Bangkok--23 Nov--UNISBKK
Joint ADB/ESCAP trade facilitation forum in Bangkok, 25-26 November
It has been estimated that the hidden costs of red tape add up to 15 per cent of the value of goods traded. How to boost intra-regional trade in Asia and the Pacific by streamlining trade procedures and regulations? Can useful lessons be drawn from existing national and regional initiatives to further facilitate intra-regional trade? And how regional cooperation can help to reduce the trade facilitation gap across countries?
These are some of the questions that will be discussed during the first Asia-Pacific Trade Facilitation Forum. Jointly organized by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the event will take place from 25 to 26 November 2009, at the UN Conference Centre in Bangkok.
Over 100 policy-makers, traders and trade facilitation service providers from more than 25 countries across the region are expected to attend the Forum. They will work towards a Regional Agenda to address procedural barriers to trade. The Forum will also include a Multimedia Exhibition on Trade Facilitation, with the participation of 30 development/ donor agencies, international organizations, government agencies and trade facilitation service providers.
ESCAP and ADB will launch at the Forum a joint publication on Designing and Implementing Trade Facilitation in Asia and the Pacific. The first joint publication of the two organizations on trade facilitation, it attempts to bridge the gap between theory and practice, bringing together principles and good practices that can lead to real and sustained reduction in trade transaction costs.
Senior officials scheduled to speak at the Forum include Suthad Setboonsarng, Thailand’s Trade Representative; Pruttichai Damrongrat, Deputy Minister of Finance; Thailand; Edy Putra Irawady, Deputy Minister for Industry and Trade, Indonesia; Khemmani Pholsena, Vice Minister of Industry and Commerce, Lao PDR; Purushottam Ojha, Secretary, Ministry of Commerce and Supplies, Nepal; Damdin Tsogtbaatar, State Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Mongolia; Demberel Sambuu, Chairman and CEO of Mongolia National Chamber of Commerce and Industry; and Sok Siphana, Adviser to the Royal Government of Cambodia.
Note to journalists: You are invited to attend the opening session of the Forum at 9:00 AM on 25 November 2009, United Nations Conference Centre. In order to facilitate your entrance to the UN Conference Centre, please kindly register in advance by sending your name and the news organization you represent to:
[email protected]
For further information, please contact:
Ms. Thawadi Pachariyangkun
UN/ESCAP Information Services
Tel: +(66-2) 288-1861
Email:
[email protected]
Commemorating 60 years in Thailand
1949 - 2009