Digital Trade Dialogue Advances AI Legal Frameworks Collaboration With UNCITRAL In Vienna Workshop

The National Competitiveness Center and the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law have held a high-level workshop in Vienna from December 18 to 19, examining digital trade, AI and related legal frameworks, as part of cooperation between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Nations on international commercial law.

The programme focused on how digital transformation and artificial intelligence are reshaping e-commerce and wider trade, and how legislative and regulatory reform can respond, supporting ongoing efforts by the National Competitiveness Center to strengthen Saudi Arabia’s business environment and improve the Kingdom’s position in global competitiveness indicators.

The workshop gathered 39 senior officials from 25 Saudi government entities, led by Minister of Commerce and National Competitiveness Center Board Chairman Majid Al-Kassabi, Vice Minister of Commerce and National Competitiveness Center CEO Dr. Eiman Al-Mutairi, Saudi Ambassador to the Republic of Austria Dr. Abdullah Tawlah, and UNCITRAL Secretary Anna Joubin-Bret, alongside 18 international experts.

Seven specialised sessions structured the two-day discussions. The first examined artificial intelligence in international trade, including its use in supply chain optimisation, logistics management and e-commerce integration, with contributions from UNCITRAL Secretariat Legal Officer Judith Knieper, Dr. Teresa Rodríguez de las Heras Ballell from Carlos III University of Madrid and Microsoft Director of Government Affairs and Public Policy Martin Horman.

The second session, titled ‘Digital platforms for cross-border trade,’ considered how digital platforms operate within existing legal and regulatory frameworks, and addressed challenges and opportunities for cross-border transactions, with speakers Professor Christiane Wendehorst from the University of Vienna, Dr. Hou Peng from the Chinese Society of Private International Law and Florent Geelhand De Merxem from the Secretariat of UNCITRAL.

The third session, ‘Innovation in international trade; fintech and tokenization,’ looked at how financial technology and tokenization are changing conventional trade processes and instruments, with inputs from Director of the Office for Financial Market Innovation and Digitalization of Liechtenstein Clara Guerra, International Trade and Forfaiting Association Fintech Committee Chair André Casterman and Luca Castellani from the UNCITRAL Secretariat.

The fourth session, titled ‘Carbon Markets,’ addressed environmental, social and governance compliance and examined the international legal framework for carbon markets, with Deputy Secretary-General of the Permanent Bureau of the Hague Conference on Private International Law Gérardine Goh Escolar, University of Basel Professor Ulrich Schroeter and UNCITRAL Secretariat representative Neale Bergman discussing how sustainability considerations interact with international trade.

The fifth session reviewed UNCITRAL’s approach to the ‘UN@80 Initiative,’ during which UNCITRAL Secretary Anna Joubin-Bret outlined the commission’s work and its contribution to the United Nations reform process as the organisation marks its 80th anniversary, linking these efforts to broader discussions on international trade law modernisation.

The sixth session analysed the impact of recent trade law reforms in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, featuring Assistant Professor in Commercial and Corporate Law Dr. Jenifer Varzaly, Urs Zollinger from King Zollinger & Co. Advisory Services and Monica Canafoglia from the UNCITRAL Secretariat, who discussed how updated frameworks support business activity and align with international standards.

The closing session considered preparations for the Kingdom’s accession to the NCD Convention, highlighting the importance of UNCITRAL MLETR in enabling trusted digital trade documentation systems, and emphasising how secure digital records support efficient cross-border transactions and complement wider reforms in trade legislation and regulatory practice.

The high-level Vienna workshop is one element of an ongoing strategic partnership between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Nations, supporting the National Competitiveness Center’s work to align trade legislation with global digital developments, enhance the national economy’s competitiveness and integrate Saudi Arabia more closely with international legal and commercial frameworks.

With inputs from SPA