As described by the Guide to Enactment that accompanies the Model Law on Electronic Commerce:

"...The purpose of the Model Law is to offer national legislators a set of internationally acceptable rules" to provide increased certainty as to the legal effect or validity of electronic messages, and to create a more secure legal environment for e-commerce.

The Model Law also provides principles for parties engaged in e-commerce to follow in drafting contracts.

In its 1996 Resolution 51/162, the UN General Assembly recommended that "all States should give favorable consideration to the Model Law when enacting or revising their laws, in view of the need for uniformity of the law applicable to alternatives to paper-based methods of communication and storage of information."

The adoption of uniform laws promotes certainty for e-commerce and promotes economic activity.