The Asia-Pacific Trade Facilitation Forum aims to promote trade facilitation as an important component of a comprehensive strategy for national and regional development. The Forum, now held at the request of participants to the first event, provides an open regional platform to exchange information, experiences and practices for trade facilitation in Asia-Pacific, identify priority areas for regional cooperation and integration, and learn about new tools and services which can increase the efficiency of cross-border transactions that will ultimately improve the competitiveness of firms in the region. The Forum also intends to strengthen regional cooperation and coordination of Aid for Trade and related technical assistance and capacity building in trade facilitation. Participants to the Forum include government officials, traders and public and private service providers from Central Asia, South, Southeast and East Asia as well as the South Pacific.
In addition to regular panel and breakout sessions, an Exhibition on Trade Facilitation and Paperless Trade is organized in parallel with the Asia pacific Trade Facilitation Forum, to maximize information sharing on the works, practices, case studies and findings of trade facilitation service providers, researchers, as well as development/donor agencies, international organizations and government agencies.
Following up on the recommendations of the Asia-Pacific Trade Facilitation Forum 2009, which emphasized the need to improve regional and subregional connectivity, the theme of this year’s Forum is “Trade Facilitation for Regional Connectivity: Advancing Paperless Trade”. Taking into account the varying stages at which countries of the greater Asia-Pacific region stand in their trade facilitation initiatives, subregional sessions have now been included, to be organized with the support of relevant subregional organizations and partners.
Related documents
Programme
Presentations
- Session 1: High-level Panel on Trade Facilitation for Regional Connectivity
- Session 4: Financing for Trade Facilitation
- Session 3: Emerging instruments and initiatives for paperless trade facilitation
- Session 2: Trade Competitiveness through Single Windows: Moving Forward