HKU Law & UNIDROIT Day
HKU Law & UNIDROIT Day
Supported by the Asian Institute of International Financial Law (AIIFL)
6 November 2024
General Introduction and The UNIDROIT Principles and International Commercial Contracts: Implications for Hong Kong
Professor Anna Veneziano, Deputy Secretary-General of UNIDROIT
The International Institute for the Unification of Private Law (UNIDROIT) is an independent intergovernmental organisation that was originally established in 1926 under the auspices of the League of Nations. Almost 100 years old, UNIDROIT currently consists of 65 Member States and 116 Connected States, representing 74% of the world population and over 90% of global nominal GDP. UNIDROIT’s objective is to develop modern international standards for commercial and private law.
The UNIDROIT Principles of International Commercial Contracts were first released in 1994, with expanded editions published in 2004, 2010, and most recently in 2016. Consisting of 211 Articles, these principles help harmonise international commercial contract law by providing rules supplementing international instruments and national laws. They also offer a neutral contractual regime which parties can choose to incorporate into their contracts.
The UNIDROIT Academy and Internship and Scholarship Opportunities at UNIDROIT
William Brydie-Watson, Senior Legal Officer of UNIDROIT
The UNIDROIT Academy was established to adopt a unified approach to the many interrelated non-legislative, academic activities that underpin the general mandate of UNIDROIT. The Academy is also a tool to facilitate UNIDROIT’s legislative activities, as well as a mechanism to promote the implementation and dissemination of UNIDROIT’s work. UNIDROIT further co-operates with academic institutions worldwide by offering different initiatives that facilitate opportunities for legal professionals at various stages of their careers to work or conduct research at UNIDROIT.
About the Speakers:
Professor Anna Veneziano, Deputy Secretary-General of UNIDROIT
Anna Veneziano’s main research and publication areas are international, comparative, and European contract and sales law, as well as secured transactions. She represented UNIDROIT in the drafting of the Tripartite Guide on uniform contract law and was Co-Chair of the Steering Committee of the ELI-UNIDROIT European Rules of Civil Procedure project. Before joining UNIDROIT, she was a member of the restricted Expert Group set up by the European Commission on a common European law on sales.
William Brydie-Watson, Senior Legal Officer of UNIDROIT
William Brydie-Watson specializes in international instruments related to access to credit and secured transactions law. He is also the Co-Director of the UNIDROIT Asian Transnational Law Centre and the manager of the UNIDROIT Scholarship, Internship and Research Programme. Previously, he was a Legal Officer in the Private International Law section of the Australian Commonwealth Attorney-General’s Department and worked on the implementation of private international law treaties in Australia.
Welcoming Remarks:
Professor Shahla Ali, Associate Dean (International Affairs), Faculty of Law, HKU
Chair:
Professor Giuliano G. Castellano
Associate Professor and AIIFL Deputy Director, Faculty of Law, HKU
Enquiries: Flora Leung at aiiflhku@hku.hk