Saudi Arabia has engaged with the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) in a discussion on the emerging trends in the digital trade law.
From December 19-20, 2024, the Saudi Minister of Commerce and Chairman of the National Competitiveness Center (NCC), Majid Al-Kassabi, participated in a high-level workshop, organized by the NCC and UNCITRAL, in Vienna, Austria, reported the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).
High-level Workshop
The Saudi Commerce Minister led a delegation of 32 officials, representing 20 government agencies, who took part in the sessions of the “Emerging Trends in the Digital Trade Law” workshop. The Saudi Ambassador to Austria, Abdullah bin Khalid Tawlah, and UNCITRAL Secretary-General Anna Joubin-Bret, also participated in the workshop.
On this occasion, Al-Kassabi highlighted the role of digital transformation in trade. During the opening session, he pointed out that the increasing global adoption of digitization has made transformation in trade, making it more efficient, reliable and transparent.
Coping with Advanced Technologies
Al-Kassabi noted that deploying advanced and emerging technologies has reshaped local and international trade, as well as consumers’ behaviors. In the light of this, he said that Saudi Arabia is keeping pace with this trend through economic reforms.
Similarly, UNCITRAL Secretary-General, Anna Joubin-Bret, said that digital trade plays a pivotal role in shaping the international trade landscape, and is projected to play a more important role in the near future.
Moreover, she explained that UNCITRAL is working with its partners, most notably Saudi Arabia, to enact international trade laws that support digital trade. Joubin-Bret also emphasized the need for cooperation among member states to establish laws that support the digital economy.
Digital Trade Law
In the first working session, titled Developing Global Digital Trade Law, the Deputy Director of the Global Alliance for Trade Facilitation, José Raúl Perale, addressed the latest developments in the digital trade law and comprehensive trade digitization.
Meanwhile, in the second session, titled The Global Framework for AI and Data, the Member of the UN High-level Advisory Board on AI, Anna Abramova, reviewed the findings of the Advisory Board, focusing on international trade recommendations.
During the same session, the Head of the E-commerce and Digital Economy Branch at the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), Torbjörn Fredriksson, discussed international initiatives on cross-border data flow and AI in international trade.
The third session, titled UNCITRAL Working Group on Digital Trade and Data, featured the presentation of several papers examining the intersection of international trade and digital commerce.
AI in International Trade
The fifth session explored the widespread use of AI in international trade. In the light of this, the Counselor in the World Trade Organization (WTO), Emmanuelle Ganne, explained that AI could transform international trade, and advance the growth of the global economy.
She pointed out to the positive impacts of harnessing AI, including enhancing the efficiency of supply chains and logistics operations, facilitating e-commerce and payment transactions, and developing innovation-based products and services, in addition to providing new jobs.
Future Outlook
The high-level workshop concluded with a discussion on the future outlook of digital trade laws, where the UNCITRAL Secretary-General spoke of the need to develop model international trade laws that help countries in upgrading their regulations to keep pace with global transformations, including digital trade.
She also highlighted the significance of strengthening international collaboration to develop solutions for emerging challenges, contributing to the resolution of disputes and the promotion of transparency in international trade transactions.
