New York, 19 October 2026: The Permanent Representative of Sierra Leone to the United Nations, H.E. Dr. Michael Imran Kanu, SJD, presented the report of the fifty-ninth session of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) to the Sixth (Legal) Committee of the General Assembly.
Ambassador Kanu chaired the session, held in New York from 29 June to 10 July 2026, after being nominated by the African Group. In his address, he described the session as productive and efficient. It adopted or finalised five legislative texts.
Chief among these is the draft Statute of the Advisory Centre on International Investment Dispute Resolution, which has been submitted to the General Assembly for adoption. The Centre is expected to give its Member States, in particular developing and least developed countries, technical assistance, capacity building and legal representation in international investment disputes. This advances a commitment States made in the 2025 Sevilla Commitment on Financing for Development.
The Commission also adopted Supplementary Provisions on the Conduct of Proceedings in investment disputes. It adopted a package of texts on arbitral awards in electronic form, including a Recommendation on the interpretation of the New York Convention and revisions to the UNCITRAL Model Law on International Commercial Arbitration.
Ambassador Kanu also outlined future work across UNCITRAL’s six working groups. This includes ongoing investment dispute reform, electronic commerce and paperless trade, insolvency, and secured transactions involving digital assets.
He noted that 2026 marks the sixtieth anniversary of UNCITRAL, established by General Assembly resolution 2205 (XXI) of 17 December 1966. A culminating celebration will be held in Vienna on 17 December 2026.
Ambassador Kanu thanked the African Group, the Bureau, delegations and the UNCITRAL Secretariat for their support. He also paid tribute to his late predecessor, Ambassador Villatoro of El Salvador.
Sierra Leone’s chairmanship of UNCITRAL reflects the country’s long engagement with the Commission and its commitment to an international legal order that works for all States, large and small.
