• India hosted the inaugural United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) South Asia conference.
• The conference was organised jointly by the Ministry of External Affairs, UNCITRAL and the organisation’s national coordination committee for India.

ABOUT UNCITRAL

• UNCITRAL was established in 1966 with a recognition that “international trade cooperation among States is an important factor in the promotion of friendly relations and, consequently, in the maintenance of peace and security”.
• UNCITRAL is described as “the principal legal entity within the United Nations system dedicated to international trade law.”
• It aims to modernize and harmonize rules on international business.
• HQ- New York, USA
• Annual sessions take place once each year usually in the summer and are held alternatively in New York and at the Vienna International Centre in Vienna.
• Membership
  • The UN General Assembly elects members for terms of six years.
  • These aren’t unison, though, as the terms of half of the members expire every three years.
  • Membership of UNCITRAL is determined by the U.N. General Assembly.
  • The original membership comprised 29 member states of the U.N.
  • But this number was expanded to 36 in 1973, in 2002 to 60 states, and again in 2022 with a total of 70 member states.