On 25 July 2018 at the Supreme Court of Singapore, ABLI and the UNCITRAL Regional Centre for Asia and the Pacific hosted the largest ever Emergence Conference.
Twenty-three speakers from n 11 jurisdictions and 500 participants attended the Conference. They examined global and regional developments relating to the harmonisation and convergence of international trade and commercial law. Topics ranged from the cutting edge – such as those related to the law governing the “internet of things” – to those relating to persistent problems in international commerce such as the resolution of investor state disputes.
The conference materials are available here:
Abstracts of papers presented at the Conference
Session 1 The Digital Economy and its Impact on the Law
Session 2 Issues in the Standardisation of Contract Laws
Session 3 Developments in Finance, Banking and Investment
Session 4 Commercial Dispute Resolution in a Globalised World
Session 5 Shifts in the International Dispute Resolution Landscape
Closing Remarks by Professor Khory McCormick
Businesses are expanding rapidly across Asia. ASEAN is currently the 6th largest economy in the world and last year, East Asia and the Pacific grew 6.6%, more than double the 3.1% growth rate of the global economy. This economic growth, however, has been burdened by the diversity of Asian legal systems. The fragmented legal and regulatory landscape in Asia has resulted in uncertainty and cost as businesses contend with significant variation in local laws when dealing across borders. It has therefore become increasingly important to consider how the harmonisation of international trade and commercial laws holds potential to strengthen regional and international markets.
The Emergence Conference was part of a week-long series of events by the legal community, including the ASEAN Law Association’s (ALA) ASEAN Law Conference, to reflect on the latest legal developments and chart a course for the future.
The Keynote Address was delivered by Mr Ng How Yue (Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Law). The Welcome Addresses were delivered by The Honourable the Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon (Supreme Court of Singapore and Chair of ABLI’s Board of Governors) and Mr Luca Castellani (Secretary of UNCITRAL Working Group IV (Electronic Commerce)).
Link to the Keynote Address delivered by Mr Ng How Yue.
Link to the Welcome Address delivered by The Honourable the Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon.
The Chief Justice closed with the following thought: “There is sometimes a tendency, when speaking of economic growth, to see it as an end in itself. But of course it is not, in the same way that the creation and enforcement of new laws are not ends in themselves. Instead, they find their point only in terms of suffering alleviated and lives bettered.”
Mr Luca Castellani, Mr Ng How Yue and The Honourable the Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon
Mr Ng How Yue delivering the Keynote Address
The Honourable the Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon delivering his Welcome Address
