Working Group II of UNCITRAL: United Nations Commission on International Trade Law is currently working on highly expedited dispute resolution mechanisms, having become aware of a corresponding need in the high-tech sector, but also in other industries.
The subject of the Lunch DIScussions was the current status of consultations on two model clauses: one provides for Highly Expedited Arbitration with a procedure duration of 60 to 90 days, the other for a contractually binding decision by a neutral arbitrator with a procedure duration of 30 days. Judith Knieper, UNCITRAL, Vienna, and Volker Mahnken, CCRM, Neu-Isenburg, discussed the latest, still informal text proposals from the UNCITRAL Secretariat and the question of whether the project meets the practical needs of companies. Numerous suggestions were made by the almost 100 participants, which will now be incorporated into the further discussions on the model clauses by Working Group II.
The Lunch Discussions were opened by Reinmar Wolff, Deputy Chairman of the DIS Executive Board, and moderated by Thomas Klich, Deputy Secretary General of the DIS. Many thanks to all participants.
Thomas Klich