Press Releases
Displaying Results 26 - 50 of 87
The third United Nations Global Survey on Digital and Sustainable Trade Facilitation 2019 has been launched by UNECE and its four
Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) are needed where governments lack the resources and know-how to provide their citizens with critical services. Such services can be key to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals in areas including health, water and sanitation, education and renewable energy.
Quality infrastructure is required for the effective operation of domestic markets, and its international recognition is important to facilitate access to foreign markets. Past estimates by the OECD demonstrate that standards and related conformity assessment have an impact on 80% of the world’s
With its lean institutional set-up and paperless trading environment, Georgia stands among the top trade reformers in the UNECE region. This is the main conclusion of the UNECE Study on regulatory and procedural barriers to trade in the country, presented today in Geneva. Today, it takes 30
Internet of Things (IoT) devices are ushering in a new era of efficiency in global trade using sensors and other connected devices. The United Nations Centre for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business (UN/CEFACT) has recognized the need to study the use of IoT for trade facilitation and the
International standards and harmonized processes can boost trade by enabling countries and companies to cut costs and reduce bureaucracy. The digitalization of these standards brings additional efficiency gains, further multiplying the benefits of their use. UNECE has taken another step towards
Overfishing and illegal, unreported or unregulated fishing (IUU) accounts for one-fourth of the fish resources in the oceans and cost a staggering USD 23 billion. As a result, future fish stocks are at risk of depletion, ocean biodiversity is impacted and the economic security of legitimate
With the official opening of a modern in vitro laboratory for seed potato cultivation, quality control and virus elimination, at Shushari, near Sankt Petersburg, on 26 January, UNECE finalized a multiyear project financed by the Russian Federation that significantly raised the quality of seed
UNECE member States are progressing on almost all fronts of trade facilitation and paperless trade, a new report shows. The report, based on the Second Global Survey on Trade Facilitation and Paperless Trade 2017, was released on 9 December at a side event co-organized by the UN Regional
A new standard on zero tolerance to corruption in Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) developed by UNECE will help to catalyze countries’ efforts to strengthen transparency, accountability and effective governance of investment in public infrastructure and service delivery, which will be key to
As the world’s second most polluting industry, the textile sector is responsible for a large portion of global CO2 emissions and industrial waste. Exploitative and dangerous working conditions are also widespread in the sector. At the same time, the industry has a complex value chain, with
For over a decade, the UNECE Recommendation 33 on Single Window has been the cornerstone definition for this trade facilitation tool enabling streamlined border-crossing procedures and allowing traders to submit all export-import related information to a single entry point. This definition is the
Reducing trade costs is essential for countries to effectively harness trade as an engine for growth and sustainable development. This can be accomplished by tackling non-tariff sources of trade costs and addressing cumbersome regulatory procedures and documentation requirements. Indeed, trade
Countries around the world are moving towards seamless global supply chains. This is one of the key preliminary findings of the Joint United Nations Regional Commission (UNRCs) Survey on Trade Facilitation and Paperless Trade, presented on Wednesday 12 July, at the World Trade Organization (WTO)
The entry into force of the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA), last 22 February 2017, calls on Member Countries of the World Trade Organization (WTO) to establish National Trade Facilitation Committees (NTFCs). Based on TFA Art
The OECD estimates that countries could reduce trade cost by about 5% only by simplifying trade documents, automating trade, and customs processes. The revision of two
The World Trade Organization (WTO) estimates that the implementation of the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) will reduce trade cost by 13-14 percent in developed and developing countries around the world. The UN Centre for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business (UN/CEFACT), serviced by
The port of Aqaba, Jordan’s only sea port, was reformed in 2004 through a public-private partnership (PPP), which helped to reduce average port stays from 8 days to a few hours.
Today, the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) has formally entered into force. This will cut total trade costs for about 14% on average, and will result in massive savings of over 1 trillion USD annual to economies, the majority of which will accrue to developing economies. “The first
World fish stocks are being depleted by overfishing and illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. This threatens not only the fish, but also the coastal communities that rely on fisheries for economic survival and a dependable food source. The importance of protecting this resource is
National Trade Facilitation Bodies are national-level platforms which can act as the main coordinating body for Trade Facilitation reforms and can facilitate effective consultation among the public and private sector stakeholders. In recent years, a multiplicity of bodies promoting Trade
International recommendations, standards and tools have a crucial role to play in the effective implementation of the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA). This was the key message agreed by international experts at an
Harmonizing processes and data for use across the different modes of transport in international trade would help goods move faster and cheaper. Global experts from the trade and transport sectors converged in Marseille this week to streamline related supply chain processes under the United
The international trade in persimmon, also known as kaki fruit, will be enhanced with the adoption today by UNECE of the first international quality standard for this fruit.Primarily grown in Asia - with China, Republic of Korea, Japan and Azerbaijan accounting for 95% of the 4.6 million tons
A new UN report shows that just over half of the ambitious measures for cutting red tape for global trade have been implemented and the disparity in progress between developed and developing economies still exists. UNECE together with the