Part IV International Treaties, 20 UNCITRAL Model Law on International Commercial Arbitration

This chapter provides an overview of the Model Law on International Commercial Arbitration (Model Law) of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL). The UNCITRAL Model Law is considered one of the most important texts in international commercial arbitration and serves as a basis for harmonizing national legislation in this field. The chapter examines the drafting process for the UNCITRAL Model Law as well as the underlying objectives and principles of the Model Law, its structure (nine chapters and thirty-six articles), and its adoption by various states. It concludes with a commentary on the UNCITRAL Model Law, which covers topics ranging from basic definitions and general provisions to the arbitration agreement, the composition of the arbitral tribunal, the jurisdiction of the arbitral tribunal, the conduct of arbitral proceedings, the making of the arbitral award and recourse against the award, and the recognition and enforcement of foreign awards.