On August 5, 2019, at an academic event held at the Faculty of Law of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, the Inter-American Juridical Committee presented the Guide on the Law Applicable to International Commercial Contracts in the Americas, which had been adopted by the Committee during its 94th regular session in February 2019.

The Chair of the Committee, Dr. Ruth Stella Correa, welcomed the participants and offered some reflections about the work of the Committee in the codification of private international law. Formal presentation of the Guide was carried out by Dr. Jose Moreno Rodriguez, member of the Committee and Rapporteur for the topic.

Dr. Moreno emphasized that the Guide, now available in both English and Spanish, would contribute to the harmonization of the law applicable to international commercial contracts among states throughout the region and would promote certain important concepts as codified in the Inter-American Convention on the Law Applicable to International Contracts (1994 “Mexico Convention”), as well as subsequent developments in the subject, as recognized in the Principles on Choice of Law in International Commercial Contracts adopted in 2015 by the Hague Conference on Private International Law; in this way, the Guide will contribute to promote economic integration, growth and development in the hemisphere.

The Rapporteur explained that one of the main objectives of the Guide is to serve as a tool for legislators in the course of review of their own domestic (internal) legal regime, as well as for adjudicative bodies in disputes concerning international commercial contracts and for contracting parties themselves.

The event was also attended by Dr. Nadia de Araujo, professor of law with the Pontific Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro and Dr. Renato Stephan Grion, lawyer with Pinheiro Neto, both of whom are experts in the subject and who offered comments on the Guide and responded to questions from the audience comprised of students, academics and professionals who had gathered to hear the presentations.

» The Guide on the Law Applicable to International Commercial Contracts in the Americas is now available in English and in Spanish