For information only – not an official document
UNIS/L/381
21 July 2025
VIENNA, 21 July 2025 (UN Information Service) – In a major step towards strengthening international cooperation in the fight against hidden and misappropriated assets, the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) has adopted the Toolkit and Background Notes on Asset Tracing and Recovery in Insolvency Proceedings (ATR).
The texts are designed to facilitate effective court-to-court communication and cooperation, and to expedite ATR across borders, in both physical and digital environments. They offer practical guidance for judges and insolvency practitioners handling ATR cases and to policymakers and legislators seeking to evaluate and enhance the effectiveness of their domestic ATR frameworks—especially in light of the growing complexity of digital ecosystems. By equipping jurisdictions with modern ATR tools and strategies, the texts reinforce the UNCITRAL insolvency framework and support broader goals such as the rule of law and good governance.
The Commission thanked all contributors and asked the Secretariat to widely disseminate the texts, adopted on 14 July, in all the UN official languages. More information on the UNCITRAL insolvency framework may be found at https://uncitral.un.org/en/texts/insolvency.
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The United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) is the core legal body of the United Nations system in the field of international trade law. Its mandate is to remove legal obstacles to international trade by progressively modernizing and harmonizing trade law. It prepares legal texts in a number of key areas such as international commercial dispute settlement, electronic commerce, insolvency, international payments, sale of goods, transport law, procurement and infrastructure development.
UNCITRAL also provides technical assistance to law reform activities, including assisting Member States to review and assess their law reform needs and to draft the legislation required to implement UNCITRAL texts. The UNCITRAL secretariat is located in Vienna, Austria. For more information, visit: uncitral.un.org.
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For information, please contact:
Neale Bergman
Senior Legal Officer
UNCITRAL secretariat
Email: neale.bergman[at]un.org
Spain has ratified the United Nations Convention on the International Effects of Judicial Sales of Ships, also known as the “Beijing Convention on the Judicial Sale of Ships”.
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