Part III Arbitral Rules, 17 The United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) Arbitration Rules

This chapter discusses the arbitration rules of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL), an institution tasked with harmonizing national laws and international commercial legal practices on a wide range of trade-related issues, from dispute resolution to international contract practices, international payments, secured transactions, procurement, and sale of goods. The chapter first provides background on the history of UNCITRAL before describing the initial adoption of the UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules, the Rules’ subsequent revision, and finally the creation of rules on transparency designed to supplement the Arbitration Rules in treaty-based investor-state arbitrations. The chapter concludes with its principal section: a Commentary on Articles 1–43 of the 2010 UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules, which covers topics ranging from scope of application of the Rules to notice of arbitration; designation of appointment authorities; composition of the arbitral tribunal; arbitral proceedings, including the appointment of experts by the arbitral tribunal; and decisions with regard to arbitral awards.