Zambia has been elected as a member of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) during elections held at the UN Headquarters on 20th November 2024.
Zambia was elected with 176 votes for a six-year term from 2025 to 2031.
Other countries elected from the African States included Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana, who garnered 175 votes each. Mauritania and Sierra Leone who polled 174 votes while Burundi managed 172, with Congo and South Africa polling 171 and 168, respectively.
Those elected from Asia-Pacific States were Malaysia, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Vietnam, China, Japan, and the Republic of Korea. Hungary and the Russian Federation will represent the Eastern European States.
Latin America and the Caribbean States will be represented by Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Peru, Mexico, Bolivia, and Uruguay. Switzerland, Belgium, Germany, Canada, Sweden, and France will represent the Western European and other states.
The election of Zambia as a Member State of UNCITRAL will enable Zambia’s participation in all of UNCITRAL’s activities such as the formulation of Model Laws, charting the course of the work of UNCTRAL, capacity-building and trainings, as well as enhanced access to the various mechanisms for investor-State dispute resolution. This is a momentous occasion for Zambia as this enhances Zambia’s standing as a key player in world affairs, international trade, and the advancement of the Sustainable Development Goals
UNICITRAL was established in 1966 under the General Assembly with a mandate to further the progressive harmonization and unification of international trade law. Its impact in reducing or removing obstacles to the seamless flow of international trade is unquestionable.
UNCITRAL provides numerous opportunities such as capacity-building and technical assistance to developing states in the areas of international trade and commerce, thereby contributing to stability, mutual trust, and peaceful coexistence in accordance with the UN Charter.
At the invitation of the UNCITRAL Secretariat, Zambia participated as an Observer State in the 57th session of UNCITRAL, which took place in New York in June – July 2024. Important achievements were realized at the 57th session and included adoptions of Model Laws for access to credit, the UNCITRAL – UNIDROIT Model Law on Warehouse Receipts, the Model Clauses on Specialized Express Dispute Resolution, the UNCITRAL Model Law on Automated Contracting, the Statute of the Advisory Centre on Investment Dispute Resolution, and the progress made in the areas of electronic commerce.
UNCITRAL is also evolving to address climate change by holding a colloquium to study the impacts of carbon emissions on international trade law with a focus on the relevance of UNCITRAL on climate action.