RP wins seat in UN international trade law body

The Philippines has secured a seat in the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) in elections that took place about 35 years after the country first served in the UN body. It will serve a six-year term in the core legal body of the UN system in the field of international trade law.

According to the Department of Foreign Affars website, Philippine Permanent Representative to the United Nations Hilario G. Davide, Jr. reported to Secretary Alberto Romulo that the country was elected by acclamation during the 35th plenary meeting of the 64th Session of the General Assembly.

Davide said that the Philippines will serve the body from 2010 to 2016 beginning on the 21st of June 2010. The country first served in the 60-member UN body from 1974 to 1986.

Other countries elected along with the Philippines were Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belarus, Brazil, Colombia, the Czech Republic, Fiji, Gabon, India, Iran, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Kenya, Mauritius, Nigeria, Pakistan, Poland, Spain, Thailand, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, the United States of America and Venezuela. Two seats representing Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean are still vacant.

Established in 1966, UNCITRAL is mandated to remove legal obstacles to international trade by progressively modernizing and harmonizing trade law. It prepares legal texts in a number of key areas such as international commercial dispute settlement, electronic commerce, and insolvency, international payments, sale of goods, transport law, procurement and infrastructure development. It also provides technical assistance to law reform activities, including assisting Member States to review and assess their law reform needs and to draft the legislation required to implement UNCITRAL texts.