Foreword

As the Secretary of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL), I should like to express my appreciation to the authors for their initiative in preparing a new commentary on the UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules. As long-standing observers and friends of UNCITRAL, and also as occasional participants its standards-making activities, Hon. Justice Croft, Professor Waincymer and Dr Kee are well aware of the particular importance of commentaries on UNCITRAL texts in making those instruments better known and used in various parts of the world. To serve its function as the core legal body of the United Nations system in the field of international trade law, UNCITRAL is often required to bridge gaps between legal systems by creating uniform legal standards aimed at fostering the legal interoperability of national laws. Such a creative process frequently involves the creation of new terminology or new concepts that may need to be introduced to the unfamiliar reader before they get a chance to influence the practice of end users, thereby contributing to the United Nations goal of building an open trading and financial system that is rule-based, predictable and non-discriminatory; supportive of good governance, development and poverty reduction; and in line with the United Nations Millennium Development Goals. The authors are eminently qualified to provide such an introduction.