National Consultation on Facilitating Cross-border Paperless Trade TONGA

10 March 2022
14:00 - 16:15 hrs.,  ESCAP: UTC +7
Meetings
Nuku'alofa, Tonga

Co-organized by Ministry of Trade and Economic Development & Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP)

In moving forward in the area of trade facilitation and paperless trade in Tonga, legal and technical readiness assessments for cross-border paperless trade will be conducted, under a United Nations ESCAP project as part of the joint UN Development Account project entitled “Transport and trade connectivity in the age of pandemics”.

Readiness Assessment for Cross-Border Paperless Trade: Philippines


04 March 2022

This report provides an assessment of the Philippines’ readiness for cross-border paperless trade, i.e., the conduct of international trade based on electronic data and documents.

A team of experts conducted this assessment following readiness checklists developed by the ESCAP Interim Intergovernmental Steering Group on Cross-Border Paperless Trade Facilitation, of which the Philippines is a member. National consultation on facilitating cross-border paperless trade was co-organized by the Philippine Bureau of Customs (BOC) and ESCAP on 8 March 2021, when preliminary findings from the visits and interviews were further reviewed, consolidated and validated. 

The report is co-published by ESCAP and the Philippine Bureau of Customs (BOC).

The complete set of Cross-Border Paperless Trade Readiness Assessment reports can be accessed here.

Expert Group Meeting ESCAP-WHO Research Initiative on From Lab to Jab: Improving Asia-Pacific’s Readiness to Produce and Deliver Vaccines

31 January - 01 February 2022
Meetings
Hybrid

COVID-19 has highlighted the key role of trade and transport in fighting the pandemic. In this context, ESCAP, together with the World Health Organization, is implementing the research project “From Lab to Jab: Improving Asia-Pacific’s Readiness to Produce and Deliver Vaccines” to better understand the determinants of vaccine production and delivery in Asia-Pacific, with a focus on cross-border cooperation, trade, and transportation.

Online Course on Sustainable Development Provisions in Free Trade Agreements

02 - 10 May 2022
Training
Hybrid

The course is designed to help negotiations of provisions for sustainable development in Free Trade Agreements (FTAs). The objective is to improve FTAs in order for trade to contribute to sustainable development goals – better-designed sustainable development provisions would guide international trade in achieving greater societal and environmental benefits besides economic interests.

Handbook on Provisions and Options for Trade in Times of Crisis and Pandemic


24 September 2021

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.

Online Repository of Contributions to the Policy Hackathon on Model Provisions for Trade in Times of Crisis and Pandemic


01 September 2020

This Online repository provides access to written contributions submitted by participants to the Policy Hackathon on Model Provisions for Trade in Times of Crisis and Pandemic in Regional and Other Trade Agreements. The contributions featured in this Online repository have been made available as received and are under the sole responsibility of their author(s). 

A brief overview of contributions is also available here.

Webinar Series on Next Generation Trade Facilitation

14 December 2021
14:30 - 19:30 hrs.,  ESCAP: UTC +7
Webinar
Hybrid

This webinar series will discuss how sustainable trade facilitation measures are crucial in supporting groups and sectors with special needs, specifically related to agriculture, SMEs and women, especially how these measures could support the recovery from the pandemic and build back better. Experts from governments, international organizations and private sectors will share good practices in implementing relevant trade facilitation measures towards a more inclusive an resilient global trading system.

Webinar Series on Accelerating Cross-border Paperless Trade Facilitation

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Webinar
Hybrid

To help the region moving forward in accelerating trade digitalization, ESCAP, in cooperation with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), and with the support of the United Nations Network of Experts for Paperless Trade and Transport in Asia and the Pacific (UNNExT), organizes a webinar Series on accelerating cross-border paperless trade facilitation.

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