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(c) Scope of URL and its conversion into a legally-binding instrument: The Group of Experts is expected to conclude on its approach to developing URL as a legally-binding instrument. After discussing at the nineteenth session ECE/TRANS/SC.2/GEURL/2019/5 which provides impact analysis and the benefits from adopting the convention on contract of carriage of goods by railway in international traffic as URL legally-binding instrument, the Group is expected to consider ECE/TRANS/SC.2/GEURL/2019/12, which should: (i) describe the various railway issues to be covered through the URL framework convention; (ii) analyse the impact of the URL framework convention and its benefits; and ECE/TRANS/SC.2/GEURL/2019/7 3 (iii) propose the management system for the URL framework convention. (...) Finally, in view of the approach concluded for developing URL as a legally-binding instrument, the Group of Experts will be invited to discuss railway issues that should be analysed as to whether it would be beneficial to cover them in URL.

The experts that participated in the meeting agreed on the following recommendations: (a) The representatives of the rail companies should be aware that formal entry into force of the URL has not yet taken place. Further clarifications are required on how URL legal provisions can apply in a preliminary phase, to actual rail transport before this draft URL legal provisions can become a legal instrument; (b) The URL allows the contracting parties scope for discretion when drafting contracts. (...) According to the Chair, the URL when finalized should replace the two existing regimes. However, other experts were of the opinion that the full replacement of the two existing regimes by the URL could be only a long-term, possible, solution and the application of URL as an interface law that facilitates international rail traffic should be direct and urgent.

The Chair initiated the consultations in writing by inviting all countries who signed the Joint declaration towards URL in 2013 to fill out a simple questionnaire on the development of URL. (...) The Working Party is invited to discuss the views shared in the written consultations in particular with focus on views where additional clarification may be necessary to the discussion on the URL development. The Working Party may also wish to request countries and other entities who did not participate in the written consultations to share their views on the development of URL and especially on the issues (i) to (v) listed above. (...) This document would then serve as a basis for further discussion by the Working Party at its seventy-sixth session on the development of URL and, if found appropriate, for taking a decision on the way forward on URL.

Furthermore, the draft legal provisions of the URL do not impose any new requirements for the accompanying documents. (...) The Group noted that railways are aware that a URL consignment note is necessary to carry out real pilot tests under URL. The Group may wish to continue monitoring the finalization of necessary documents to perform international rail transport under URL including a standard model for the consignment note for the new provisions and its manual and provide recommendations accordingly.

ECE/TRANS/SC.2/230 17 If the contracting parties agree to use URL, then it will apply in full (Article 3 § 1 URL). Specific exemptions from URL are possible only if they are explicitly provided in the URL's provisions. (...) III. URL's advantages The choice of URL by the parties to the contract entails a number of advantages: 1.

The crack produced in Iranian kitchens include also: methamphetamines, codeine, pseudoephedrine and desomorphine and sometimes acetaminophen, and birds' droppings. 1 The complete report on “Drug Policy and Human rights” including recommendations URL: http://www.iranhrc.org/?ar=7&s=12&pnr=1 2 14 July 2015, URL: http://www.mehrnews.com/news/2858057 3 22 March 2015, URL: http://www.isna.ir/fa/news/94040200904/ 4Reuters, 8 December 2014, URL: http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/12/08/us-iran-drugs- idUSKBN0JM0C220141208, accessed on: 15 July 2015; Iran Wire, News, 5 November 2014, URL: http://en.iranwire.com/features/6113/ 5 UNODC Islamic Republic of Iran, Drug Prevention, Treatment and HIV/AIDS Situation Analysis, URL: https://www.unodc.org/islamicrepublicofiran/drug-prevention-treatment-and-hiv-aids.html, accessed on 1 July 2015 6Reuters, 8 December 2014, URL: http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/12/08/us-iran-drugs- idUSKBN0JM0C220141208, accessed on 1 July 2015 7The Guardian, 13 May 2014, URL: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/may/13/breaking-bad-tehran-iran- crystal-meth-methamphetamine, accessed on: 15 July 2015 A/HRC/30/NGO/139 3 Although the price of Iranian crack is less than other drugs and it is more accessible, users prefer to use other types of drugs instead, due to crack's highly destructive effect. (...) He reportedly had no access to a lawyer or consular services. 17 15Report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, A/HRC/22/56, 28 February 2013, para. 36; OCHCR, 23 October 2012, URL: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=12688&LangID=E, accessed on: 15 July 2015 16Report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, A/HRC/28/70, 12 March 2015, para. 18 17Iran Human Rights (2014) Annual Report on the Death Penalty in Iran, 18 August 2014, p.30; OCHCR, 26 June 2014, URL: http://www.ohchr.org/FR/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?

The Group of Experts will be also expected to agree on its report to SC.2 on the performance of tests and changes made to the URL consignment note. (c) Scope of URL and its conversion into a legally-binding instrument: The Group of Experts is expected to conclude on its approach to developing URL as a legally-binding instrument. (...) The Group of Experts may then wish to discuss issues of concern from SMGS countries to the existing URL provisions on the basis of ECE/TRANS/SC.2/GEURL/2019/16 prepared by the Russian Federation. (...) Finally, the Group of Experts will be expected to agree on its report to SC.2 on the agreed scope of URL and its conversion into a legally-binding instrument.

UNECE: unified railway law (URL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 B. (...) UNECE: unified railway law (URL) 6. As was mentioned in the previous note by the Secretariat on this topic (A/CN.9/1061, paras. 5–7), knowledge materials were developed and transmitted by UNECE’s Group of Experts towards Unified Railway Law (URL) to its parent body, the Working Party on Rail Transport, to facilitate discussions on the way forward. (...) Two approaches to the development of URL were reiterated during the discussion as to whether URL should become an interface law that would co-exist with the COTIF/CIM 9 and SMGS 10 systems or it should replace those systems with a single legal regime.

At the same time, neither SMGS nor CIM nor the existing provisions of URL (contract of international carriage of cargo by rail (CoC)) contain provisions about a negotiable transport document to serve as a document of title. (...) In any case, in view of the emerging demand for negotiable transport documents and while the URL CoC provisions are being decided upon by the Group of Experts towards URL, it is proposed to the Group of Experts to consider adding to the existing URL CoC provisions also more explicit provisions on a negotiable transport document. 4. (...) The following provisions are proposed to be added to URL CoC to introduce to it the notion of the negotiable transport document: Add to Article 2 the following definitions: as 12a “Consignment bill” means a negotiable transport document concerning the obligation of the carrier to deliver the goods to the bearer of the consignment bill.

ECE/TRANS/SC.2/GEURL/2020/5 provides specific alterations to the draft URL legal provisions on the contract of carriage provided in ECE/TRANS/2016/15. (...) • The Russian Federation informed that the change reflects its position for URL to become the only system of railway law that should replace the existing legal regime (CIM and SMGS). (...) • The Group of Experts requested the Russian Federation for clarification whether URL would be put into a separate, stand-alone Convention as first step, given the agreed step-by-step-approach and whether it would be concluded as an ECE Convention