UNECE and IRU joined forces to promote the TIR Convention as a trade and transport facilitation tool in the Asia-Pacific region at the seventh UNESCAP Asia-Pacific Trade Facilitation Forum which took place in Wuhan (China) on 20-21 October 2015. Many delegations present at the forum also took time to visit the joint UNECE-IRU booth and showed great interest in the potential benefits of the TIR Convention for both Governments and the transport industry. 
The TIR Convention, the eTIR project, the various eTIR pilots projects as well as the Harmonization Convention have also been discussed in the course of the session aimed at "Enhancing Regional Connectivity through Trade and Transport Corridor Facilitation".
While closing the forum, Ms. Susan Stone, Director, Trade and Investment Division, United Nations, ESCAP, stressed that, further to the accession of Pakistan and the possible accession of China, countries in the Asia-Pacific region, which have not yet done so, should consider acceding to the TIR Convention to further facilitate transit in the region.