News
Displaying Results 176 - 200 of 225
How can countries best harness transport and trade to drive progress in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)? How can enhancing countries’ statistics on trade and transport support this process? This was the focus of discussions at a workshop organized last week by UNECE in…
Blockchain is a rapidly evolving area of information technology with potential for huge benefits in terms of security, reliability and cost efficiency in the exchange of information. Blockchain offers the advantage of a shared “end to end” record of information related to transaction history,…
UN/EDIFACT is a cornerstone international standard for the electronic exchange of data that is widely used in international supply chains, transport and logistics. It is used by 100,000 traders in the retail sector alone. UN/EDIFACT, or to give its full name, United Nations rules for…
The United Nations Centre for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business (UN/CEFACT) has been leading innovation in technical standards, policy recommendations and guidelines for global trade facilitation for over two decades. The 30th UN/CEFACT Forum, to be held from 2-6 October in Rome in…
Towards a more sustainable clothing industry: 30th UN/CEFACT Forum to explore enhancing traceability
Clothing is one of the largest industries in the world economy, generating annual revenues of around US$ 3 trillion, producing 80 billion garments, and employing over 60 million people of which three quarters are women. The industry is a global one, with its supply chains spreading across all…
National Single Windows (NSW) simplify import and export transactions by making it easier to input all regulatory and commercial information at a single electronic point. Ensuring the compatibility (or “interoperability”) of this information between countries can drive international trade.…
Showcasing the direct contribution to the Sustainable Development Goal 14, in particular target 14.4 on harvesting and overfishing, UNECE participated in the first ever UN Ocean Conference in New York (5-9 June), which was co-hosted by Fiji and Sweden. The Conference concluded with a declaration…
Today’s global clothing and textile industry is worth approximately $3 trillion, produces 80 billion garments worldwide every year, and employs about 60 to 75 million people. Clothes now pose a formidable challenge to our planetary boundaries.Many actors from the textile and clothing industry,…
Growing E-Commerce is a driver of innovation and competitiveness. Increasingly, business enterprises, and SMEs in particular, are connected through e-trade with consumers and businesses. Between 2013 and 2015, the value of global online trade jumped from 16 trillion to 22 trillion dollars.…
Over the past years, UNECE’s work in agriculture has expanded from the development of quality/marketing standards to helping governments adopt and implement them and reaching out to traders, producers and farmers. Indeed, “It starts with a standard but it cannot end there” has become one of the…
Azerbaijan is still in the process of negotiating its accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO). Implementation of the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA), which entered into force on 22 February 2017, would thus be included in the package of obligations for the country upon accession…
While agriculture is at heart of the Balkans’ economic activities, only a few countries have so far managed to exploit their production and trade potential to the fullest. Ties and trade volumes within the region are stagnating and ties outside the region are limited to a few countries. Has the…
Single Windows ease trade by allowing international traders to submit trade documents to a single centralized location, thus saving time and costs. In 2005, UNECE published Recommendation 33, which lays the foundation for establishing a Single Window environment. Since then, a number of…
With almost a billion people going hungry (795 million people are undernourished according to FAO), hunger is one of the persistent scourges of the world. At the same time, there is more than enough food on the planet to feed the entire world population. FAO estimates that one-third of the food…
UNECE presented the study on overcoming regulatory and procedural barriers to trade during a stakeholder meeting organized by the Moldavian Ministry of Economy for stakeholders from across the country, including economic operators from the region of Transnistria.According to the Director…
The second Global Survey on Trade Facilitation and Paperless Trade Implementation will be carried out until the end of March 2017. It is jointly conducted by the United Nations Regional Commissions (UNRCs) - ECA, UNECE, ECLAC, ESCAP and ESCWA.Building on the success of the first Global Survey of…
Many regard standards as being gender neutral. However, looking at them more closely reveals that they are often gender blind. For example, when a technical specification does not differentiate between the sexes, is this based on research on both sexes or is, in fact, a male reference model…
The role of international organisations (IOs) is critical in the development of rules and standards that can help advance the well-being of citizens in an increasingly globalised world. This was one of the main conclusions of an event organised by OECD on 2 November on “International…
Have you ever tried the curved cucumbers? or an orange differently shaped than others? Do you know they are actually perfect for human consumption? Even if you know they are, would you give it a try? How many of us know what a ‘Best Before Date’ (BBD) on food labels really means? A survey…
Ghana’s international trade accounted for 85% of GDP in 2015. However, in Ghana it still takes 4.5 days to complete an export transaction and 11.7 days to complete an import transaction. As a result, some of the key issues that haunt traders are delayed customs clearance, poor infrastructure,…
Trade facilitation is gaining interest from countries all around the world following the conclusion of the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement in Bali in 2013. As a result, the work of the United Nations Centre for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business (UN/CEFACT), which develops a body of…
In Central Asia, the silk routes, the caravans of merchants made it possible for East and West to exchange culture, customs and goods - spices, silk, perfumes and food - and thus determined life and livelihoods for centuries… And, so have nuts and dried fruit traded on the silk routes and part…
The new UNECE Standard for Dried Apricots adopted on 29 June by the Specialized Section on Standardization of Dry and Dried Produce (GE.2) will significantly boost the international trade in Dried Apricots. The standard, which has been revised in the presence of the world's largest…
A new UNECE Standard will foster international trade in Dried Apricots. The standard was adopted on 27 June during the session of the Specialized Section on Standardization of Dry and Dried Produce (GE.2), in the presence of the world's largest producer, Turkey, as well as government and…
Senior trade and customs officials from Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan (countries participating in the UN Special Programme for the Economies of Central Asia known as SPECA) received practical advice on the implementation of trade facilitation at a training workshop co-…