NEWSMAKERS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 24, 2007
Contact: Robin Micket (860) 548-7894
Rensselaer Professor Assists Southeast Asian Countries Develop Legal Infrastructure for International Trade
HARTFORD, CONN – At the request of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Rensselaer Professor William J. Luddy, Jr., J.D., participated in a meeting of ASEAN member-states' legal experts who are developing the ASEAN Single Window for International Trade. This program is a key element of the ASEAN countries' goal of achieving regional economic integration by 2015.
The 10 member-states of ASEAN represented at these meetings, held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, included Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
The concept of the “Single Window” is to provide companies engaged in international trade a one-time submission of all necessary documents to government authorities for the export and import of goods that meet those requirements rather than having to make many different document submissions to a variety of agencies. Professor Luddy stated that, “The Single Window facility enables much more efficient and effective processing for cross-border transactions resulting in substantial cost savings for both companies engaged at all levels of global supply chain networks and for governments.”
One element of Single Window development has been the use of Information Technology to achieve even more effective, transparent, and secure international business transactions. Professor Luddy is one of the leading international authorities on the legal aspects of the use of electronic business technologies. “It is exciting to be directly involved in a new field working at the intersection of law, management, and technology.” he said. “It's an area that will ‘change the world,'” he added.
In addition to his research and work at ASEAN, the government of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, with the support of USAID, has asked him to advise this government on the legal issues related to its development of a domestic Single Window. He has also been asked to participate in a UN meeting in Belgrade, Serbia that will focus on issues related to development of a regional Single Window for Southeastern Europe. Many countries and regional groups have been working on the technology-side for Single Window development for several years, he noted. “It is only recently that the importance of creating and harmonizing the legal infrastructure to support these developments has been recognized as a key for achieving the interoperability at the international business level.”
ABOUT WILLIAM J. LUDDY, JR, J.D.: Professor Luddy has been active in the global e-Commerce field for the past 10 years and is the Chair of the United Nations Centre for Electronic Business and Trade Facilitation Legal Group's Committee on the Single Window for International Trade (with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland). He is also a member of the U.S. Technical Advisory Group for legal matters related to development of international electronic business technologies and has advised the U.S. Department of State's Advisory Committee on Private International Law on global e-Commerce matters.
Professor Luddy's expertise is widely recognized. He has been a member of the U.S. Delegation to the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) with headquarters in Vienna, Austria. He participated extensively in the negotiations for UNCITRAL's recently concluded Convention of the Use of Electronic Communications in International Contracts. This new convention not only provides international legal standards for electronic transactions, but also enables integration of the new e-Commerce provisions in a wide range of earlier treaties.
Professor Luddy has been a member of the Rensselaer faculty for 33 years and a published authority on computer law since 1986. More recently, he has been a key figure in the development of global e-commerce and IT policy and law. He is member of the Connecticut bar and practices law in the areas of International Law, Internet and e-commerce law, corporate development and ventures, and strategic alliances. He also advises companies on corporate governance and social responsibility issues and matters related to business policy and strategy.
Professor Luddy is the Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Legal Studies in Business, an editorial review board member of the Journal of Business in Developing Nations and a former member of the Editorial Board of the Connecticut Bar Journal. He is Co-Chair of the American Bar Association (ABA) Science and Technology Section's International Policy Coordinating Committee, and a member of the Section's governing Council. He is also Vice Chair of the Committee on Corporate Social Responsibility of the ABA's Section of International Law.