1. COLLABORATIVE
  2. C.1 Strengthening regional cooperation on coordinated trade and transport policy response to COVID-19
  3. Asia Pacific Region

Asia Pacific Region

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.

Transport Connectivity and COVID-19 Pandemic: Pathways for Greater Resilience and Sustainability

15 December 2021
09:30 - 15:36 hrs.,  UNCTAD: UTC +1
Events
Bangkok, Thailand

A special event on Transport Connectivity and COVID-19 Pandemic: Pathways for Greater Resilience and Sustainability was co-organized by ESCAP and the International Transport Forum (ITF) during the Fourth Ministerial Conference on Transport, held in Bangkok and online from 14 to 17 December 2021. The event discussed pathways for greater resilience and sustainability for transport connectivity and COVID-19 Pandemic in Asia and the Pacific.

Training Manual on Logistics Information System


18 August 2021

The “Training Manual on Logistics Information System” was developed as part of the activities of the UNDA project “Transport and trade connectivity in the age of pandemics: Contactless, seamless and collaborative UN solutions”. 

Included in the Training Manual are definitions of logistics, logistics information and a logistics information system, a description of logistics information system, a stepwise approach on how to develop a logistics information system and a list of required standards to develop and implement such a system. The Training Manual is intended to support ESCAP member States in their efforts to develop logistics information systems using standards to improve work productivity and efficiency in a sustainable way. 

Attachment

The Model Subregional Agreement on Transport Facilitation


16 May 2022

The Model Subregional Agreement on Transport Facilitation has been elaborated on the basis of findings of comparative studies between major subregional agreements on transport facilitation to which various ESCAP member States are parties, conducted in 2014-2015. It has been subsequently reviewed by two regional expert meetings held in 2015 and finalized with incorporation of ESCAP member States’ comments.   

In 2020-2021, as part of the United Nations’ rapid response to the COVID-19 pandemic crisis and the UNDA project “Transport and trade connectivity in the age of pandemics: Contactless, seamless and collaborative UN solutions”, the secretariat conducted a study on proposals for crisis-response provisions in regional, subregional and bilateral transport agreements that could be incorporated in the existing and future transport agreements of ESCAP member States.

Attachment

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