Should Iran join the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods?

Abstract

After 40 years of the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG), it is still controversial whether the CISG has been a successful uniform law in practice. It is, nevertheless, evident that the number of ratifications of the CISG has been increasing. This article aims to highlight the important question of whether Iran should implement the CISG. In addition, it argues that irrespective of the possible ratification of the CISG, the Iranian contract law needs to be modernized. In particular, advantages and disadvantages of the possible adoption of the CISG in Iran are explored. This article argues that acceding to the CISG will provide Iran with a number of opportunities, including the promotion of international trade with its trading partners. In proposing a model for the modernization of the Iranian Civil Code (CCI), the author, however, argues that the CISG is not the best option. Instead, the Unidroit Principles of International Commercial Contracts (PICC) is the most appropriate model for reforming the Iranian contract law. This article concludes by suggesting that the combination of the CISG and the PICC is the best way forward for the Iranian legal system.