UM holds joint conference with United Nations Commission on International Trade Law Photo Download

The joint conference of the University of Macau (UM) and the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) opened on UM’s new campus today (17 October). Representatives from the UNCITRAL’s Regional Centre for Asia and the Pacific, the Macao SAR government, the Macau Lawyers Association, and the Comité Maritime International (CMI) attended the conference.

UM Vice Rector (Research) Prof. Rui Martins mentioned in his speech that UM was recently ranked by Times Higher Education World University Rankings among the world’s top 300 universities. He stressed the important role of the conference on enhancing research in international trade law in the region as well as the important role of UM’s Faculty of Law in promoting research in international economic and trade law.

Joao Ribeiro, head of the UNCITRAL’s Regional Centre for Asia and the Pacific, welcomed the conference and invited the Macao SAR government to further engage in local legal reforms in line with East Asia standards. He encouraged the Macao SAR government to extend the application of the UN Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods or adopt legislation in line with the Model Law on Cross-Border Insolvency or with the Model Law on International Commercial Arbitration as revised in 2006. Mr. Ribeiro also suggested that Macao should consider positioning itself as “a legal hub of international trade law in the Portuguese language world, fostering cooperation, research, developing a legal and academic cluster, creating jobs and diversifying the economy”.

Experts and scholars attending the conference come from various organisations around the world, including the Secretariat of the UNCITRAL, the CMI, the Hague Conference on Private International Law Asia-Pacific Office, the Supreme Court of Singapore, the Philippine Department of Justice, and Zhuhai Arbitration Commission. Speakers discussed a wide range of topics related to international trade law, including cross-border insolvency, international commercial arbitration and mediation, international transport of goods by sea, investor-state arbitration, and international sale of goods and e-commerce law.

Should you have any enquiries about the information, please feel free to contact Information Executives Ms. Lei or Ms. Fok at（853）88228004 or  prs.media@um.edu.mo or visit UM webpage www.umac.mo.

17/10/2014