UQ law students bound for the United Nations

Two University of Queensland students will travel to New York next month as part of a bid to increase student participation at the United Nations (UN).

Students Sidney Sneddon and Samuel Bullen and Senior Law Lecturer Dr Alan Davidson, all from UQ’s TC Beirne School of Law, will attend the week-long UN Commission on International Trade Law’s working group session on electronic commerce.

Dr Davidson has been a regular delegate and participant at the UN since 2011, and is part an independent committee working to increase Australian participation at the United Nations. 

He said he hoped the program would pave the way to increasing Australian student and academic participation at the United Nations

“We hope this trip can be a starting point to allow students to regularly have a chance to see how the UN works.” he said.

“It’s a great opportunity to learn more about international trade law and the UN process for those who wish to pursue a career in international law.”

Miss Sneddon said the opportunity would be a fantastic way to see what she was learning in international trade law being put into practice.

“It definitely highlights the fact that the TC Beirne School of Law has some of the most respected professionals teaching its students,” she said.

Dr Davidson, an electronic commerce law expert, said international traders increasingly used electronic versions of traditional bills of lading or bills of exchange to transfer goods and money.

“These are worth billions of dollars, and there is a corresponding need for agreed international standards.”

Ms Sneddon and Mr Bullen were chosen from a group of 12 high-achieving law students to attend as observers for the working group session.

Dr Davidson is the author of The Law of Electronic Commerce and is about to publish a new book, Social Media and Electronic Commerce Law. He is a member of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law National Coordination Committee for Australia.

Media: Dr Alan Davidson, (07) 3365 2294, a.davidson@law.uq.edu.au, or Publications Officer Nadine Davidson-Wall (07) 3346 9263, n.davidson-wall@law.uq.edu.au.