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 significantly
contribute 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,
Stressing the value of participation by States at all levels
of economic development and with different legal systems in the
process of harmonizing and unifying international trade law,
Having considered the report of the United Nations Commission
on International Trade Law on the work of its twenty-seventh session,
Mindful of the valuable contribution to be rendered by
the Commission within the framework of the United Nations Decade
of International Law, inter alia, as regards the dissemination
of international trade law,
Concerned about the relatively low incidence of expert
representation from developing countries at sessions of the Commission
and particularly of its working groups during recent years, owing
in part to inadequate resources to finance the travel of such
experts,
Having considered the report of the Secretary-General,
Concerned also about the fact that the need for and interest
in the training and assistance programme of the Commission can
only partially be met, in view of the limited human and financial
resources available, and that the work of the Secretariat in the
context of the Case-Law on the United Nations Commission on International
Trade Law Texts would substantially increase as the number of
the court decisions and arbitral awards covered thereby grows,
1. Takes note with appreciation of the report of the United
Nations Commission on International Trade Law on the work of its
twenty-seventh session;
2. Welcomes the ongoing work of the Commission, as described
in its report, and appreciates the many proposals on possible
future work made during the Congress on International Trade Law
of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law, held
in New York from 18 to 22 May 1992;
3. 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 in order
to avoid duplication of effort and to promote efficiency, consistency
and coherence in the unification and harmonization of international
trade law, and in this connection recommends that the Commission,
through its secretariat, continue to maintain close cooperation
with the other intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations,
including regional organizations, active in the field of international
trade law;
4. Also reaffirms the importance, in particular for developing
countries, of the work of the Commission concerned with training
and assistance in the field of international trade law;
5. Expresses the desirability for the Commission to sponsor
seminars and symposia to provide such training and assistance,
and in this connection:
(a) Expresses its appreciation to the Commission for organizing seminars in Argentina, Brazil, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, as well as in Botswana, Kenya, Namibia, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania and Zimbabwe, and for assisting the Pacific Economic Cooperation Council with its initiative to promote harmonization of international trade law in the Asia-Pacific region;
(b) Expresses its appreciation to the Governments whose contributions enabled the seminars to take place, and appeals to Governments, the relevant United Nations organs, organizations, institutions and individuals to make voluntary contributions to the Trust Fund for the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law 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;
(c) Appeals to the United Nations Development Programme and other United Nations bodies responsible for development assistance to support the training and technical assistance programme of the Commission and to cooperate and coordinate their activities with those of the Commission;
6. Welcomes the completion of the setting up of the
Trust Fund for the United Nations Commission on International
Trade Law to grant travel assistance to developing countries that
are members of the Commission, at their request and in consultation
with the Secretary-General, pursuant to paragraph 5 of resolution
48/32 of 9 December 1993;
7. 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 referred to in paragraph 6 above;
8. Decides, in order to ensure full participation by all
Member States in the sessions of the Commission and its working
groups, to continue its consideration in the competent Main Committee
during the forty-ninth session of the General Assembly on granting
travel assistance, within existing resources, to the least developed
countries that are members of the Commission, at their request
and in consultation with the Secretary-General;
9. Requests the Secretary-General to ensure that adequate
resources are allocated for the effective implementation of the
programmes of the Commission;
10. 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;
11. Also requests the Secretary-General to submit a report
on the implementation of paragraph 8 above to the General Assembly
at its fiftieth session.
84th plenary meeting
9 December 1994