Due to concerns over the spread of the Coronavirus COVID-19, and to ensure the safety and welfare of all participants, the UNECE has come to the decision to cancel the regional workshop.

The secretariat will continue  its work on developing the UNECE’s proposed framework of indicators to support gearing trade to serve as a means of implementation. It will be soliciting suggestions and comments from national stakeholders over the course of March-April 2020. The comments and suggestions will be integrated into the proposed framework for further discussions during a regional stakeholder meeting, which will be held late August-early September 2020.

The  proposed framework builds on UNECE demand driven studies on regulatory and procedural barriers to trade. The aim is to enable the governments to :

• ensure a more comprehensive reporting on trade as a means of implementation within the context of the National Voluntary Reviews and UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework ; and
• increase the contribution of  Non-Tariff Measures (NTMs) and associated reforms to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda.