News from the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL): The Work of the Fifty-third Commission Session

Abstract

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. Since 1966, UNCITRAL has been carrying out its mandate to further the progressive harmonization and unification of international trade law.1 This article provides an overview of the fifty-third session of UNCITRAL and the activities of its working groups and Secretariat from mid-2019 to mid-2020. The UNCITRAL session was originally to be held in New York, but because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the session format and location had to be modified. Instead of being held in New York, the UNCITRAL session was held in two parts. The first part of the session was held on 6–17 July 2020 and the second part was held on 14–18 September 2020. The meetings were held in a hybrid format—with delegates attending both remotely and in person—with most...