UN’s Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures

On 10 January 2012, the five-agency programme adopt a new medium-term strategy for 2012-16 in regard to help developing countries meet international standards on food safety and animal and plant health.

 

The Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF) was set up by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), World Bank, World Health Organization (WHO) and World Trade Organization (WTO), and is run by the five partners together with donor countries and representatives of developing countries.

 

Since it was set up in 2002, the STDF has supported 47 projects and 48 project-preparation grants benefiting 54 developing countries. The current voluntary donors countries are Canada, Denmark, EU, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Chinese Taipei, US.

 

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The New ICC Rules of Arbitration

The new ICC Rules of Arbitration were unveiled in September 2011, but entry into force on January 1st, 2012. The ICC is one of the world’s major institutions for the resolution of international commercial disputes and its rules of arbitration (the “ICC Rules”) are one of the most widely used and respected by the international business community. The former ICC Rules were updated in 1998 and the new ones include a number of mechanisms designed to make the process faster and more efficient and to bring the ICC Rules into line with modern modes of communication.

 

The main changes are in the following clauses:

– Multi-parties and multi-contracts arbitration

– The effect of the arbitration agreement

– The arbitral tribunal

– Conduct of the arbitration, modes of communication and case management

– Constitution of the arbitral tribunal

– Emergency arbitrators

 

For more information please visit the ICC’s web page.

 

Incoterms ® 2010

On 1 January 2011 Incoterms® changes into Incoterms ® 2010 revising some of the existing rules.

 

Incoterms® 2010 defines 11 rules, divided in two sections:

 

– Rules for Any Mode(s) of Transport

EXW – Ex Works

FCA – Free Carrier

CPT – Carriage Paid to

CIP – Carriage and Insurance Paid to

DAT – Delivered at Terminal

DAP – Delivered at Place

DDP – Delivered Duty Paid

 

– Rules for Sea and Inland Waterway Transport

FAS – Free Alongside Ship

FOB – Free on Board

CFR – Cost and Freight

CIF – Cost, Insurance and Freight

 

The new Incoterms® 2010 reduced the 13 rules used in Incoterms® 2000 to 11 rules by introducing two new rules (DAT, DAP) which replace four rules of the prior version (DAF, DES, DEQ & DDU).

 

More information on the official website of International Chamber of Commerce.