On 16 January 2019, Professor Ignacio Tirado, UNIDROIT Secretary-General, and Professor Philippos Pouyioutas, Rector of the University of Nicosia (Cyprus), signed a Memorandum of Understanding to promote cooperation between UNIDROIT and the University of Nicosia School of Law. Cooperation will cover the consideration of UNIDROIT instruments and projects within the University’s relevant academic programs, the promotion of the UNIDROIT Research and Internship Programme and the creation of a fellowship scheme. Regarding cooperation between UNIDROIT and academic institutions, see the relevant  UNIDROIT webpage.

On 20 December 2018 Ghana’s instruments of ratification of the Convention on International Interests in Mobile Equipment and of the Protocol to the Convention on International Interests in Mobile Equipment on Matters specific to Aircraft Equipment were deposited with UNIDROIT. Ghana made declarations under Articles 39(1)(a)-(b), 53, 54(2) and of 60(1) of the Convention, and under Articles XXX(1), XXX(2) and XXX(3) of the Aircraft Protocol. The Convention and the Aircraft Protocol will enter into force for Ghana on 1 April 2019. Further details about the Convention and the Aircraft Protocol are available at the "Depositary Functions of UNIDROIT / Cape Town Convention" and "Depositary Functions of UNIDROIT / Aircraft Protocol" pages.

On 19 December 2018 Paraguay’s instruments of accession to the Convention on International Interests in Mobile Equipment and to the Protocol to the Convention on International Interests in Mobile Equipment on Matters specific to Aircraft Equipment were deposited with UNIDROIT. Paraguay made declarations under Articles 39(1)(a)-(b), 39(4), 53, and of 54(2), and under Articles XIX(1), XXX(1), XXX(2) and XXX(3) of the Aircraft Protocol. The Convention and the Aircraft Protocol will enter into force for Paraguay on 1 April 2019. Further details about the Convention and the Aircraft Protocol are available at the "Depositary Functions of UNIDROIT (Cape Town Convention) " and "Depositary Functions of UNIDROIT (Aircraft Protocol)" pages.

On 6-7 December 2018, UNIDROIT and OTIF held the 8th session of the Rail Preparatory Commission for the establishment of an International Registry under the Luxembourg Rail Protocol in Rome, immediately after the UNIDROIT General Assembly. The session was attended by 32 State delegations. It was opened by the Chairman of the UNIDROIT General Assembly, Ambassador Paul Dühr of the Embassy of Luxembourg in Rome, UNIDROIT Secretary-General Professor Ignacio Tirado, and Chief of Technical Interoperability of OTIF Mr Bas Leermakers. The Commission, Co-Chaired by Mr Peter Bloch and Ms Mervi Kaikkonen (who participated remotely), approved the Statutes and the Rules of Procedure of the Supervisory Authority, as well as future steps leading to the entry into force of the Protocol. A number of participating delegations made statements relating to the benefits connected with the future operation of the Protocols as well as to the status of the ratification process in their legal system. On the second day, panellists briefed interested delegations on the Protocol and its implementation.

-> Click here for further information on the Luxembourg Rail Protocol

At its 77th session (Rome, 6 December 2018), the General Assembly elected the 25 members of the UNIDROIT Governing Council for the period 1 January 2019 - 31 December 2023. The Governing Council is the organ at UNIDROIT which supervises all policy aspects of the means by which the Institute's statutory objectives are to be attained and in particular the way in which the Secretariat carries out the Work Programme drawn up by the Council. It is made up of one ex officio member, the President of the Institute, and 25 elected members, mostly eminent judges, practitioners, academics and civil servants.

The ELI/UNIDROIT Project on Transnational Civil Procedure – Formulation of Regional Rules was showcased at a conference held on 26-27 November in Trier, with participation of project members and external commentators. The conference, hosted by the Academy of European Law (ERA), was opened by Dr Angelika Fuchs (Head of European Private Law Section, ERA), Diana Wallis (Former President of ELI, Independent European Lawyer, Hull), Professor Anna Veneziano (Deputy Secretary-General, UNIDROIT) and Mr Robert Bray (Former Head of Unit, Committee on Legal Affairs, European Parliament), and featured three focus panels addressing key project issues, namely “Parties, collective redress and funding”, “Civil procedure, the challenges of modern technology and artificial intelligence”, and “Structure of civil proceedings – towards a coherent model law”, as well as an introductory panel, chaired by Professor Anna Veneziano, which featured an overview on various aspects of the draft provided by the project Working Groups.  

              -> Full programme of the conference                   -> More on the project

On 14th November 2018, UNIDROIT Secretary-General Professor Ignacio Tirado participated in a panel discussion titled ‘Legal Regime of Outer Space and Global Space Governance’ at the ‘United Nations/Germany High Level Forum: The way forward after UNISPACE+50 and on Space2030’ in Bonn, Germany. The Secretary-General presented on  ‘UNIDROIT and the Financing of the Space Industry’. The panel also included presentations from Sumaya Al Hajeri (UAE Space Agency), Bernhard Schmidt-Tedd (DLR), Bayar Goswami (McGill University), Marco Ferrazzani (ESA), Oliver Heinrich (BHO-Legal) and Andzej Misztal (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Poland).

-> For more details on the United Nations /
    Germany High Level Forum: The way forward
    after UNISPACE+50 and on Space2030 click here

-> For more details on the Space Protocol
     to the Cape Town Convention click here

On 12 and 13 November 2018,  UNIDROIT hosted an event on the Human-Centred Business Model organised in collaboration with the OECD Development Centre and the University of Florence, comprising a public event (12 November, morning) and two Workshops (12 November, afternoon and 13 November, morning).

The public event and the two workshops were attended by a broad and diversified group of experts and practitioners who made substantial contributions to the review of three Research Papers on the Guiding Principles and Corporate Governance of the Project.

The papers, presentations and other key documents are available on the UNIDROIT website to all the attendees and to those who were unable to attend or watch the live streaming of the event.

The panelists included Prof. Ignacio Tirado (Secretary-General, UNIDROIT), Senator Mauro Del Barba, Mr Marco Nicoli (OECD DEV); Prof. Andrea Zorzi (University of Florence); Ms Margherita Bianchini (ASSONIME); Prof. Juli Ponce Sole and Prof. Marta Ortega Gomez (University of Barcelona); Prof. Isabella Bunn (Oxford University); Prof. Thomas McInerney (Loyola University); Prof. Martin Petrin (UCL); and Prof. Paolo Montalenti (University of Turin). 

An updated version of the papers will be posted on the website once the input included.

-> Presentations and documents   

-> List of participants

Opening session - from left to right: Senator M. Del Barba, Prof. I. Tirado and Mr. M. Nicoli		Panel - from left to right: Prof. M. Ortega, Prof. J. Ponce, Prof. T. McInerney, Prof. A. Zorzi, Prof. I. Bunn and Ms. M. Bianchini