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Unlocking trade as a driver of development

UNECE promotes women’s economic empowerment, and entrepreneurship by building skills and fostering professional networks. In South-East Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia, this is helping to tackle the lack of networking opportunities, difficult access to credit and skills gaps. 

With more than 1 million single users per year, the UNECE Trade Facilitation Implementation Guide, available in 5 languages, offers a key knowledge platform for advancing sustainable and digital trade facilitation around the world.


There are over 160 million micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) worldwide, employing more than 500 million people. However, the cost and complexity of participating in international trade represent significant barriers for many of these companies, meaning they also miss out on opportunities in the booming global e-Commerce market, expected to reach USD 6 trillion in value by 2022. UN/CEFACT is helping to address this through the development of a guideline for online platforms providing integrated services – such as logistics, customs clearance, transportation and insurance - to help smaller businesses make the most of their international trade potential.