First Changping, then Vienna and New York: As a Vis Moot Alumna Ana Coimbra Trigo joined a working group of the UN Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) – the commission which promotes the unification of international trade regulations.
How is it possible that a young law graduate takes part in a high-rank event such as a UNCITRAL working group meeting?
As a student of the Master of European and International Law during the academic year 2014-2015, I became a Vis Moot team member and represented the China-EU School of Law at the Hong Kong competition in March 2015. This endeavor was an exciting, challenging and eye-opening experience in many levels. After that, as a Vis Moot alumna, I became aware of the Moot Alumni Association (“MAA”) and its observer position at the UNCITRAL Working Group II which focuses on arbitration and mediation, and of the possibility of representing the MAA at the respective sessions. So I applied, and got the chance to represent the MAA firstly in Vienna, Austria, at its 63rdSession between 7 and 11 September 2015, secondly in New York, USA, at its 64thSession between 1 and 5 February 2016.
How did you experience the legal work at the UNICITRAL meetings?
Both experiences were indeed amazing. On the hand, to see this UNCITRAL Working Group first-hand allowed me to understand the drafting procedure behind international legal texts. In fact, since the general aim of UNCITRAL is to promote international commerce through international commercial law, the legal discussion that arises from all the different legal traditions generates a constructive debate around topics relevant for international legal harmonization. I was able to personally witness a discussion on the drafting of a possible instrument that would allow the enforcement of settlements achieved in international commercial conciliation. That debate comprised a thorough and detailed discussion regarding relevant issues and possible solutions that took place in both the Vienna and the New York sessions. The concluding debate regarding the revision of the UNCITRAL Notes on Organizing Arbitral Proceedings then was undertaken in the first two days of the New York session. Not only the member states of the UNCITRAL Working Group II were actively debating these topics, through delegations composed of international arbitration experts, but also representatives of international non-governmental organizations, such as ASA, CEPANI, CIETAC, ICC, ICCA, FIMC, MIAS, NYIAC, SIAC, and many others. Additionally, many arbitration or mediation-related conferences took place in the weeks of the sessions, which allowed me to further improve my knowledge on this topic. Indeed, to witness these arbitration developments in the making within this professional setting was inspiring and definitely increased my interest in UNCITRAL and international commercial arbitration, that I hope to pursue professionally.
Could you also visit the UN headquarters?
Yes. Both UN headquarters were full of art, music and meeting points for the delegates to relax and focus their energies during breaks. Needless to say, both Vienna and New York are amazing cities to explore and wander around on the time off from the UNCITRAL sessions.
Text by Monika Prusinowska and Ana Coimbra Trigo
Pictures by Ana Coimbra Trigo
