unctad.org | Trade Facilitation

Trade Facilitation

Long waiting times at borders, inappropriate fees, cumbersome formalities, and inadequate or unclear rules and regulations, can all become serious obstacles to trade, and as a consequence adversely affect investment, employment and trade-led development.

UNCTAD assists developing countries in identifying their particular trade and transport facilitation needs and priorities, and helps them program the implementation of specific trade and transport facilitation measures.

UNCTAD organizes workshops and seminars at the regional and national levels, publishes relevant information and training material, and provides technical assistance through numerous projects.

News

18 February 2015New report on national trade facilitation bodies in the world

The report is based on the analysis of fifty trade facilitation bodies and provides a first-hand set of recommendations and policy-oriented conclusions aimed at assisting those countries that are looking to set up or strengthen their national trade facilitation committees.

17 September 2014New report on implementation of trade facilitation in developing countries

The report is based on research conducted in 26 least developed and developing countries, and provides valuable insight into the status of implementation of trade facilitation measures covered by the World Trade Organization's Bali Trade Facilitation Agreement.

23 July 2014UNCTAD and other international organizations reaffirm support to developing economies for implementation of the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement

UNCTAD reaffirms commitment to support all developing countries, in particular African countries and least developed countries.

03 July 2014Sweden gives SEK 2 million to UNCTAD for its work helping countries to implement Bali Trade Facilitation Agreement

Secretary-General Mukhisa Kituyi welcomes new funds from Sweden that will be used to boost UNCTAD's technical assistance to developing countries which are implementing the Bali accord.

25 March 2014Trade facilitation workshop for Latin American and Caribbean countries

With the WTO's Bali Package on trade facilitation now in force, UNCTAD held a workshop in the Dominican Republic to help Latin American and Caribbean countries develop trade facilitation (TF) project proposals based on their national TF implementation plans.

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Meetings and Events

Start Date	Title	Location	Country
01-03 Jul 2014	Multi-year Expert Meeting on Transport, Trade Logistics and Trade Facilitation, second session (trade facilitation)	Geneva	Switzerland
04 Jul 2014	Ad Hoc Expert Meeting: National Trade Facilitation Committees	Geneva	Switzerland
11-12 Dec 2014	Joint UNECE/UNCTAD workshop for the Ukrainian Government on Trade Facilitation Implementation	Kiev	Ukraine
15-16 Dec 2014	UNCTAD workshop on Implementing the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement	Hanoi	Viet Nam
18-19 Dec 2014	UNCTAD workshop on Implementing the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement	Ho-Chi-Minh City	Viet Nam