The Uncitral Arbitration Rules

This article-by-article commentary sheds light on the UN Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) Rules which govern a wide range of arbitrations, including the Iran-US Claims Tribunal and NAFTA disputes. The new edition takes full account of the revised Rules adopted in 2010 and features many extracts from the most important case law.

The first version of the UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules was endorsed by the General Assembly of the United Nations in December 1976. Now considered one of UNCITRAL's greatest successes, the rules have had an extraordinary impact on international arbitration as both instruments in their own right and as guides for others. The Iran-US Claims Tribunal, for example, employs a barely modified version of the rules for all claims, and many multilateral and bilateral foreign investment treaties adopt the UNCITRAL Rules as an arbitral procedure. The Rules are so pervasive and the consequences of the new version potentially so significant that they cannot be ignored. This commentary on the Rules brings the official documents together in one volume and includes the insights and experiences of the Working Group that are not included in the official reports.

Reaching past the secrecy so often met in arbitration, the second edition of this commentary explains clearly and fully the workings of the UNCITRAL Rules of Arbitral Procedure recommended for use in 1976 by the United Nations. This new edition fully takes account of the revised Rules adopted in 2010 while maintaining coverage of the original Rules where these remain relevant. The differences between the old and the new Rules are clearly indicated and explained. Pulling together difficult to obtain sources from the Iran-United States Claims Tribunal, arbitrations under Chapter 11 of the North American Free Trade Agreement, and ad hoc arbitrations, it illuminates the shape the UNCITRAL Rules take in practice. The authors cogently critique that practice in the light of the negotiating history of the rules and solutions adopted by the other major private rules of arbitral procedure. To aid the specialist in the field, the practice of these various tribunals is extensively extracted and reproduced. Rich both in its analysis and sources, this text is indispensable for those working in or studying international arbitration.

The UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules have proved instrumental to the effective resolution of transborder, commercial, investment-treaty, and inter-State disputes. This book, by two leading scholars and practitioners whose 2006 joint report began the process that led to the first ever revision of the Arbitration Rules in 2010, and who were key contributors in the revision process at UNCITRAL thereafter, is the only article-by-article commentary of both the generic 2010 Rules and the Transparency Rules of 2013. Extensively referring to the UNCITRAL travaux préparatoires, the book considers: • the principal legislative intent behind each new or revised article – or, in respect of those articles which remain unchanged, the reasons for the absence of revision; • where an article is revised, or entirely new provisions are introduced, an explanation of the issues that the revision intended to address; and • an analysis of the discrete issues that arise in respect of each article. The authors make reference not only to academic literature and case law, but also to other commonly used Arbitration Rules and the practice under those Rules. More than a matchless guide to practice, this deeply informed resource offers a comprehensive understanding of both sets of UNCITRAL Rules. This book serves as the pre-eminent commentary and analysis on the UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules and the Transparency Rules.

Observer delegates to the UNCITRAL Working Group charged with conducting revisions provide insights and commentary on the process and results.

Commentary on the UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules 2010: A Practitioner’s Guide is an article-by-article commentary of the new Rules highlighting policies and reasons for the modifications. The work delves into what lies behind the new UNCITRAL Rules. It is a user-friendly, practical reference guide for everyday use by the busy practitioner. It provides the key points to know about each provision of the new Rules. The appendix provides the full text of the 2010 Rules.

A comprehensive collection of commentary and legislative material on the UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules 2010.