Implications of the COVID-19 pandemic for commercial contracts covering the transportation of goods in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond
With a view to increase awareness of Government officials and transport operators in Asia and the Pacific region on the ways of addressing some of the key legal implications of COVID-19 for commercial contracts covering transport of goods and to assist shippers and consignees, particularly in developing countries in addressing some of the key commercial law implications of the COVID-19 crisis, the UNESCAP secretariat conducted research and preliminary analysis of the challenges arising from the COVID-19 crisis affecting international commercial contracts, including contracts on international carriage of goods by various modes of transport, focusing particularly on land and multimodal transport.
Uzbekistan: Implementation of the interactive service «Enquiry Point for Trade Facilitation»
Article 1 of the TFA obliges WTO members (and therefore all interested parties) to promptly publish information related to international trade, so that WTO members (and, accordingly, all interested parties) can familiarize themselves with the rules to ensure a transparent and predictable environment for international trade. WTO Members are encouraged to provide access to trade-related information via Internet and establish or maintain enquiry points (EP).
Currently, in the Republic of Uzbekistan, work is underway to bring national legislation in line with the requirements of the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA).
Implications of the COVID-19 pandemic for commercial contracts covering the transportation of goods in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond
With a view to increase awareness of Government officials and transport operators in Asia and the Pacific region on the ways of addressing some of the key legal implications of COVID-19 for commercial contracts covering transport of goods and to assist shippers and consignees, particularly in developing countries in addressing some of the key commercial law implications of the COVID-19 crisis, the UNESCAP secretariat conducted research and preliminary analysis of the challenges arising from the COVID-19 crisis affecting international commercial contracts, including contracts on international carriage of goods by various modes of transport, focusing particularly on land and multimodal transport.
Proposals for crisis-response provisions in regional and bilateral transport agreements of the ESCAP member States
Having faced the pandemic, most of ESCAP member States had to urgently issue ad-hoc policies and domestic regulations in attempts to prevent or limit the spread of COVID-19 disease through their borders, often without warning or consulting their counterparts and in breach of the rules of transport-related international legal instruments. This situation showcased that existing legal instruments covering international carriage of goods and passengers may lack provisions on cooperation while dealing with critical situations such as the current crisis or other potential extraordinary situations.
In this context, the UNESCAP secretariat took stock of the current bilateral and multilateral agreements on international road transport in Asia and the Pacific Region, analyzing, in particular, the availability of clauses related to crisis response and mutual assistance in emergency situations in those agreements. of information and may be subsequently updated.
Review: Harmonization of border crossing procedures in SPECA Countries
The exponential growth of cross-border movements of goods often pushes States to develop more effective border management procedures implemented at border-crossing points (BCPs). Issues related to the facilitation of border-crossing procedures (time and documentary formalities) are of particular relevance to the countries participating in the United Nations Special Programme for the Economies of Central Asia (SPECA) (Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan), through which important transit corridors run between the global trading centres in East Asia and Europe.
The Impact of COVID-19 Induced Non-Tariff Measures on SPECA Countries’ trade Patterns
This assessment was prepared pursuant the Governing Council of the United Nations Special Programme for the Economies of Central Asia (SPECA) - Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. The decision stipulates preparing a study on regulatory and procedural barriers to trade in the sub-region, as per the “Concept Note for a Study on Regulatory and Procedural Barriers to Trade in the SPECA Subregion”.
The assessment also forms part of UNECE’s rapid COVID-19 response within the context of the United Nations Development Account project “Transport and Trade Connectivity in the Age of Pandemics: UN solutions for contactless, seamless and collaborative transport and trade”.