• CIDIP VII - Working Groups

Working Groups are composed of prestigious experts in private international law. They play an important role in the CIDIP process. Said groups assist in the various stages of preparatory work, ranging from setting the CIDIP agenda to drafting international instruments on specific study topics.

The main function of a Working Group is to assist the Secretariat for Legal Affairs (SLA) with the substantive preparation of CIDIP instruments. Members are generally appointed by the Member States and can be both governmental and non-governmental. Although both types of members provide substantive expertise, government experts may also work closely with their respective delegation and, during negotiations, may represent the official position of their respective governments.

The General Assembly recommended the use of Working Groups for CIDIP-VI and the possible use of Working Groups for preparatory activities for CIDIP-VII.

Consumer Protection

The first meeting of governmental and independent experts of the CIDIP-VII on the topic of Consumer Protection was held in the city of Porto Alegre, Brazil December 2-4, 2006. During this meeting, the experts analyzed the draft instruments proposed by Brazil, the United States and Canada, reaching consensus on several substantive points and agreed to work on pending issues.

More recently, based on General Assembly mandates, an informal group held five teleconferences and one face-to-face meeting, and presented two verbal reports to the Committee on Juridical and Political Affairs.

Secured Transactions

The governments of Canada, Mexico and the United States jointly proposed Model Registry Regulations to supplement the Model Inter-American Law on Secured Transactions, which was approved in 2002.

The General Assembly officially convened a Diplomatic Conference of CIDIP-VII regarding Secured Transactions where the Model Registry Regulations were adopted October 9, 2009.