as to Governments in their bilateral aid programmes, to support the training and technical
assistance programme of the Commission and to cooperate and coordinate their activities
with those of the Commission;
9. Appeals to Governments, the relevant United Nations organs, organizations,
institutions and individuals, in order to ensure full participation by all Member States
in the sessions of the Commission and its working groups, to make voluntary contributions
to the trust fund for travel assistance to developing countries that are members of the
Commission, at their request and in consultation with the Secretary-General;
10. Decides, in order to ensure full participation by all Member States in the
sessions of the Commission and its working groups, to continue, in the competent Main
Committee during the fifty-fourth session of the General Assembly, its consideration of
granting travel assistance to the least developed countries that are members of the
Commission, at their request and in consultation with the Secretary-General;
11. Requests the Secretary-General to ensure and enhance the effective
implementation of the programme of the Commission;
12. Stresses the importance of bringing into effect the conventions emanating from
the work of the Commission for the global unification and harmonization of international
trade law, and to this end urges States that have not yet done so to consider signing,
ratifying or acceding to those conventions.