Which organization administers the Convention on the Contract for the International Carriage of Goods by Road?

The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe administers the Convention on the Contract for the International Carriage of Goods by Road.

The convention is commonly called the CMR Convention, from its French title Convention relative au contrat de transport international de marchandises par route. It was adopted in Geneva on 19 May 1956 and establishes common rules for international road carriage contracts among participating countries.

CMR addresses matters such as the carrier’s liability, the consignment note and claims procedures. It helps make cross-border road freight more predictable by giving parties a shared legal framework instead of requiring them to rely entirely on differing national laws.

UNECE is one of the United Nations regional commissions. Its work covers transport, trade facilitation, environmental policy, statistics and other economic issues in Europe and neighboring regions. The CMR Convention should not be confused with customs conventions administered by the World Customs Organization or with rules for air and sea transport.