Dear Chair and members of the Bureau of the 53^rd UNCITRAL Commission, distinguished delegates and friends of UNCITRAL,

At the outset, let me thank the delegations who have sent us their comments and views on the first draft provisional agenda for the 54^th UNCITRAL Commission session. We have tried to take them into account in the second draft we have recently uploaded on the UNCITRAL website and we are attaching hereto. As you can see, we have not made any change to the duration of the session, in spite of removing the adoption of one legislative text from the agenda. Given the limited time available during its last working group session, Working Group IV, at the end of the session , found that it needed another meeting to finalize the draft Model Law on Identity Management and Trust Services and that the text was not yet ready for its presentation to the Commission. This will give more time and flexibility to the deliberations on the adoption of other texts the Secretariat is currently preparing for submission during the first two weeks and their discussion will not be constrained by the prevailing format of the meeting.

UNCITRAL member States will receive shortly an invitation by the Chairperson of its 53^rd Commission session to hold informal consultations to make the necessary arrangements for the forthcoming 54^th session, in light of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and related restrictions. As the world continues to struggle with the pandemic, we hope, very modestly, to build on the lessons learned from last year’s session and from the working group sessions held in the course of the last months, to provide delegations with an efficient and fair organization for the 54^th Commission and “build back better” also at our level. One of the papers submitted to the Commission for its consideration will build on  WP A/CN.9/1016 where the 53^rd Commission discussed the impact of the pandemic on its working methods.

You will also receive a letter from the Secretariat informing you officially of the nomination by the African Group of the Permanent Mission of Ghana (H.E. Ambassador Abaka Johnson) as their candidate to chair the session and inviting the other regional groups to put forward the names of their candidates.

We are at your entire disposal should you wish reach out to us with any additional question.

In the meantime, I wish you all to remain in good health and hopeful,

With kind regards

Anna

 

Anna Joubin-Bret

Secretary, UNCITRAL - United Nations Commission on International Trade Law
Secrétaire de la Commission des Nations Unies pour le droit commercial international
and / et
Director, International Trade Law Division / Directeur de la Division du droit commercial international
Office of Legal Affairs / Bureau des affaires juridiques
United Nations / Organisation des Nations Unies

Vienna International Centre, P.O. Box 500   
A-1400  Vienna, Austria
Tel:  (+431) 26060 4071
Fax:  (+431) 26060 5813
E-mail: anna.joubin-bret@un.org
Website:  www.uncitral.un.org 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dear Chair and members of the Bureau of the 53^rd UNCITRAL Commission,  distinguished delegates and friends of UNCITRAL,

 

As is now customary, please find enclosed a first draft provisional agenda for the 54^th UNCITRAL Commission to be held in Vienna on 28 June to 16 July 2021.

When we circulated a first draft agenda last year around the same time, we had no idea of the many challenges and disruptions that lay ahead of all of us. Nevertheless, we managed thanks to your continued flexibility and perseverance and your constructive cooperation to hold the 53^rd session of the Commission, all the fall sessions of the UNCITRAL working groups. We have a number of forthcoming working group sessions ahead of us in the months to come. We have learned a lot, adapted a lot, tried, failed, succeeded, tried again. It is in this same spirit of allowing UNCITRAL’s work to progress in spite of all the difficulties while being mindful of the continuation of the effects of the pandemic on all of us, that we present this first draft provisional agenda to you today.

 

As you will see from the calendar view and the draft agenda, we intend to take full advantage of the three weeks allotted to UNCITRAL  to bring to the Commission the legislative texts and legislative guides that are being finalized by 4 working groups for adoption and deliberation by the Commission. Working Group I will present a draft legislative guide on a simplified corporate structure for MSMEs, Working Group II will present a draft set of rules for expedited arbitration, Working Group IV will aim at presenting a model law on identity management and trust services, Working Group V will present the Legislative Guide for MSME insolvency and we will also present again the pending mediation rules and mediation notes that had not been adopted by the 52^nd Commission session. The Commission, at its last session, has deliberated on several projects for future work that will have reached various levels of preparation and it is expected to examine them at this coming session. These are among other highlights.

 

We are unfortunately not in a position as yet to indicate the dates for working group meetings in 2022. We have to wait until our NY colleagues give us their indications. We will of course update you as soon as possible.

 

As is now customary, we would be very grateful if you could consult as appropriate on the basis of this first draft and get back to us with your views and suggestions. We are planning to make an advanced draft available on the UNCITRAL website as soon as possible.

 

My colleagues Angelo Estrella-Faria, Principal Legal Officer and Caroline Nicholas, the Head of our Technical Assistance and Cooperation Section are copied and can be reached at any time. It is now my colleague Yanying Li who is helping me coordinate the preparation of the Commission agenda. You may reach out to her and to me at any time.

 

With kind regards,

 

 

 

Anna Joubin-Bret

Secretary, UNCITRAL - United Nations Commission on International Trade Law
Secrétaire de la Commission des Nations Unies pour le droit commercial international
and / et
Director, International Trade Law Division / Directeur de la Division du droit commercial international
Office of Legal Affairs / Bureau des affaires juridiques
United Nations / Organisation des Nations Unies

Vienna International Centre, P.O. Box 500   
A-1400  Vienna, Austria
Tel:  (+431) 26060 4071
Fax:  (+431) 26060 5813
E-mail: anna.joubin-bret@un.org
Website:  www.uncitral.un.org