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How can blockchain technology help to capitalize on the opportunities of smart cities for sustainable development?Aiming to harness this potential, start-ups from ten countries congregated in the Palais des Nations this week as part of the 25th Session of the UN/CEFACT Plenary, coinciding…
How can the digital revolution in technologies help to overcome challenges in implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development?This was at the heart of debates at the 33rd UN/CEFACT Forum (United Nations Centre for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business) held in Geneva on 1-5 April.…
Technology is evolving faster than ever before in human history. We are at the intersection of several cutting-edge technologies that are redefining interactions between the physical and virtual world, driving disruption and enabling new business models. Thought-leaders and practitioners…
Blockchain, a form of Distributed Ledger Technology, is providing new frontiers of innovation for sustainable development through decentralized authentication processes secured by cryptography. Blockchain technologies have developed rapidly over the last few years and have the potential to…
Over the last few years, Tajikistan has strengthened its efforts to make international trade easier, boost exports and achieve more inclusive growth. UNECE, through its UN Centre for Trade Facilitation and e-Business (UN/CEFACT), has been a steadfast partner in this effort. However, further…
There are about 162.8 million micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the world. More than 500 million people are employed in these enterprises. However, these companies face many barriers to participating in international trade, also missing out on opportunities in the booming global…
Trade and transport physical flows of goods are moving more and more towards the use of electronic data exchange to replace the paper flow of information. Electronic messages are being proposed from all sides often, independently from each other, developed within a bubble of their individual…
In September, last year, on the day of the opening of the Milano Fashion Week, The New York Times published an investigation shedding a disturbing light on the practices of several renowned clothing brands in South Italy. Finishing a luxury coat, sold for 800-2000 €, requires some 4-5 hours of…
Interoperability of Single Window and other IT systems that simplify international trade procedures can only be achieved by using harmonized standards for data sharing.Azerbaijan has already developed a quite advanced Single Window system, which is particularly important since the country does…
Food loss and waste occurs throughout the entire supply chain, from production to consumer, at almost every node of the chain. The gigantic amount of 1.6 billion tonnes of food worth USD 1.2 trillion is lost every year, according to FAO. The Boston Consulting Group, in its 2018 report, presented…
Illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing accounts for one-fourth of all fish catches and costs a staggering USD 23 billion to legitimate fishers every year. This threatens fish stocks, ocean biodiversity and the economic security of fishing communities. Sustainable Development Goal (…
UNECE has launched a project to support Belarus in assessing its readiness to implement the measures in the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA), identify gaps, and draft a work plan to implement not yet fulfilled measures. Any country aspiring to join the WTO now will have to implement the…
Thailand is one of the top fish producing nations in the world, with an average maritime catch of 2.048 million tonnes per year, and the fisheries sector accounting for 1.2% and 9.9% of the national GDP and the agricultural GDP, respectively (FAO 2008). Combating illegal, unreported and…
UNECE, the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) and various partners in Belarus have made a step ahead in supporting the use of UN/CEFACT international semantic standards and new technologies in Single Window mechanisms for export and import clearance and for trade data exchange in the broader…
Complex, time-consuming and inefficient import and export procedures are a major barrier to trade and hamper development, especially for low and middle-income countries.In response, African countries seeking to make interregional and international trade in goods and services cheaper, quicker and…
Interoperability of Single Window and other IT systems facilitating international trade in the broader European space can only be reached by using the same semantic standards for data sharing in the process of regulation of international trade. As part of the overall efforts aimed at improving…
The Fourth Industrial Revolution: reshaping innovation policies for sustainable and inclusive growth
Whereas economic growth is recognized as the most important instrument for the decline in global poverty levels in the past 50 years, not all countries have been equally successful at reducing poverty, and income inequality has risen considerably within and among countries. Moreover, current…
Trade facilitation has key importance for improving the governance of the economy of Ukraine – a country with a population of 45 million people at the borders of the European Union and the Eurasian Economic Union, still facing important political, economic and social governance issues. In order…
With the advent of eCommerce or on-line trading platforms, a focus of recent discussions on its development has been the concern for the need for new data exchange standards for eCommerce and how micro, small and medium sized enterprises (MSMEs) could access international markets. To be…
The Dominican Republic has recorded impressive economic growth rates in past years, yet the agricultural export sector continues to face challenges impacting the country’s economic and social development and limiting the gains from its free-trade export potential. Informal domestic structures,…
From the California wildfires, to Hurricane Florence in the Carolinas and the earthquakes and tsunami in Indonesia, disasters have wrought havoc in the lives of so many across our planet in the last few weeks alone. Local and national authorities are the prime responders when disasters strike,…
During the last four years, UNECE together with UNDP and partner aid agencies, have worked with the public and the private sectors in Central Asia to improve their capacity to sell products in the UNECE region and beyond. The focus has been Central Asia’s largest production region, an area…
The expansion of the digital economy and cross-border electronic commerce means there is greater need for trade facilitation reforms. While purchasing an item online is relatively straightforward, the rest of the regulatory or commercial formalities are critical for faster and efficient receipt…
Standards for the SDGs conference to explore voluntary standards as powerful tools for sustainable developmentWe aren’t generally aware of the role of international standards in our daily lives. For individuals, standards ensure that products are safe, reliable and respect the environment. Every…
More and more countries are participating in international trade and global value chains, and the demand for instruments for electronic exchange of trade data and information is increasing at a rapid pace. The penetration of the digital economy in international trade reinforces the need to adopt…