Handbook on Provisions and Options for Trade in Times of Crisis and Pandemic
This Handbook explores options for provisions that could be used in future RTAs to better guide how trade could be conducted during future crises. It covers all the major rules areas in RTAs, including Essential Goods and Services, Trade Facilitation, SPS and TBT Measures, Intellectual Property Rights, Digital Trade, Transparency, and Development. The options for provisions include “baseline”, “baseline+”, and “discretionary” options, depending on the extent of obligations, protection, resilience and policy space provided by those provisions.
UN Course based on the Handbook: https://www.unescap.org/training/rta-ttcp
More information about the Initiative is available HERE.
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.
Smart Railway Solutions for Trans-Asian Railway Network in the Times of COVID-19 Pandemic
To support trade and transport connectivity globally in times of pandemic the United Nation agencies have jointly launched a project titled- Trade and transport connectivity in times of pandemics: with overarching objective of developing contactless, seamless and collaborative solutions to preserve and further enhance the trade and transport connectivity. In Asia and the Pacific, ESCAP is leading the project and has initiated series of studies aimed at supporting countries in this direction.
The present study on smart railway solutions has been carried out under the project with aim to identify smart railway solutions that are proven to be successful elsewhere and are potentially replicable and scalable. Not all solutions would have equal importance or relevance for the railways of the region.
Questionnaire for firms
The surveys prepared by ESCWA targeting banks, firms and policy makers are aimed at gauging the conditions for trade financing in the region particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Questionnaire for policy makers
The surveys prepared by ESCWA targeting banks, firms and policy makers are aimed at gauging the conditions for trade financing in the region particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic.
COVID-19 and maritime transport: Impacts and Responses
The report sets out the UNCTAD assessment of the COVID-19 impacts on the maritime supply chain and challenges faced. It also identifies response measures introduced by relevant stakeholders, and the lessons learned in terms of resilience-building and implications for the maritime supply chain of the future.
COVID-19 implications for commercial contracts: International sale of goods on CIF and FOB terms
The ability to trade globally, through a seamless logistic network, moving goods across international boundaries, integrating engineering and technology from different parts of the world has been a fundamental element of the globalized trading system. Raw commodities travelling from one part of the world to be converted into plastic or metal components only to be shipped again to be manufactured and then again for assembling and distribution is something which traders and consumers alike take for granted.
COVID-19 implications for commercial contracts: Carriage of goods by sea and related cargo claims
The smooth flow of international trade depends entirely on the transport chain: adequate and timely supplies to manufacturers and efficient capillary distribution chains are essential ingredients of any successful business model.
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.