Speech by Minister for Law, Mr K Shanmugam, at the launch of the 2012 Digest of Case Law on the UNCITRAL Model Law on International Commercial Arbitration

09 JUN 2012

9 Jun 2012 Posted in Speeches

Mr Salim Moollan, Chair of the 44th Session of the UNCITRAL,
Mr Renaud Sorieul, Secretary of the UNCITRAL,
Professor Frederic Bachand,
Dr Stefan Kröll,
Professor Lawrence Boo,
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen.

  1. Welcome to Singapore and to Maxwell Chambers.

  2. It is a great pleasure for me to join you for the launch of the very first Digest of Case Law on the UNCITRAL 1 Model Law on International Commercial Arbitration.

  3. The Model Law was adopted by UNCITRAL in 1985 and aims to promote a uniform, pro-arbitration legislative framework across different jurisdictions.

  4. Today, as Mr Moollan said, more than 90 jurisdictions around the world have enacted legislation based on the Model Law. We are one of them. “Model Law jurisdiction” has now become synonymous with the “pro-arbitration jurisdiction”. I think we can all agree that the Model Law is one of the most important legislative instruments in international arbitration today, and its contribution to the success of international arbitration is probably almost equal to that of the New York Convention itself.

  5. The widespread adoption of the Model Law has led to the need for uniform interpretation of its provisions.

  6. To this end, UNCITRAL has put together this Digest, helpfully organised according to the Chapters and Articles in the Model Law, including 2006 amendments, and the text of each Article is accompanied by references to the travaux préparatoires, a commentary on the Article, and a summary of the relevant case law.

  7. We are confident that the Digest will be an invaluable resource for all who work with the Model Law, and contribute to a better understanding and the continued success of the Model Law.

  8. We are pleased to see Professor Lawrence Boo, who is one of the leading authorities in Singapore on international arbitration, credited as one of the contributors, alongside Professor Frederic Bachand and Dr Stefan Kröll. A number of Singapore cases are discussed in the Digest. Our courts have, over the years, developed a pro-arbitration jurisprudence, built on the foundation of the Model Law and the International Arbitration Act.

  9. We are honoured that UNCITRAL has chosen to launch the Digest in Singapore and we hope that this marks the beginning of an even deeper relationship between UNCITRAL and Singapore.

  10. Please allow me to end by congratulating UNCITRAL and all who have contributed to the Digest.

[1]United Nations Commission on International Trade Law

Last updated on 25 Nov 2012