The 2nd Workshop of the Implementation of and Compliance with International Commercial Law Treaties Project (Treaty Project) took place on 4 September 2025 at the Lauterpacht Centre for International Law, (University of Cambridge), a key collaborator of the project, and online. The session was attended by 18 participants, including academics from leading universities.
The Treaty Project is organised under the auspices of the Cape Town Convention Academic Project, which is a partnership between UNIDROIT and the University of Cambridge, with the Aviation Working Group as its Founding Sponsor. The Project is supported by the UNIDROIT Foundation and Aviareto, aligning with the Foundation’s mission to support work designed to increase the effectiveness and benefits of international commercial law reform. As an interdisciplinary initiative, the Treaty Project employs a comparative methodology to explore various approaches to incentivize the implementation of and compliance with commercial law treaties.
The 2nd Workshop focused on the Discussion Paper prepared by the UNIDROIT Secretariat, building on insights and conclusions from the first session. The paper was intended to lay the groundwork for a forthcoming Best Practices Guide on the implementation of, and compliance with, international commercial law treaties. Guided by a Discussion List that outlined key questions for consideration, the participants examined conceptual aspects and reasons for non-compliance, as well as factors that facilitate compliance in commercial law treaties. The discussion also drew inspiration from mechanisms in related treaty areas such as investment, trade, maritime, and air law. The participants further considered the scope of the project, in particular which categories of commercial law treaties should be included.
Building on these discussions, the participants agreed to develop a Best Practices Guide for Implementation of and Compliance with International Commercial Law Treaties. The Guide will be discussed at the next experts’ workshop and is scheduled for launch in 2026.
A full report for the Workshop will be posted in the coming weeks on the website of the UNIDROIT Foundation and the Cape Town Convention Academic Project.
