Trade facilitation - UNESCAP

The aim of this service is to promote efficient and secure trade in the Asia-Pacific region and to improve the ability of business and the administrations of countries in the region to exchange goods and services effectively. The main emphasis is on the promotion of simplification, harmonization, and standardization of trade procedures and related documentary requirements in international trade, to reduce transaction costs and time.

ESCAP seeks to increase the capacity of member countries to develop national trade efficiency and facilitation policies and to implement action plans for trade facilitation measures based on innovative methods and techniques, ICT applications and better regional cooperation. To achieve this objective, the Secretariat provides information and knowledge-sharing activities on trade facilitation and paperless trade, develops capacity building tools, conducts analytical studies and delivers technical assistance projects and advisory services.

 

Contact:

Yann Duval,

Chief, Trade Facilitation Unit

Trade, Investment and Innovation Division,

Tel: +662 288 2252

E-mail: duvaly [at] un.org (duvaly[at]un[dot]org)

 

United Nations Network of Experts for Paperless Trade and Transport in Asia and the Pacific (UNNExT)

The United Nations Network of Experts for Paperless Trade and Transport in Asia and the Pacific (UNNExT) was created to provide a platform for practitioners and policymakers to share knowledge and practice to facilitate the implementation of a single window and paperless trade in the region. UNNExT develops trade facilitation tools to support the implementation of international standards and solutions for aligned trade documents and data, single window and electronic data interchange (EDI), as provided, inter alia, by the United Nations Centre for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business (UN/CEFACT) and the World Customs Organization (WCO), and measures negotiated under the WTO negotiations on trade facilitation. It provides access to technical knowledge and expertise, training activities and peer-to-peer support in the following areas:

1. Business process analysis for simplified trade procedures and documents;
2. Simplification and automation of trade documents for migration to paperless trade;
3. Development of aligned sets of national and regional trade documents;
4. Single window implementation;
5. Regional harmonization of data requirements; and
6. Regulatory framework;
7. Business models (including management, financial and operational arrangements).

UNNExT was established and is being maintained by ESCAP and UNECE. UNNExT and its activities, including national, subregional and regional capacity workshops and studies, are funded under the United Nations Development Account project. Countries from Asia and the Pacific interested in benefiting from the accumulated expertise of the network, or to contribute to it, are welcome to contact ESCAP.

For more information: https://unnext.unescap.org/

Asia-Pacific Trade Facilitation Forum

ESCAP organizes, in collaboration with the Asian Development Bank, the Asia-Pacific Trade Facilitation Forum (APTFF) on an annual basis, bringing together a wide range of stakeholders from the region and beyond to share information and exchange experiences.

For more information: https://unnext.unescap.org/content/asia-pacific-trade-facilitation-forum-aptff

 

Trade Facilitation Advisory Services

ESCAP provides trade facilitation advisory services on requests to its member countries, particularly through UNNExT. The primary focus is on least-developed, landlocked and transitional countries. This has included the development of a national single window masterplan in Mongolia, as well as an analysis of rice export processes in Cambodia.

Contact:

Sangwon Lim

Trade Facilitation Unit,

Trade, Investment and Innovation Division,

Tel: +662 288 2573

E-mail: lim6 [at] un.org (lim6[at]un[dot]org)

 

Regional Organizations Cooperation Mechanism on Trade Facilitation (ROC-TF)

As part of a new mechanism launched – at the request of its member countries – to enhance cooperation and coordination among Asia-Pacific regional organizations and programmes working on trade facilitation (TF), ESCAP issues the ROC-TF Newsletter on a quarterly basis. This newsletter aims to provide information on recent as well as planned trade facilitation project and activities of various organizations active in this area, as well as on relevant publications and documents that may be useful across the Asia-Pacific subregions. It also includes a section on national and regional news on trade facilitation and paperless trade. The first issue of the ROC-TF newsletter, please visit: http://www.unescap.org/tid/roctf.asp.

Contact:

Maame Agyeben

Trade Facilitation Unit,

Trade, Investment and Innovation Division,

Tel: +662 288 1826

E-mail: agyeben [at] un.org

 

Trade Facilitation Research and Publications

ESCAP, in particular through its Asia-Pacific Research and Training Network on Trade (ARTNeT), a network of developing country research institutions, has been actively supporting trade facilitation research. This research has so far focused on identifying the evolving needs and priorities of developing countries, and evaluating the actual impact of specific trade facilitation measures and behind-the-border regulations on trade, with a particular focus on SMEs. Online tools have also been developed to conduct rapid econometric trade impact analysis of selected measures, which is expected to be particularly useful to trade researchers and government planners.

Since 2011, ESCAP maintains a database of bilateral comprehensive trade costs covering nearly a hundred countries and providing bilateral trade cost data for manufacturing as well as agricultural goods from 1995 to 2010. The regional database was expanded into a joint ESCAP-World Bank global database in January 2013.

For more information: http://www.unescap.org/resources/escap-world-bank-trade-cost-database.

 

5. and other UN regional commissions (UNRCs), in collaboration with partners, have also conducted the Global Survey on Trade Facilitation and Paperless Trade Implementation since 2015. The 2017 Survey results will be available in June 2017. The Survey supports the implementation of the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement as well as emerging regional and global initiatives on paperless trade and e-trade, such as the new Framework Agreement on Facilitation of Cross-Border Paperless Trade in Asia and the Pacific.

For more information: https://unnext.unescap.org/content/global-survey-trade-facilitation-and-paperless-trade-implementation-2017.

ESCAP also publishes practical guides and technical briefs on trade facilitation. The UNNExT Business Process Analysis Guide for the Simplification of Trade Procedures is being used in many countries; It has resulted in an e-learning course and certificate programme, as well as an online Trade Process Analysis Database (TPAD). Available at: http://www.unescap.org/our-work/trade-investment-innovation/trade-facilitation/bpa-course.

ESCAP has also developed a Guide on establishing sustainable Trade and Transport Facilitation Monitoring Mechanism (TTFMM). On the basis of the guide, ESCAP, in collaboration with ADB, has been assisting selected countries in South Asia including Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Nepal to establish TTFMM and carry out the baseline studies.

For more information: http://www.unescap.org/resources/towards-national-integrated-and-sustainable-trade-and-transport-facilitation-monitoring

Through its research and analysis work, ESCAP published a broad range of studies on trade facilitation (http://www.unescap.org/our-work/trade-investment-innovation/trade-facilitation/publications).

 

Framework Agreement on Facilitation of Cross-Border Paperless Trade in Asia and the Pacific

ESCAP provides the secretariat for a new UN treaty, entitled Framework Agreement on Facilitation of Cross-border Paperless Trade in Asia and the Pacific. The new Framework Agreement opened for signature by all interested ESCAP Members on 1 October 2016 at United Nations Headquarters in New York. It will enter into force after five member states have ratified it. The potential increase in Asia-Pacific exports from the implementation of cross-border paperless trade measures is estimated at between US$ 36 billion and US$ 257 billion annually.

It is expected to provide countries of Asia and the Pacific with a new tool and “digital” complement for better implementation of the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) and the development of cross-border e-commerce. Grounded on a common set of general principles and a dedicated intergovernmental platform, the regional treaty will provide Parties with enhanced opportunities to exchange and harmonize practices, build each other’s capacity, and multilaterally develop, adopt and implement more specific and detailed technical and/or legal protocols needed to achieve safe and secure cross-border paperless trade. Implementation will build upon existing international standards as well as on-going bilateral and sub-regional initiatives, such as the ASEAN Single Window.

For more information: http://www.unescap.org/resources/framework-agreement-facilitation-cross-border-paperless-trade-asia-and-pacific

 

Contact:

Yann Duval,

Chief, Trade Facilitation Unit,

Trade, Investment and Innovation Division,

Tel: +662 288 2252

E-mail: duvaly [at] un.org

 

Examples of projects:

Strengthening the capacity of transition and developing economies to participate in cross-border agricultural food supply chains

 

This is a joint project implemented by ESCAP and UNECE. The objective of the project is to strengthen the capacity of the target economies in transition and developing countries in the Asia-Pacific to use internationally recognized standards, tools and best practice to identify problems and possible solutions to the gaps in their agri-food supply chains. This will be done together with the major public and private sector stakeholders to foster the development of integrated strategies for better regulatory compliance, food quality, and increased the use of information technologies and data exchange to lower trade and transaction costs. The project introduces the stakeholders to innovative agriculture trade facilitation measures, such as electronic sanitary and phytosanitary certification. The project also provides capacity building tools and training on compliance with food safety and food quality standards and control systems. The main project outputs include:

 

• Case studies to share country-level best practices in complying with international agricultural standards and implementing control systems;

• Training materials and guides on the implementation of standards and automated systems for cross-border agricultural trade; and

• Regional workshops and seminars to exchange experiences, best practices and solutions on agriculture supply chain between the regions. These meetings which will bring together public and private sector experts from Asia-Pacific region and will help decision-makers and practitioners develop integrated strategies combining the improved quality of agricultural produce, better governance, regulatory compliance, improved electronic information exchange and enhanced and simplified processes.

 

Contact:

 

Maame Agyeben,

Trade Facilitation Unit,

Trade, Investment and Innovation Division,

Tel: +662 288 1826

E-mail: agyeben [at] un.org