1. This Act is the Sale of Goods (United Nations Convention) Act 1995.
2. In this Act, “Convention” means the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods adopted at Vienna, Austria, on 10 April 1980 and opened for signature and accession on 11 April 1980, the English text of which is set out in the Schedule.
Convention to have force of law
3.—(1) Subject to subsection (2), the provisions of the Convention have the force of law in Singapore.
(2) Sub-paragraph (1)(b) of Article 1 of the Convention does not have the force of law in Singapore and accordingly the Convention will apply to contracts of sale of goods only between those parties whose places of business are in different States when the States are Contracting States.
(3) The Minister may by order delete subsection (2) if the reservation made pursuant to Article 95 of the Convention is withdrawn except that sub-paragraph (1)(b) of Article 1 of the Convention does not apply to and does not have the force of law in relation to any proposal for concluding the contract made or any contract concluded before the date on which the withdrawal of the reservation takes effect under Article 97(4) of the Convention.
Convention to prevail in event of inconsistency
4. The provisions of the Convention prevail over any other law in force in Singapore to the extent of any inconsistency.
5.—(1) A notification made by the Minister and published in the Gazette —
is evidence of the facts contained in the notification.(a)
declaring that the Convention has entered or will enter into force, with effect from a specified date, in respect of a specified country;
(b)
declaring that a specified country has made a declaration under Part IV of the Convention and specifying details of that declaration, including the date the declaration took or will take effect; or
(c)
declaring that a specified country has denounced the Convention or Part II or III of the Convention and specifying the date the denunciation took or will take effect,
(2) For the purposes of this Act, a certificate signed by the Minister stating any of the facts referred to in subsection (1) in relation to a State specified in the certificate is, upon mere production, evidence of that fact.
Event: The Dawn of International Arbitration in the South Pacific: Regional International Arbitration Conference
The UN Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods -- The CISG
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Dr. Butler discussed the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG) as a means to facilitate cross-border trade for Pacific Island businesses. She said that predictable legal frameworks are crucial to generating inclusive, sustainable and equitable development, economic growth, employment, and investment, as well as to facilitating entrepreneurship. A modern and harmonised international commercial law framework is the foundation of rule-based commercial relations and an indispensable part of international trade. In reducing or removing legal obstacles to the flow of international trade, such framework will contribute significantly to universal economic cooperation among the Pacific Island countries and with their global partners on the basis of equality, equity, common interest and respect for the rule of law.
Dr. Butler added that the CISG is a crucial part of the international commercial law framework since contracts of sale form the backbone of international trade in all countries. The CISG provides a modern, uniform and fair regime for contracts for the international sale of goods. Thus, the CISG contributes significantly to sustainable and equitable development and economic growth by introducing certainty in commercial exchanges and decreasing transaction costs.
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