URDG 758The URDG 758 are the Uniform Rules for Demand Guarantees - effective 01 July 2010.ForewordThis revision of ICC's Uniform Rules for Demand Guarantees (URDG) is the first since the rules were developed by ICC in 1991. The original rules, URDG 458, gained broad international acceptance in recent years following their incorporation by the World Bank in its guarantee formsand their endorsement by UNCITRAL and leading industry associations, such as FIDIC.This first revision of the rules was meticulously prepared over a period of two and a half years, and is the result of a collective effortby a number of ICC constituent groups. It was developed as a jointproject by two ICC commissions - the Banking Commission and the Commission on Commercial Law and Practice - therefore taking into account the legitimate expectations of all relevant sectors. ICCnational committees contributed substantially to the final product: some52 national committees submitted several hundred pages of valuable suggestions on successive drafts, a number of which were incorporated into the final text.The ICC Task Force on Guarantees, which consisted of 40 members from 26 countries, reviewed the various drafts and added their own suggestions. The URDG Drafting Group, ably chaired by Dr Georges Affaki, met on a number of occasions, carefully reviewed all comments submitted by national committees and the Task Force and developed the final draft.This collective effort has borne fruit; it has produced rules thatreflect a broad consensus among bankers, users and all members of the guarantee community. In fact, the present revision of the URDG does not merely update the existing rules. It is the result of an ambitiousproject to create a new set of rules for the twenty-first century thatis clearer, more precise and more comprehensive. As such, URDG 758 is destined to become the standard text for demand guarantees worldwide.Jean RozwadowskiSecretary GeneralInternational Chamber of CommerceJanuary 2010IntroductionThe new URDG 758 succeed URDG 458. Over 17 years of practice (1992 - 2009), URDG 458 proved to be both successful and reliable. They wereused by banks and businesses across continents and industry sectors.URDG 458 were endorsed by international organizations, multilateralfinancial institutions, bank regulators, lawmakers and professional federations. In contrast to the failed Uniform Rules for ContractGuarantees (URCG 325), URDG 458 reflected the reality of theinternational demand guarantee market and struck the most reasonable balance between the interests of all the parties involved. By choosingto instruct a guarantor to issue a demand guarantee subject to URDG, applicants renounced their ability to obstruct payment for reasonsderived from their relationship with the beneficiary. In turn,beneficiaries were expected to state in general terms - but not tojustify, establish or prove - the nature of the applicant's breach inthe performance of the underlying relationship. Finally, because ademand guarantee is an independent undertaking, guarantors were assured that their commitment was subject to its own terms. They were insulated from the performance contingencies of the underlying relationship.Their incremental use, backed by the support of ICC, enabled URDG 458 to make a critical contribution towards levelling the playing fieldamong demand guarantee issuers and users regardless of the legal, economic or social system in which they operate.Yet, URDG 458 formed the first attempt by ICC to codify independent guarantee practice. Over the years, the application of their provisionsshed light on the need for drafting adjustments, clarifications,expansion of scope or clear corrections of the adopted standard. Views reported to the ICC Task Force on Guarantees from URDG users worldwide provided the necessary material to launch a revision of URDG 458 that both the lapse of time and the evolution of practice made necessary. The revision was launched in 2007 and was conducted under the aegis of both the ICC Banking Commission and the Commission on Commercial Law and Practice (CLP).The ICC Task Force on Guarantees, the standing expert body created by ICC in 2003 to monitor international guarantee practice, acted as a consultative body to a Drafting Group that produced five comprehensive drafts during the two and a half year revision process. Each draft was submitted for review and comments to ICC national committees. Over 600sets of comments were received from a total of 52 countries and were thoroughly examined. These comments were instrumental in shaping the new rules. Regular progress reports were presented to meetings of each ofthe ICC commissions considering the rules and were comprehensively debated. This method ensured that the revision takes into account views received from a broad cross-sector of concerned parties.The resulting URDG 758 were adopted by the ICC Executive Board on 3 December 2009, following endorsement by the members of the two sponsoring commissions. They will come into force on July 1, 2010. Thenew rules apply to any demand guarantee or counter-guarantee where incorporated by reference in the text. They can also apply as tradeusage or by implication from a consistent course of dealing between the parties to the demand guarantee or counter-guarantee where so providedby the applicable law.The new URDG 758 do not merely update URDG 458; they are the result of an ambitious process that seeks to bring a new set of rules fordemand guarantees into the 21st century, rules that are clearer, moreprecise and more comprehensive.Clearer URDG. The new URDG 758 aim for clarity. They adopt the drafting style of ICC's universally accepted Uniform Rules forDocumentary Credits (UCP 600) by bringing together the definitions ofterms in one article. They also bring a much needed clarification of the process according to which a presentation will be checked for conformity.More precise URDG. A number of the standards contained in URDG 458 left a margin for interpretation that varied according to the particularfacts of the case. This was particularly true for the terms "reasonabletime" and "reasonable care". The new URDG have excluded all imprecise standards with an aim to foster certainty and predictability. Examplesare time durations for the examination of a demand, the extension of a guarantee in the case of force majeure, and the suspension of theguarantee in the case of an extend or pay demand.More comprehensive URDG. Important practices were left out of URDG 458. This was particularly the case for the advice of a guarantee, amendments, standards for examination of presentations, partial,multiple and incomplete demands, linkage of documents, and transfer of guarantees. In addition, there was only fragmentary treatment ofcounter-guarantees. What was understandable at the time of the firstattempt to codify demand guarantee practice can no longer be accepted 17 years later. The new URDG 758 now cover all of these practices and make clear that provisions governing guarantees apply equally to counter-guarantees.Balanced URDG. The new URDG 758 endorse and build on the balanced approach that characterized URDG 458. For example:- The beneficiary is entitled to payment upon presentation of a complying demand without the need for the guarantor to seek theapplicant's approval. The new URDG also correct an unfair situation that would have left the beneficiary without recourse to the guarantee in thecase of force majeure if its expiry coincided with the interruption ofthe guarantor's business.- The guarantor's independent role is expressed in stronger andclearer terms and, more importantly, it is now expressed in exclusively documentary terms. The new URDG expect the guarantor to act diligently.For instance, a guarantor is expected to reject a non-complying demandwithin five business days by sending a rejection notice that lists allof the discrepancies; otherwise, the guarantor will be precluded fromclaiming that the demand is non-complying and will be compelled to pay. Largely accepted in documentary credit practice under the UCP, the preclusion sanction is necessary to discipline unfair practices thatwork to the detriment of the beneficiary.- The applicant's right to be informed of the occurrence of the keystages in the lifecycle of the guarantee is acknowledged in the newrules. However, this information should not be a prerequisite forpayment when a complying demand is presented.Innovative URDG. The new URDG 758 feature a number of innovations dictated by the development of practice and the need to avoid disputes.An example is the new rule that proposes a substitution of currencieswhen payment in the currency specified in the guarantee becomes impossible. Another example is the new termination mechanism for guarantees that state neither an expiry date nor an expiry event. Thissolution is expected to reduce the number of open-ended guarantees that severely penalize applicants and are incompatible with the banks'capital requirements.The Guide. The rationale, preparatory work and interpretation ofeach article of the new URDG 758 can be found in a separately releasedGuide to the rules (ICC Publication No. 702).The new URDG 758 package. The new rules are accompanied by a model guarantee and counter-guarantee form featured at the end of this publication. They are destined to evolve into an indispensable companionto the new URDG 758 and their users. Experience shows that a comprehensive ready-to-use package that combines both the rules and model forms is more attractive to users than the previously separate ICC publications Nos. 458 and 503. It should also be conducive to more harmonized a practice.In drafting the new URDG 758 model guarantee form, a unitary approach was preferred to one that would have consisted of multipleforms linked to the purpose of each guarantee. Tender, performance, advance payment, retention money, warranty and other types of demand guarantees share the same nature and have similar features. This was evidenced by the five nearly identical basic model guarantee forms inICC publication No. 503 that accompanied URDG 458. Of course, URDG 758 users have the option of enriching the unitary model form with one ormore of the clauses proposed at the end of this publication such as the reduction of amount clause for advance payment guarantees or even drafting any other clause outright.A final message: the need for clear drafting. Clear drafting is the linchpin of a successful international demand guarantee practice. Thishas proven to be the case over time and across cultures and industry sectors. Using the new URDG 758 model guarantee form levels the playing field and avoids misunderstandings. As such, it will hopefullysignificantly curb the worrying tendency that a few courts have shown in recent years to re-characterize demand guarantees as accessory suretyships - or the reverse. While sometimes warranted by the ambiguous terms used by the parties, such interference has considerablydestabilized the international guarantee market by adding a particularly prejudicial element of uncertainty. Such a regrettable situation can beremedied by a consistent use of URDG 758 and their accompanying model form in any type of demand guarantee or counter-guarantee or, indeed,any other independent undertaking.Acknowledgments. I would like to express my deep appreciation tothe members of the ICC Task Force on Guarantees*, the ICC national committees and members of both the Banking Commission and CLP for their guidance, support and constructive participation in the revision. The Guarantees Department of RZB was very helpful in processing the hundreds of national comments received throughout the revision process and compiling them for the Drafting Group's review.It was my privilege to chair the Drafting Group that undertook the revision. The members of the Drafting Group are listed below in alphabetical order:Roger Carouge (Germany), Sir Roy Goode (United Kingdom),Dr Andrea Hauptmann (Austria), Glenn Ransier (United States), Pradeep Taneja (Bahrain), and Farideh Tazhibi(Islamic Republic of Iran).Rarely has a chairman been blessed with a group whose members are so experienced and enthusiastic about the subject at hand, animated by team spirit, complementary in their regional and sectoral experience andable to endure with admirable patience the inevitable challenges of afast-track revision process.The result is the new URDG 758, which we proudly offer to the world.Dr. Georges AffakiVice-Chair, ICC Banking CommissionBNP ParibasJanuary 2010目录Article 1 Application of URDG 本规则的适用范围 8Article 2 Definitions 定义 8Article 3 Interpretation 解释 11Article 4 Issue and effectiveness 开立和生效 12Article 5 Independence of guarantee and counter-guarantee 保函和反担保函的独立性 13Article 6 Documents v. goods, services or performance 单据和货物、服务或者履约行为 13Article 7 Non-documentary conditions 非单据条件 13Article 8 Content of instructions and guarantees 指示和保函的内容 14Article 9 Application not taken up 拒绝接受申请 15Article 10 Advising of guarantee or amendment 保函或者保函修改的通知 15Article 11 Amendments 修改 16Article 12 Extent of guarantor's liability under guarantee 保函项下担保人责任的范围 17Article 13 Variation of amount of guarantee 保函金额的变动 17Article 14 Presentation 交单 17Article 15 Requirements for demand 对索偿要求的要求 19Article 16 Information about demand 关于索偿要求的告知 19Article 17 Partial demand and multiple demands; amount of demands部分索偿要求和多次索偿要求，索偿要求的金额 (20)Article 18 Separateness of each demand 每一次索偿要求的独立性 21Article 19 Examination 审核 21Article 20 Time for examination of demand; payment 审核索偿要求的时间，付款 22Article 21 Currency of payment 支付的货币 22Article 22 Transmission of copies of complying demand 相符索偿要求副本的传递 23Article 23 Extend or pay 展期或付款 23Article 24 Non-complying demand, waiver and notice 非相符索偿要求，放弃决定和通知 25Article 25 Reduction and termination 减额与终止 26Article 26 Force majeure 不可抗力 27Article 27 Disclaimer on effectiveness of documents 关于单据有效性的免责 28Article 28 Disclaimer on transmission and translation 关于传递和翻译的免责 29Article 29 Disclaimer for acts of another party 关于其他当事方行为的免责 29Article 30 Limits on exemption from liability 责任豁免的限度 30Article 31 Indemnity for foreign laws and usages 外国法律和惯例的补偿 30Article 32 Liability for charges 关于费用的责任 30Article 33 Transfer of guarantee and assignment of proceeds 保函的转让和款项让渡 30Article 34 Governing law 管辖法律 32Article 35 Jurisdiction 司法管辖权 32Article 1 Application of URDG 本规则的适用范围a. The Uniform Rules for Demand Guarantees ("URDG") apply to any demand guarantee or counter-guarantee that expressly indicates it issubject to them. They are binding on all parties to the demand guaranteeor counter-guarantee except so far as the demand guarantee or counter-guarantee modifies or excludes them.《见索即付保函统一规则》（以下简称“本规则”）适用于任何在其文本中清楚地表示受本规则约束的见索即付保函或者反担保函。
