1. 16 December 2015 Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran Yann Duval Chief, Trade Facilitation Unit United Nations ESCAP ESCAP Activity Report to 2015 AFACT Plenary Meeting

2. UN ESCAP Trade Facilitation Programme & Way Forward Legislative Enabling paperless trade (Res. 68/3) Regional Arrangement on cross- border paperless trade facilitation (Res. 70/6) Knowledge ESCAP-WB Trade Cost Database Paperless Trade Guides & Impact analyses Global Trade Facilitation & Paperless Trade Implementation Survey Trade Process Analysis Database Capacity Building Business Process Analysis Single Window & Paperless Trade Implementation Trade & Transport Facilitation Monitoring Mechanism Agricultural & SME trade facilitation (WTO TFA support) UNNExT* APTFF* ARTNeT* ISG-CBPT* *Regional Cooperation platforms and mechanisms: ISG-CBPT: Intergovernmental Steering Group on Cross-Border Paperless Trade; UNNExT: United Nations Network of Experts for Paperless Trade and Transport in Asia and the Pacific; ARTNeT: Asia-Pacific Research and Training Network on Trade; APTFF: Asia-Pacific Trade Facilitation Forum; ROC- TF: Regional Organizations Cooperation Mechanism for Trade Facilitation ROC-TF*

3. Legislative Enabling paperless trade (Res. 68/3) Regional Arrangement on cross-border paperless trade facilitation (Res. 70/6) UN ESCAP Trade Facilitation Programme & Way Forward Interim Intergovernmental Steering Group on Cross-border Paperless Trade Facilitation (ISG-CBPT)  Established as per ESCAP Resolution 70/6 to  a) further improve the draft text of the regional arrangement as a potential intergovernmental agreement,  b) prepare a draft roadmap for the implementation of substantive provisions in the draft text, and c) other functions as agreed by the Steering Group  first meeting held on 1 - 3 April 2015 with a decision to create Legal and Technical Working Groups  The second meeting is to be held on 31 March – 1 April 2016 in Bangkok ISG-CBPT

4.  Jointly and regularly meet to carry out their mandated Tasks.  Met physically twice in 2015  Legal Working Group 1) Focus on negotiating and finalizing draft text of regional agreement 2) Use physical meeting as a primary arrangement for work (Interim meeting on 19 -21 January 2016, Bangkok)  Technical Working Group 1)Focus on preparing a draft road map for the implementation of substantive provisions in the regional agreement 2) Use both physical and virtual meetings  3 rd Legal and Technical Working Groups meetings on 28-30 March 2016 Legal and Technical Working Groups of the ISG-CBPT

5. Knowledge ESCAP-World Bank Trade Cost Database Paperless Trade Guides & Impact analyses Global Trade Facilitation & Paperless Trade Implementation Survey Trade Process Analysis Database UN ESCAP Trade Facilitation Programme & Way Forward

6. –Objective: to assess the progress made in implementing trade facilitation and paperless trade measures in Asia and the Pacific. Covers implementation of 38 Trade Facilitation Measures in 119 economies; 44 in Asia-Pacific GLOBAL REPORT Launched at the 7 th APTFF on 20 Oct. 2015 –Main components of the survey includes key WTO related trade facilitation measures Paperless trade measures UNRC Joint Global Survey on Trade Facilitation and Paperless Trade Implementation 2015 http://unnext.unescap.org/UNTFSurvey2015.asp

7. Over 50 product and country specific import and export process cases are included, based on studies conducted since 2009. Data typically available for each trade process case, includes –number of steps/procedures involved, –stakeholders involved, – number and type of documents, –activity diagrams, –time and cost of the procedures, as well as –time-procedure chart. Enables TF practitioners to compare procedures across countries as a basis for making improvement Trade Process Analysis Database (online test version, Oct. 2015) tpad.unnext.org

8. Capacity Building Business Process Analysis Single Window & Paperless Trade Implementation Trade & Transport Facilitation Monitoring Mechanism Agricultural & SME trade facilitation WTO TFA implementation support UN ESCAP Trade Facilitation Programme & Way Forward

9. Unnext.unescap.org

10. 2 nd UNNExT Masterclass on Single Window in the context of the WTO TFA [12-21 Jan. 2015] Other recent Trade Facilitation Capacity Building events: Regional Workshops on Agricultural TF and Paperless Trade [Dec. 2014; May 2015] & on Paperless TF for SMEs [Feb. & May 2015] National Workshop on WTO TFA implementation, Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar [Jul. 2015] and on Agri TF in Dhaka, Bangladesh [Oct. 2015] Asia-Pacific Trade Facilitation Forum & Workshops on TF Monitoring, e-SPS and WTO TFA implementation, 19-23 Oct. 2015

11. Thank You www.unescap.org/our-work/trade-investment/trade-facilitation