Delivered by: Ms. Sarah Al-Awadhi, Second Secretary
Madam Chair,
The United Arab Emirates expresses its appreciation to the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law, the Chair of its fifty-ninth session, H.E. Dr. Michael Imran Kanu of Sierra Leone, and the secretariat for their efforts during the session, and thanks the Commission for its report contained in document A/81/17. My country recognizes the importance of UNCITRAL’s role in developing harmonized legal rules for international trade that enhance legal certainty, facilitate cross-border transactions, and promote trust and cooperation among States, while considering the diversity of their legal systems and development needs.
My country attaches particular importance to ensuring that commercial law keeps pace with digital transformation. In this context, the United Arab Emirates, submitted a proposal on future work on the legal aspects of digital trade, with a focus on digital platforms. This initiative seeks to explore the desirability and feasibility of developing harmonized international standards for the contractual relationships underpinning digital trade in a platform economy, potentially in the form of a model law.
My country has supported this work by hosting the UNCITRAL–United Arab Emirates Global Summit on Digital Trade and Digital Platforms in Dubai in December 2025, and by participating in the New York colloquium in February 2026 and the Commission’s fifty-ninth session, held in New York from 29 June to 10 July 2026. These discussions, together with the expert meeting held in Madrid in April 2026, helped inform the exploratory work. In this context, we welcome the Commission’s decision to request the secretariat to undertake preparatory work to develop a legal text, in consultation with experts and in coordination with relevant organizations, and to report to the Commission at its next session in 2027, with a view to deciding on whether to refer the project to one of UNCITRAL’s working groups for further examination.
My country considers that the practical value of this work lies in clarifying the relationship between platform operators and their users and making the legal effects of that relationship more predictable. It is important that this work be guided by good faith, fair dealing, and transparency, and that it considers the reasonable expectations of the parties. We also emphasize the importance of adhering to the scope defined by the Commission and coordinating with relevant international organizations to ensure that the envisaged text complements existing legal frameworks and avoids duplication of work.
Madam Chair,
In a practical step reflecting its support for mechanisms for settling international commercial disputes, the United Arab Emirates acceded, on 8 October 2026, to the United Nations Convention on International Settlement Agreements Resulting from Mediation. We believe in the importance of providing parties with effective options for settling their disputes and strengthening confidence in the cross-border enforcement of settlement agreements in accordance with the applicable legal framework.
My country welcomes the Commission’s technical assistance and capacity-building activities, including judicial training, the dissemination of case law and the expansion of multilingual learning resources. These activities help States and practitioners make use of UNCITRAL texts and promote consistency in their interpretation and application. We encourage continued efforts to make these resources accessible in the official languages of the United Nations, including Arabic, so that States, particularly developing countries, can benefit more fully from UNCITRAL texts.
Building on its support for the Commission’s work, the United Arab Emirates has submitted its candidature for membership for the term 2028–2034. If elected, my country looks forward to strengthening its contribution to the development of practical legal frameworks that support international trade and to working with all members in a spirit of cooperation and consensus. We also look forward to contributing to the preparatory work on digital platforms through exchanges of experience and engagement with experts and interested States. We hope that our candidature will receive the support of Member States, enabling us to continue this contribution in pursuit of the Commission’s shared objectives.
Thank you, Madam Chair.