United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL)

Context

The Economic Survey 2021-22 has recently called for a standardised framework for Cross-Border insolvency as the Insolvency & Bankruptcy Code (IBC) at present does not have a standard instrument to restructure the firms involving cross border jurisdictions leading to several issues.

Background

• The proposal to frame a robust cross border insolvency framework has already been highlighted in the report of the Insolvency Law Committee (ILC) which had recommended the adoption of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) with certain modifications to make it suitable to the Indian context. 

About 

• Established: 1956
• Subsidiary body of: United Nation General Assembly
• General mandate: to further the progressive harmonization and unification of the law of international trade. 
• UNCITRAL was established with a recognition that international trade cooperation among States is an important factor in the promotion of friendly relations and, consequently, in the maintenance of peace and security.
• Through its several model laws, conventions, legislative guides and robust debates in working groups, UNCITRAL has provided a valuable platform for countries to compare, examine, debate and adopt principles of international commercial and trade law appropriate to their circumstances.
• The Commission carries out its work at annual sessions, which are held in alternate years at United Nations Headquarters in New York and at the Vienna International Centre at Vienna.

Membership

• As is the case with most subsidiary bodies of the General Assembly, which is composed of all States members of the United Nations, membership in UNCITRAL is limited to a smaller number of States, so as to facilitate the deliberations. 
• UNCITRAL was originally composed of 29 States; its membership was expanded in 1973 to 36 States and again in 2004 to 60 States. 
• The membership is representative of the various geographic regions and the principal economic and legal systems of the world. 
• Members of the Commission are elected for terms of six years, the terms of half the members expiring every three years.

India and UNCITRAL

• Since its inception, India is only one of eight countries that has been a member of UNCITRAL.