The Faculty of Law (FLL) of the University of Macau (UM) and the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law Regional Centre for Asia and the Pacific (UNCITRAL-RCAP) held a joint conference. During the event, experts and scholars from Austria, Belgium, China, Greece, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Poland, Portugal, Russia, South Korea, Hong Kong, and Macao discussed landmark developments in the harmonisation of international trade law and the transparency of investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) mechanisms in the era of generative artificial intelligence.

Since 2014, UM FLL and UNCITRAL-RCAP have jointly organised ten high-level international conferences and one international legal symposium. This year’s conference, themed ‘Trade Law Harmonization in an Era of Generative AI: Revisiting UNCITRAL Legal Standards on Uniform Sales Law, e-Commerce, Dispute Settlement, and Insolvency’, focused on a number of contemporary legal issues related to UNCITRAL instruments and the current harmonisation mandate of various UNCITRAL working groups.

The conference covered a range of innovative topics, aimed at addressing the most pressing issues in the harmonisation of international trade law today. The topics included ‘Transparency of ISDS Interests’, ‘Balancing Diverse Interests Reflecting UN SDGs’, ‘Legal Innovations and E-Commerce’, ‘Use of Artificial Intelligence’, ‘Technology Used in Dispute Resolution’, and ‘The Relevance of the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG) to Macao SAR’. The conference featured six expert-led panel discussions, providing a platform for in-depth analysis and debate on key issues. Speakers, who were eminent representatives of UNCITRAL and distinguished legal experts from around the world, discussed current trends and future directions in the harmonisation of international trade law, providing insights from global and regional perspectives.

The conference was supported by the World Trade Center (WTC) Macau Arbitration Center, Shanghai Arbitration Commission (SHAC), China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (CIETAC) Hong Kong Arbitration Center, Zhuhai Court of International Arbitration (ZCIA), Shenzhen Court of International Arbitration (SCIA), and eBRAM International Online Dispute Resolution Centre Limited.

The opening ceremony was attended by: Athita Komindr, head of UNCITRAL-RCAP; Tong Io Cheng, dean of UM FLL; Wong Kio Chan, head of the Treaty Division of the Legal Affairs Bureau of the Macao SAR Government; Vong Sok Hei Rosita, secretary general of the WTC Macau Arbitration Center; Chau Seng Chon, member of the Board of Directors of the Macao Lawyers Association; Fan Mingchao, executive vice president of SHAC; Brad Wang, deputy secretary general of CIETAC Hong Kong Arbitration Center; Wu Xueting, vice-president of ZCIA; Huen Wong, council member of SCIA; Wenny Huang, deputy chief executive officer and secretary general of eBRAM International Online Dispute Resolution Centre Limited; Rostam J Neuwirth, head of the Department of Global Legal Studies of UM FLL; and Muruga Perumal Ramaswamy, associate professor in UM FLL.