19-23 June 2023, Bangkok, Thailand

At the invitation of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), Mr. Jaemin Cho, the Program Manager attended the key meetings related to the Framework Agreement on Facilitation of Cross-border Paperless Trade in Asia and the Pacific (CPTA) facilitated by UNESCAP on 19-23 June 2023 on the behalf of ROCB A/P as an observer.

The events consisted of two occasions, namely ‘The 2nd session of the Standing Committee of the CPTA’ and ‘The 2nd session of the Paperless Trade Council of the CPTA’. These sessions were attended by delegates from the CPTA member countries and observers.

During the sessions, it was reported that WCO and UNESCAP had collaborated to organize the 5th UNNExT Masterclass Workshop for Customs officials focused on Facilitating Cross-border Paperless Trade using emerging technologies, which took place from 19 to 28 September 2022 in Seoul, Korea in cooperation with the ROCB A/P and the Korea Customs Services with financial support from the Customs Cooperation Fund of Korea (CCF/Korea) as a significant achievement. In addition, the sessions place significant emphasis on data sharing, particularly in relation to the Single Window concept as well as Customs’ leadership in the efforts. As a result, we confirmed that there is an opportunity for collaboration again between WCO and UNESCAP in organizing capacity-building activities for Customs such as workshops in the near future.

During this both sessions of the Standing Committee and the Council, a comprehensive review was conducted on the implementation of prioritized tasks, strategies, and practical measures to expedite the adoption of Cross-border Paperless Trade in the Asia-Pacific region.

The Standing Committee and the Council emphasized the importance of comprehensive stakeholder mapping to ensure that all potential collaborators are included. They also stressed the need for establishing effective communication and collaboration channels among development partners to facilitate the sharing of information on Cross-border Paperless initiatives and projects. Furthermore, they highlighted the potential for synergies among development partners in capacity building, considering the numerous training and capacity-building programs offered by these partners. The sessions also underscored the significance of coordinated advocacy efforts by development partners to promote the Framework Agreement. Lastly, actionable initiatives that can receive joint support from development partners were identified.

For more information, please contact rocb@rocbap.org