Member States of the United Nations have identified trade as the key among a few essential means of implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Continuous efforts to streamline trade procedures are essential to make it easier for all to participate and benefit from international trade. Trade digitalization, i.e., the application of existing and emerging information and communication technologies (ICTs) to trade procedures, can go a long way towards reducing trade costs and making trade more inclusive and sustainable.
Building on a growing number of bilateral and subregional cross-border paperless trade initiatives, Asia and the Pacific countries adopted the world’s first treaty dedicated to the digitalization of trade procedures in 2016. Entitled the Framework Agreement on Facilitation of Cross-Border Paperless Trade in Asia and the Pacific, this UN treaty supports and complements the implementation of the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement and aims to facilitate the cross-border electronic exchange and legal recognition of electronic trade-related data and documents across borders.
The Forum provides a platform for public and private sector experts from the region and beyond to share their experiences in enabling cross-border paperless data exchange.
VENUE:
Bangkok, Thailand
29-30 September 2020
Original source: UNESCAP
Published on 22 January 2019
