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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.

 

Trade Facilitation tools implemented since 2015

 

Select a technical assistance product in the legend to display UNCTAD support worldwide

 
  Empowerment Programme
  Trade Portals
  Reform Tracker
  Trade Facilitation e-Learning
  Transit Coordinators Empowerment Programme
  Rapid Scan
 
List of countries that have benefited from this programme:
 
The designations employed and the presentation of material on this map do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the United Nations and/or on the part of the countries mentioned on it, concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. (ST/AI/189/Add.25/Rev.1) The information shown is this map is for information purposes only and should be not be considered as any form of endorsement by the United Nations and does not create any legal rights or obligations for any Member State or any of the organs thereof.
Dotted line represents approximately the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir agreed upon by India and Pakistan. The final status of Jammu and Kashmir has not yet been agreed upon by the parties.

Review of Maritime Transport 2022

Chapter 5

Chapter 5 of the Review of Maritime Transport 2022 has five sections:

  1. Trade facilitation can lessen the supply chain crisis, linked to port congestion.
  2. Fast passage of medical supplies and other emergency goods requires specific trade facilitation measures at ports and at border crossings.
  3. An ever-more digitalized economy depends on electronic solutions, including automation and creating visibility of logistics operations.
  4. Complex maritime logistics systems depend on close cooperation between all stakeholders, users, and providers, public and private, national and foreign.
  5. Summary and policy recommendations.

 

Download Chapter 5

 

Transport and trade facilitation newsletter

Transport Newsletter

The UNCTAD Transport and Trade Facilitation Newsletter is a quarterly bulletin on current topics and projects in trade facilitation and international transport.

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Documents and publications

Technical Note No. 25: Rapid Scan of Trade Facilitation Preparedness in times of Crisis
TN/TF/25 - 14 Dec 2022
Compendium of Good Practices in Implementing the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement: Experiences from Developing and Least Developed Countries
Transport and Trade Facilitation Series No. 17
UNCTAD/DTL/TLB/2021/4 - 12 Dec 2022
National Trade Facilitation Committees in the quest for sustainability
Transport and Trade Facilitation Series No. 19
UNCTAD/DTL/TLB/2022/2 - 08 Nov 2022