Recent trade liberalization has been opening up market access for many of the developing countries in the ESCAP region. To get maximum gains from this liberalization, the adoption of facilitation measures is essential to improve the trade efficiency and competitiveness of countries. The Economic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific 2003, recently released by ESCAP, suggests that an increase in trade flows in the region will require implementation of trade facilitation measures, including the removal of time-consuming customs procedures and cumbersome trade-financing mechanisms. There is a growing awareness of the immediate needs of systematic application of facilitation measures as well as technologies for the developing countries, which are now entering into global markets.

Considering the different levels of development of countries in the region, it is of crucial importance to assess the levels and stages of trade facilitation; to identify corresponding different national needs, priorities, and essential elements for successful application of trade facilitation measures; and to build national capacity in applying measures for trade facilitation.

Many organizations, such as ISO, UNECE, UNCTAD, WCO, have been developing and promoting a number of trade facilitation measures. It is essential to facilitate the integration of these vast amounts of work done on trade procedures, documentation and codification/standardization of associated information and data, as well as the vast array of electronic commerce technologies, to streamline and rationalize trade. This integration would contribute greatly to identifying requirements for trade efficiency, improving the interdisciplinary understanding of trade facilitation measures, enhancing cross-disciplinary communications and implementations, and generating the mechanism to meet the trade facilitation needs and priorities.

The main objective is (a) to develop a step-by-step methodology to identify problem areas where trade facilitation measures are not in place, needs and facilitation measures for developing countries in the ESCAP region and (b) to identify ESCAP's role and operational programme in assisting the countries to apply trade facilitation measures.

The methodology is expected to identify sequential steps linked with trade facilitation measures, such as conventions, recommendations and standards as well as measurable indicators at each step. The methodology will be finalized incorporating the meeting outcome and distributed to the countries and other interested organizations.