The"uncitral" It praises the UAE’s proposal to adopt a model law for trade and digital platforms

Dubai, December 9, 2017 – Anna Jobin Brett, Secretary-General of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL), said that the proposal submitted by the UAE to adopt a model law for digital trade and digital platforms constitutes a prominent step towards developing a global legal framework that enhances innovation and trust in the digital commercial environment.

This came in a statement to the Emirates News Agency, WAM, during the activities of the second day of the World Forum for Digital Trade and Digital Platforms, which is hosted by Dubai, and aims to lead a comprehensive international dialogue on the future of legislative frameworks regulating digital commerce.

Jobin Brett explained that this path started from the proposal presented by the UAE during the meetings of the sixty-seventh session of the fourth working group of UNCITRAL in Vienna during November 2024. The UAE law on trade was proposed through modern technology to be a reference legislative model for digital trade governance. The proposal received support from the Kingdom of Spain before UNCITRAL officially adopted it last July and assigned the General Secretariat to launch international exploratory work to study the legal dimensions of digital trade, paving the way for the development of an integrated global legal framework.

She added that UNCITRAL strongly welcomed the UAE initiative in view of the country’s advanced position in the digital economy, its leadership in e-commerce and its transformation into a regional and global center for digital trade, stressing that the UAE experience represents an important reference for studying best practices in this vital sector and at the same time reflects the high level of confidence in the UAE’s role in modernizing the international trade legislation environment.

She pointed out that developing laws for digital commerce faces a fundamental challenge represented by the speed of technological development, especially in the areas of artificial intelligence and advanced digital technologies, which requires flexible legislation that guarantees legal certainty without a direct link to a specific technology.

Jobin Brett stressed that UNCITRAL adopts the principle of technological neutrality in its model laws and agreements to ensure its ability to keep pace with innovation without the need for continuous updates, explaining that reaching a clear definition of digital platforms and their legal responsibilities requires time to reach international consensus within the United Nations.

She stated that the working group will continue to discuss the role of digital platforms as a new actor in global trade, with a focus on their enabling role in the digital economic system and not on regulating its governance directly, pointing out that the World Forum for Digital Trade represents an important platform for discussing the future of the legal framework for digital trade and enhancing international cooperation in this field.

Jobin-Britt praised the UAE’s pioneering role in leading efforts to develop legislation supporting the digital economy, stressing that the next stage will witness in-depth work within UNCITRAL to formulate a comprehensive legal framework that benefits from the UAE experience and enhances confidence in the global digital trade environment.

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