Launch of the UN Global Survey on Digital and Sustainable Trade Facilitation 2023

Ms. Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana is the Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP). Formerly, she was Professor of Economics at Universitas Padjadjaran, Indonesia, where she also served as a Director for the Center for Sustainable Development Goals Studies, as well as Vice Chair of the Indonesian Academy of Sciences. Prior, she was the Minister of National Development Planning and the Head of National Development Planning Agency in Indonesia, alongside being the Alternate Governor of the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank representing Indonesia.

Rupa Chanda is the Director of Trade, Investment and Innovation. Prior to that, she was a Professor of Economics at IIM Bangalore and the Dean of Programmes at the institute. She has worked as an Economist at the IMF and briefly served as Head, UNESCAP Subregional Office for South and South-West Asia in New Delhi. Prof. Chanda received her PhD in Economics from Columbia University and her Bachelor’s from Harvard University. She teaches Macroeconomics and International Trade and has received teaching awards. Her research interestsinclude the WTO, trade in services, regional integration and migration. She has undertaken research and professional assignments forinternational and Indian organizations and has published extensively in the form of books, journal articles, book chapters, and reports. She is active professionally as a research guide, reviewer, and member of several expert committees. She was member of the WHO’s Review Committee on the functioning of the International Health Regulations (2015-16) and  the WHO’s Expert Advisory Group, International Recruitment of Health Personnel (2019-20).

Ms. Brendah Phiri-Mundia is an international trade, customs, and capacity development specialist with extensive experience at national, regional and global level. She is the current Principal Regional Advisor in the Regional Integration and Trade Division of the UN Economic Commission for Africa.

Before Joining the UNECA she was the Deputy Director for Capacity Building at the World Customs Organisation Secretariat. She also served as the Senior Advisor-Trade Facilitation at the German Cooperation for International Development and as Assistant Commissioner responsible for international cooperation and policy at the Zambia Revenue Authority.

She has also provided consultancy services to regional intergovernmental bodies and governments in areas that include regulatory frameworks for cross border trade and public-private partnerships. She holds a Master of Arts degree in Development Studies with specialization in Public Policy and Management, a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Arts with Education (French & English) degree.

Ms. Tuerk is Director of the Economic Cooperation and Trade Division (ECTD) at UNECE and leads the Division’s work across its four Sections: Cooperation and Partnerships, Innovative Policies Development, Market Access and Trade Facilitation.

Prior to that, Ms. Tuerk acted as Chief of the Section on International Investment Agreements (IIAs) in UNCTAD’s Division on Investment and Enterprise (DIAE), where she led the Section's work across the three pillars of UNCTAD activities: research and analysis, capacity-building and consensus-building. Ms. Tuerk also coordinated the Section's contribution to other UNCTAD products, such as the joint UNCTAD/OECD monitoring of G20 countries' investment policy changes, the annual World Investment Report (WIR), and the biennial World Investment Forum (WIF), including key events such as Ministerial Roundtables.

Ms. Tuerk’s earlier professional activities included functions in UNCTAD’s Division on International Trade and Commodities (DITC), covering e.g. WTO accessions and GATS negotiations, in the Geneva office of the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) and in the World Trade Organization (WTO). Ms. Tuerk holds a master’s degree from the World Trade Institute (WTI) in Bern, Switzerland,and both a degree in international management and a degree in law from the Karl- Franzens Universität in Graz, Austria.

Sebastian Herreros is an Economic Affairs Officer at the Trade and Integration Division of the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC). He has coordinated the Global Trade Facilitation Survey in that region since its first edition in 2015. Prior to joining ECLAC in 2009, he worked on trade policy issues at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Chile, including a stint as Counselor before the World Trade Organization between 2002 and 2007. He holds a Master of Science in International Political Economy from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Mohamed El Moctar Mohamed El Hacene is the Cluster Leader, Shared Economic Prosperity Cluster, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (UN ESCWA).

He has progressive high-level experience not only in economic development but also in institutional development, capacity building, regional cooperation, and conflict resolution. Moctar has a vast background which includes more than thirty years in government (Minister of Petroleum and Mines in Mauritania), international development institutions (United Nations, World Bank, and African Development Bank), and private sector including multinational companies.

He holds a Master’s degree from Curtin University (Australia), and is a citizen of Mauritania.

Jan Hoffmann joined UNCTAD in 2003 and is Head of the organization’s Trade Logistics Branch since 2016. The Branch implements research and technical assistance programmes in international transport and trade facilitation. Before joining UNCTAD, Jan worked six years for the UN ECLAC in Santiago de Chile, and two years for the IMO in London and Santiago. Prior to this, he held part time positions as assistant professor, import-export agent, and seafarer. Dr Hoffmann has studied in Germany, UK and Spain, and holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Hamburg. He is on the boards of various journals and associations, and past president of the International Association of Maritime Economists.

Valerie Picard is Head of Trade at the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC). Based at ICC’s global headquarters in Paris, Ms. Picard leads the development of ICC’s public policy engagement on issues related to trade, customs and trade finance. Previously Ms. Picard was Deputy Director of the Global Alliance for Trade Facilitation, a public private partnership co-led by ICC that delivers targeted trade reforms to make trade simpler, faster and more cost-effective in developing economies. Prior to joining ICC, Ms. Picard practiced law for 20 years both in private practice and in-house, notably advising on legal matters relating to public private partnerships and the development and operation of ports and terminals in Africa and Asia. Ms. Picard holds degrees from Duke University School of Law and Smith College.