ESCAP-ARTNeT-ITD Online Course on Trade Facilitation for Sustainable Development 2021

Yann Duval is currently Chief of Trade Policy and Facilitation Section at UN-ESCAP, the regional branch of the United Nations Secretariat for Asia and the Pacific. Over the past 20 years, Dr. Duval has conducted research and delivered technical assistance and advisory services on trade policy and facilitation throughout Asia and the Pacific, including on the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement. He spearheaded the development of the Asia-Pacific Research and Training Network on Trade (ARTNeT), as well as, interalia, the creation of the ESCAP-World Bank Trade Cost Database, the UN Global Survey on Trade Facilitation and Paperless Trade Implementation and the online Trade Intelligence and Negotiation Adviser (TINA).

Dr. Duval was also instrumental in the development of the United Nations Network of Experts for Paperless Trade and Transport in Asia and the Pacific (UNNExT) and the negotiation of a new intergovernmental Framework Agreement on Facilitation of Cross-Border Paperless Trade in Asia and the Pacific, a UN treaty entered into force in February 2021.

Prior to joining the UN, he held faculty positions at the Asian Institute of Technology and Washington State University, USA.

Mr. Manu Sithiprasasana, Executive Director of International Institute for Trade and Development (ITD), was established by UNCTAD and the Royal Thai Government.

Mr. Manu Sithiprasasana holds a Master's Degree in Political Science focusing on International Relations from Chulalongkorn University. Over 4 years of posting at ITD, his vast experience covers a wide array of expertise, including Project Leader of BOI Project: Thai Overseas Investment Training Course, Administration Leader of Regional Trade Policy Course, a joint programme for Government Officer in Trade and Commerce in the Asia Pacific with WTO, Chulalongkorn University, and ITD. Especially, Mr. Manu is an exponent in the field of Sales and Marketing Management, Public Administration Management, Policy Analysis, and proficient in Social Services in both public and private sectors, such as Japanese Shipping Line, Thai-Hongkong Shipping Line, Thai-Taiwanese Transport Co., Shinawatra Directory Co., and as well as, Advisor to Bangkok Governor, Big Trees Group and more. 

A contributor of the UNESCAP Guidebook on SW. A contributor to UNECE and UN/CEFACT work.

• Principal Advisor, Institute for IT Innovation, Kasetsart University
• Advisory Committee Member, United Nations Network of Experts on Paperless Trade in Asia and the Pacific (UNNExT)
• Principal Advisor, Thailand National Single Window Policy and Oversight Committee

He has assisted many ministries in Thailand on digital strategies, National Single Window for trade facilitation, business process reengineering, interoperability and standardization.  

He has been actively contributing to UNNExT since 2007 and contributed to many UNNExT publications. Meanwhile, he provides strategic advising, training and technical supports to more than 20 countries in the Asia, Pacific and Africa regions. He was also a project lead for the work that became the UN/CEFACT Recommendation No.42 - Establishment of a Trade and Transport Facilitation Monitoring Mechanism (2017). 

Dr. Keretho received his Ph.D. in computer science from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, USA. 

Dr. Mohammad Saeed is a Senior Adviser for Trade Facilitation and Policy for Business and leads the TF team at ITC.

Dr. Saeed is a trade and development policy professional, with almost 30 years of experience in international trade, customs administration, and trade and tariff policy formulation and reform. Having worked with customs administration of a developing country, he negotiated the Trade Facilitation Agreement and has assisted more than 50 least developed and developing countries for their trade facilitation reforms. He also worked as Senior Technical Adviser on Trade and Transport Facilitation with the United Nation Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). Before joining the UN, he was a trade negotiator with the WTO Mission of Pakistan in Geneva and had worked at different policy planning and senior management positions in the Government of Pakistan. 

Dr. Saeed has an in-depth understanding of the legal, economic, and political issues relating to the multilateral trading system, especially the challenges and opportunities for developing countries. He has wide experience in the areas of technical assistance and capacity building for the developing countries and fostering consensus on development issues. Dr. Saeed has extensive experience in serving on WTO dispute settlement panels for the issues on sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures, trade remedy measures, and various GATT issues. He chaired four WTO dispute settlement panels, and his leadership and consensus-building abilities have been acknowledged, as he was the elected chairman of the Committee on Customs Valuation of the WTO (2009) and as Vice Chair General Assembly of Advisory Centre on WTO Law (ACWL), Geneva (2006-10). He also served as Chair of the WTO Committee on Market Access for three consecutive years (2006-2008). He is also member of UNNExT Advisory Group on Paperless Trade for SMEs and of the Board of Directors of International Network of Custom Universities (INCU).

He is a faculty at various academic institutes of professional development.

Pamela Ugaz is an international trade lawyer with over 14 years of experience in trade policy, trade facilitation, regional integration, and project management. She collaborates with the Trade Facilitation Section, UNCTAD since 2013, conducting technical assistance and capacity building projects towards the implementation of the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement in African Asia and Latin America. She also conducts research on trade facilitation topics. Prior to joining UNCTAD, she worked as Associate Economic Affairs Officer at the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe and as Legal Affairs Officer at the World Trade Organization. As legal Adviser to the Vice-Minister of Foreign Trade of Peru, she negotiated transparency and dispute settlement provisions in several Regional Trade Agreements between Peru and its trade partners, including the EU, China, the US, Singapore, Japan, Korea, Canada, and the EFTA. Ms. Ugaz holds a Ph.D. in International Trade Law from the University of Geneva and a Master in International Law from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies.

Mr. Yann Duval is currently Chief of Trade Policy and Facilitation at ESCAP, the regional branch of the United Nations Secretariat for Asia and the Pacific.

Over the past 15 years, Mr. Duval has conducted research and delivered technical assistance and advisory services on trade policy and facilitation throughout Asia and the Pacific, including on the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement. He spearheaded the development of the Asia-Pacific Research and Training Network on Trade (ARTNeT), as well as the creation of the ESCAP-World Bank Trade Cost Database and the UN Global Survey on Trade Facilitation and Paperless Trade Implementation. Mr. Duval was also instrumental in the development of the United Nations Network of Experts for Paperless Trade and Transport in Asia and the Pacific (UNNExT) and the negotiation of a new intergovernmental Framework Agreement on Facilitation of Cross-Border Paperless Trade in Asia and the Pacific, adopted as a UN treaty in 2016.

Prior to joining the UN, He held faculty positions at the Asian Institute of Technology and Washington State University, USA.

Eleonora Salluzzi is an Associate Programme Officer in the Trade Facilitation team. Since 2017 she has specialized in trade policy and trade facilitation-related technical assistance in South Asia, South-East Asia and East Africa, supporting WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement implementation, NTFC strengthening, Trade Facilitation Portals and simplification of trade procedures, advocacy for the removal of trade barriers, and SMEs’ enhanced compliance with export requirements.

Before joining ITC, Eleonora worked at the US Mission to Italy in Rome and at the Italian Federation of Chambers of Commerce in Brussels, where she provided support on EU trade policy advocacy and internationalization schemes for SMEs.

Eleonora holds a BA in Political Science and a MSc in International Relations from LUISS Guido Carli University in Rome. Her Master dissertation on the EU trade diplomacy earned a public mention at the Italian Parliament in 2017.

She speaks English, Italian, French and Spanish.

Kamrang Ke is the Advisor for Trade-related Coordination and Transparency at EU ARISE Plus Cambodia, where Kamrang provides support to the Ministry of Economy and Finance on the setup of a functional body and operation of the National Committee for Trade Facilitation (NCTF) and the enhancement of the National Trade Repository (NTR) to help Cambodian government to contribute to the improvement of institutional transparency and to fulfil its commitments under the ASEAN and WTO TFA. Kamrang has strong knowledge and experience in coordination roles among public and private stakeholders in various sectors such as health, tourism and trade. Kamrang advises and coordinates closely with the NTR secretariat since 2019 until now to further improve the NTR website and keep it up-to-date in order to enhance the NTR and move toward the sustainability.

Sung Heun has over 20 years of experience in the trade facilitation industry. Through his career, he has worked on many projects across the Asia Pacific, Africa  and South America. He is currently the Director of International Cooperation and Business, Korea Trade Network (KTNET). In KTNET, he oversees the planning and development of cross-border paperless trade services and implementation of Single Window and other e-Government system projects in overseas by Korea’s national paperless trade platform development experience. In this capacity, he has initiated several cross-border public and private partnership programs for cross-border paperless trade among Asian countries, including Pan Asian e-Commerce Alliance (PAA) and world-first cross-border electronic certificate of an origin exchange project between Republic of Korea and Taiwan province of China. Currently, he is an advisor to UN Network of Experts of Trade and Transportation and a chairperson of the technical workgroup of the PAA, managing the technical framework of cross-border paperless trade service of PAA. His previous experience with the Trade and Investment division in the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific lends a strategic edge to Sung Heun to make strategic decisions related to paperless trade and trade facilitation.

Tom BUTTERLY is Director and Lead Consultant at Trade Development and Facilitation (TDAF) Consulting in Geneva Switzerland (www.tdafconsulting.com). He is also the ePhyto Initiative Manager at the Global Alliance for Trade Facilitation (GATF) (https://www.tradefacilitation.org/who-we-are/about-us/).  

Recent projects include consultant to the German Development Institute (GIZ) in the Balkans, Indonesia and Morocco, adviser to national governments on international trade facilitation and Single Window implementation projects, consultant to various UN Agencies including UNCTAD, UNIDO, FAO, and UNECE, and undertaking international performance excellence assessments for national governments.

Mr. Butterly was formerly Deputy Director of Trade and Economic Cooperation at the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), Chief of Trade Facilitation in UNECE responsible for the UN Centre for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business (UN/CEFACT), and Senior Trade Facilitation expert at UNCTAD.

Mr. Butterly holds a BA and MA in economics from Dalhousie University Canada, a Diploma in Telecommunications Technology from Dublin Ireland, and has undertaken extensive postgraduate training in international marketing and development. He can be reached at [email protected].

A trade facilitation expert with a total of four years of experience in streamlining business processes of cross-border trade regulatory agencies and providing major technical assistance in the automation of said processes as part of the creation and establishment of the Philippine National Single Window. Successfully completed projects on a consultant basis with relevant international organizations and professional history in the local banking industry.

Amine Belkhadir is a trade facilitation expert at the Global Alliance for Trade Facilitation based in Casablanca-Morocco. In his daily work, he supports governments and private sector in implementing trade reform programs around the world. He is passionate about solving trade and technology issues to foster international cooperation and economic development. Amine is active on behalf of the Alliance in projects located in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe and South America. He holds a Bachelors' degree in Finance and Masters' Degree in Trade & Marketing. 

Maria Teresa Pisani is Economic Affairs Officer at the Economic Cooperation and Trade Division of UNECE, where she leads work on policies and standards for sustainable trade facilitation, and is currently managing a global multi-stakeholder initiative on sustainable value chains in the clothing industry. At UNECE since 2011, she has been focusing on trade and environmental governance. Before joining the UN, Maria Teresa has been with the European Commission, and the ILO, and has managed World Bank funded projects for institutional reforms in emerging economies around the world.

Deborah is the Managing Director of the Sustainable Leather Foundation, a not-for-profit Foundation, set up specifically to support the leather industry in becoming more sustainable.  The purpose of the Foundation is to provide a global platform for the benefit of all stakeholders in the leather value chain, from farm to post consumption.  SLF provides a certification programme, education, best practice, cohesive collaboration and support for transformative environmental and social change. In addition, the Sustainable Leather Foundation believes that consumer focused information is fundamental to raise the level of understanding and education around the positive and sustainable practices that already exist, and are in development, within the leather industry.

Previously from 2015-2020, Deborah managed the Leather Working Group (LWG), an environmental stewardship programme that supports the reduction of environmental impacts caused by tannery operations around the world. While managing LWG, Deborah saw membership and audited tannery numbers double, managed the increased number of audit tools now available and created greater collaborative effort and formal links with other initiatives in the sector.

A practitioner member of the Chartered Quality Institute and a certified SA8000 lead auditor, Deborah also currently works as a Consultant for the UNECE on the project to “enhance traceability and transparency for more sustainable value chains in the garment and footwear sector”. In addition, she is a Council Member for the Society of Leather Technologists and Chemists.

At home, Deborah has previously served her village as a local Parish Councillor and is a current Trustee of a local charity, the Welton Townlands Trust, since 2005.  She is also a member of Mensa since 1992 with a registered IQ of 150.  

Mr. Sangwon Lim is Economic Affairs Officer, Trade Policy and Facilitation Section, Trade, Investment and Innovation Division of the United Nations ESCAP.  In ESCAP, he specializes in trade facilitation and integration. For trade facilitation, his area of expertise includes implementing paperless trade and Single Window; he has led development of several technical guides and implemented several field projects, based on those guides and his expertise. He has provided numerous advisory services and technical assistance in this area to several developing countries in the region, including Single Window implementation. For trade integration, he has performed the duty of main secretariat for the Asia-Pacific Trade Agreement (APTA). 

Before joining ESCAP in 2009, he had served the National IT Industry Promotion Agency (NIPA) of the Republic of Korea for more than 9 years, specializing in application of ICT in various public and private sector business domains, including international trade, Customs, value-added tax, logistics, public procurement, tourism, etc. He had supported international development of trade facilitation and e-business by actively participating in multiple regional and international platforms, such as Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), Asia-Pacific Council for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business (AFACT), ebXML initiative, and United Nations Centre for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business (UN/CEFACT).  He was the Rapporteur for the Asia and the Pacific in the UN/CEFACT from 2003 to 2009. He holds a Ph.D in logistics management from Chulalongkorn University, Thailand.