Trade facilitation is vital for boosting international trade and advancing sustainable development.
The ASYCUDA Programme supports more than 100 countries and territories in strengthening institutions and creating modern, efficient, and sustainable trade environments. This report not only highlights the Programme’s achievements in 2025 but also illustrates how it continues to evolve to meet emerging needs.
The results presented here demonstrate how countries have reduced customs clearance times through digital uptake and improved coordination among agencies. Customs digitalization, automation of cross-border procedures, and enhanced regulatory coherence have become indispensable for ensuring secure and transparent trade systems.
The ASYCUDA Programme has provided practical solutions that help countries strengthen their institutions, increase customs revenue collection, and advance structural reforms. For example, Iraq has increased its customs revenues by 128 per cent from 2023 to 2024, or in Kazakhstan, the processing time for transit declarations was shortened by 67 per cent between 2017 and 2024. These outcomes have been made possible through targeted technical assistance and long-term capacity-building initiatives.
The Programme continues to innovate and embrace new technologies.
The ASYCUDA New Generation, built on a cloud-based framework, enables data-driven decision-making and ensures long-term interoperability across systems and borders. It promotes the standardization of trade data and processes while aligning closely with national public-sector development priorities. ASYCUDA’s scope now extends beyond customs to include logistics management, environmental regulation, and humanitarian response. Through sustained investment in innovation and strengthened partnerships with both public and private stakeholders, the Programme remains at the forefront of trade digitalization.
We are committed to ensuring that ASYCUDA remains a trusted partner for member States – a message reaffirmed at the sixteenth UNCTAD Ministerial Conference in October 2025. Together with this Programme, we are laying the foundation for more efficient, secure, and resilient trade systems.
Pedro Manuel Moreno
Deputy Secretary-General, UNCTAD
Chair, ASYCUDA Advisory Board