Digital and Sustainable Trade Facilitation in Asia and the Pacific 2021
The regional report is part of a global survey effort on the implementation of trade facilitation and paperless trade measures, undertaken jointly by the five United Nations Regional Commissions for Africa (ECA), Europe (ECE), Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and West Asia (ESCWA).
Based on the 2021 United Nations Global Survey on Digital and Sustainable Trade Facilitation covering 46 countries of the Asia-Pacific region, this report reviews the progress of trade facilitation reforms and provides a detailed analysis based on 58 trade facilitation measures that are classified into four groups (“General Trade Facilitation”, “Digital Trade Facilitation”, “Sustainable Trade Facilitation” and “Other Trade Facilitation”) and a further 11 sub-groups covering both binding and non-binding WTO TFA measures, and measures beyond the scope of WTO TFA+.
The fourth survey is built upon the earlier surveys and expanded collection of measures on trade finance facilitation as well as on trade facilitation in times of crisis. The latter was incorporated in order to gather information on the implementation of short-term measures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic as well as long-term measures in preparation for future crises and pandemics. The crucial role of trade digitalization has been emphasized not only for increasing regulatory compliance and reducing illicit financial flows, but also as an effective method to mitigate trade disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic. The fourth survey also continues to pay special attention to sectors and groups with special needs, such as the agricultural sector, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and women traders, at the outset of the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development’s recognition of international trade as one of the key means of implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals.
The report could further support the economies around the region in order to make trade simpler, cheaper, more resilient and sustainable through the use and application of technology and innovation in international trade procedures.
For more information on the UN Global Survey on Digital and Sustainable Trade Facilitation and other reports, please visit untfsurvey.org
Online Course on Enhancing Trade Information Portals
Trade information portals (TIPs), sometimes also called National Trade Portals/Repositories (NTP/Rs), are websites where one can obtain information on laws, regulations and procedures that need to be followed when engaging in international trade. The information and services provided through TIPs have the potential to enhance regulatory transparency and greatly facilitate trade. While many countries already have some forms of TIPs, ensuring their effectiveness and sustainability often remains a challenge. The objective of this online course on enhancing TIPs is to provide a framework and guidelines for assessing the as-is conditions of a TIP and generating recommendations for its improvement.
Trade facilitation in times of pandemic: practices and lessons from the Asia-Pacific region
The Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has hit international trade worldwide and in Asia and the Pacific, underscoring the importance of maintaining trade connectivity not only for the immediate pandemic response, but also for the subsequent recovery efforts in order to build resilience to future disruptions. The report first describes, in the section II, the initial developments and lessons learnt in trade and transport facilitation practices in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Section III presents the results of a Survey on trade facilitation in times of crisis and pandemic in the Asia and the Pacific region. Finally, Section IV discusses the ways forward for trade facilitation measures to support a sustainable and resilient recovery from the COVID-19 crisis and how the Asia-Pacific region can be better equipped to build back better.
Guide to enhancing Trade Information Portals
The Guide to enhancing Trade Information Portals proposes a governance framework and guidelines that can be used as an assessment and improvement roadmap, especially for assessing the current or as-is conditions of an existing Trade Information Portals (TIPs), and then generating recommendations for further enhancing its quality and impacts. The readers of this guide will learn how to evaluate and generate recommendations for enhancing the effectiveness and the sustainability of TIPs.
Readers of the Guide are recommended to take the online course on enhancing Trade Information Portals (TIPs). The online course is available HERE.