As a policy executive at the International Chamber of Commerce I was fortunate to participate in exciting work on Incoterms, the Uniform Customs and Practice for Documentary Credits and the ICC Model Contracts. I developed a deep appreciation and respect for the central role played by ICC in global commerce. Having spent the rest of my career either working directly with the many invaluable and indispensable ICC tools for international trade, or traveling the world to discuss and teach ICC materials to eager trade students and professionals, I have become even more grateful to this unique organization and to all the men and women who have contributed to its growth over the years.

I would especially like to acknowledge the efforts of ICC Publishing’s Philip Kucharski and Ron Katz in launching, guiding and supporting the 4th edition of this Guide. Many thanks also to ICC Publishing’s excellent creative and production staff, in particular Anouk Leibig van Huffel.

One of ICC’s remarkable services to world trade is to serve as a professional forum and think tank for many of the world’s top experts in international trade and commercial law. I was fortunate to obtain the assistance of several of these noted authorities in the revision of this volume. In particular, I would like to thank Anthony Barone, Fabio Bortolotti, Charles Debattista, Donald Smith, Dan Taylor and Koen Vanheusden.

ICC Secretariat policy executives and managers have also been extraordinarily helpful in editing and checking the text, and I would especially like to thank Stefano Bertasi, Ayesha Hassan, Emily O’Connor, Camilla Pagnetti, Viviane Schiavi, Thierry Sénéchal and Daphne Yong d’Hervé.

Guillermo C. Jimenez
New York, 2012

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