United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (Vienna Convention or CISG)
Vienna Convention was prepared by by the United Nations Commission on ¬International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) and adopted by a diplomatic conference on 11 April 1980. The Convention was welcomed by several countries from different geographic areas, with different legal and political systems. As of 20 August 2020, the Convention has93 Contracting States. The Convention has proved the effectiveness of an uniform text on international trade law.
What CISG covers, and what it does not
In the 6 first articles of the Convention, the authors set up the boundaries of its application.
First is about where it applies. According to UNCITRAL, the Convention applies to contracts of sale of goods between parties whose places of business are in different States and either both of those States are Contracting States or the rules of private international law lead to the law of a Contracting State. A few States have availed themselves of the authorisation in article 95 to declare that they would apply the Convention only in the former and not in the latter of these two situations. As the Convention becomes more widely adopted, the practical significance of such a declaration will diminish. Finally, the Convention may also apply as the law applicable to the contract if so chosen by the parties. In that case, the operation of the Convention will be subject to any limits on contractual stipulations set by the otherwise applicable law.
Second, the Convention has a list of goods that are not subject to its application in Article 2. Article 3 clarifies the differences between manufacturing contracts and sale contract.
Third, Article 4 and 5 clearly states what CISG does not covers, including grounds for contract invalidity and liabilities to death or injury of person caused by the the goods
Finally, the Convention respects the contractual freedom of the trading parties. Trading parties may select this convention as governing law or select other instrument, such as UPICC or domestic laws.
[Reference:, - Governing law in International Contracts - Would you choose CISG or UPICC (Part 1), - CIPS study guide page 49-52, LO 1, AC 1.2, ]