Barely 10 months after its launch, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD’s) online trade facilitation platform has trained over 1,000, reports ITREALMS.
The courses offered by the platform, ITREALMS gathered, have helped officials from 27 countries to gain knowledge and skills required to implement the World Trade Organization (WTO) mandates.
ITREALMS that the COVID-19 pandemic did a lot to highlight for everyone the critical role trade plays in human daily lives, with empty store shelves littered across the world
“But for the first time, trade facilitation was on the minds of many people not working in the world of global commerce,” said Shamika Sirimanne, UNCTAD ¨technology and logistics director.
Since the World Trade Organization (WTO) concluded the landmark Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) in 2013, which entered into force in February 2017, trade bodies, ports, customs organizations and governments have been working to expedite the movement, release and clearance of goods, including those in transit.
Among these are National Trade Facilitation Committees (NTFC), special structures designed to support national efforts to implement trade facilitation reforms and align with the WTO’s TFA.
In many developing countries, especially in Africa, there’s an implementation gap that UNCTAD is working to solve.
An UNCTAD survey of 130 NTFCs shows that 39 per cent of the committees lack awareness of their importance and understanding of trade facilitation concepts.
A source at UNCTAD informed that “This is a major challenge to the sustainability of their committees.”
To address this challenge during the pandemic, UNCTAD launched its Trade Facilitation e-Learning Platform in early 2021, thanks to financial support from the United Kingdom.
The platform, available in English, French, Portuguese and Spanish, has provided a safe and effective alternative to the classroom, offering a convenient way for busy professionals from public and private sectors to gain knowledge on trade facilitation matters.
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ITREALMS that the COVID-19 pandemic did a lot to highlight for everyone the critical role trade plays in human daily lives, with empty store shelves littered across the world
“But for the first time, trade facilitation was on the minds of many people not working in the world of global commerce,” said Shamika Sirimanne, UNCTAD ¨technology and logistics director.
Since the World Trade Organization (WTO) concluded the landmark Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) in 2013, which entered into force in February 2017, trade bodies, ports, customs organizations and governments have been working to expedite the movement, release and clearance of goods, including those in transit.
Among these are National Trade Facilitation Committees (NTFC), special structures designed to support national efforts to implement trade facilitation reforms and align with the WTO’s TFA.
In many developing countries, especially in Africa, there’s an implementation gap that UNCTAD is working to solve.
An UNCTAD survey of 130 NTFCs shows that 39 per cent of the committees lack awareness of their importance and understanding of trade facilitation concepts.
A source at UNCTAD informed that “This is a major challenge to the sustainability of their committees.”
To address this challenge during the pandemic, UNCTAD launched its Trade Facilitation e-Learning Platform in early 2021, thanks to financial support from the United Kingdom.
The platform, available in English, French, Portuguese and Spanish, has provided a safe and effective alternative to the classroom, offering a convenient way for busy professionals from public and private sectors to gain knowledge on trade facilitation matters.
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