Skip to main content

News

Displaying Results 151 - 175 of 215

In April 2018, the Eurasian Economic Commission adopted a decision requesting its members to use a risk-based approach for enforcement activities. Efforts towards effective risk management are particularly important in a country like Kyrgyzstan. The 2017 World Risk Report ranks Kyrgyzstan as…
E-commerce has become a game changer in the international trade arena. Cross-border e-commerce is estimated to reach 1 trillion US dollars in 2020; for the top 10 e-commerce markets, it accounts for 34% of the gross domestic product.Cross-border e-commerce trade has flourished in China in recent…
Do you know where your clothes come from? And how are they made? When you buy your clothes, are you looking for this type of information, but without much success?The textile industry is a complex one, with value chains stretching around the globe. We all know that the bulk of the clothing and…
UNECE is actively supporting the trading community to gain the maximum benefits from the e-trade revolution. Through its participation in the UNCTAD e-Commerce week 2018 from 16-20 April, UNECE highlighted that enabling digital technologies for greater e-trade requires a cohesive approach by…
How can international organizations ensure that their rule-making activities are fit for purpose for Agenda 2030 for sustainable development? How can they make their norms and standards more effective, and their development more inclusive? What more can international organizations do to promote…
Going beyond a national economy to access new markets is a challenge for any company. It requires time and investment as well as a good deal of knowledge in other markets. Even for large companies, this is a big step to take and can represent a significant financial risk. For Micro-, Small- and…
A circular economy is an economy that keeps pollution and waste out of the system, maintains products and materials in use, and regenerates natural resources. It promotes resource and energy efficiency, reduces food waste along the whole supply chain, builds sustainable infrastructure, and…
Trade can be a powerful engine of growth, creating new opportunities for investment, job creation and development. However, for some countries, efforts to capitalize on this potential are undermined by the lack of adequate regulatory frameworks, which can inflate transaction costs, limit export…
Kazakhstan has consolidated its national non-tariff measures (NTM) system according to the Multi-agency Support Team (MAST) classification system administered by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). The database was validated yesterday during a national stakeholder…
Cumbersome, costly and time-consuming customs procedures can be a major barrier to international trade, holding back countries’ development potential.In Iraq, this remains a significant challenge. The country requires among the highest number of documents worldwide for imports and exports, and…
To ensure the successful implementation of its commitments under the WTO Agreement on Trade Facilitation, the Republic of Moldova has integrated the recommendations from the UNECE study on regulatory and procedural barriers to trade into its National Action Plan for Trade Facilitation. The Plan…
National Single Windows – which simplify import and export transactions by making it easier to input all regulatory and commercial information at a single electronic point – streamline cross-border data exchange, reducing bureaucracy and making it easier for businesses to engage in international…
Uniquely identifying locations in trade, transport and regulatory documents is vital to the smooth functioning of international trade. For over thirty years, this has been possible thanks to a five-character reference known as UN/LOCODE, which provides a coded representation for the names of…
International standards shape every aspect of our lives: from the moment we brush our teeth in the morning, to the time we wrap up in a warm – and safe - blanket at night. Standards also make the world more resilient and more sustainable: when houses, offices and plants comply with norms, they…
National Single Windows – which simplify import and export transactions by making it easier to input all regulatory and commercial information at a single electronic point – streamline cross-border data exchange, reducing bureaucracy and making it easier for businesses to engage in international…
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…
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,…
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…
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.…