Latest Projects
Operating
Global
Commercial Transactions, Forwarding and cargo handling, Transport, Regulatory/official control
Thailand’s JSCCIB pilots blockchain-based National Digital Trade Platform (NDTP)
Pilot
Regional
Commercial Transactions, Forwarding and cargo handling, Transport, Regulatory/official control, Payment
Digital Container Shipping Association –standardised foundation for digitalisation
Global
Commercial Transactions, Forwarding and cargo handling, Transport, Insurance, Regulatory/official control, Payment

Overview
Cross-border paperless trade, or cross-border trade digitalization, refers to international trade taking place on the basis of electronic data and documents. It has great potential to boost trade competitiveness and support effective engagement in the digital economy. Implementation of paperless trade measures could reduce international trade costs in the region by 25%, saving the Asia-Pacific region $600 billion annually, according to the recent study by ESCAP.
Implementation of cross-border paperless trade is challenging and cannot be achieved without close and sustained collaboration between countries, including through the Framework Agreement on Facilitation of Cross-border Paperless Trade in Asia and the Pacific.
In line with its mandate to support trade facilitation and promote cross-border paperless trade under the Framework Agreement, ESCAP has created a Cross-border paperless Trade (CBPT) Database, as included in the Draft road map for the implementation of the substantive provisions in the Framework Agreement on Facilitation of Cross-border Paperless Trade in Asia and the Pacific.
Acknowledgements
Maintenance of this database is supported by financial and human resources provided by the Governments of China, France and the Republic of Korea. Its launch was made possible by a project funded by the Republic of Korea entitled “Capacity Building on Trade Facilitation and the Asia-Pacific Trade Agreement (APTA) Promotion to Strengthen Intra-regional Cooperation” (Phases II and III), a project funded by China entitled “Facilitating Cross-Border Paperless Trade along the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) Corridors for Regional Integration and Sustainable Development - Phase II”, as well as a UN Development Account project “Transport and trade connectivity in the age of pandemics: contactless, seamless and collaborative UN solutions”. The underlying content and online submission forms benefited from inputs by UNNExT experts and advisory groups, as well as reviews by the technical and legal working groups of the Interim Intergovernmental Steering Group for Cross-Border Paperless Trade Facilitation in Asia and the Pacific in 2019/2020.
Implementation Instrument
Title | Geographical coverage | Standard nature |
---|---|---|
UN/CEFACT XML Naming and Design Rules Technical Specification Version 3.0 | International | International standard |
exXML Collaboration-Protocol Profile and Agreement Specification Version 2.0 | International | International standard |
Web Services Reliable Messaging (WS-ReliableMessaging) Version 1.1 | International | International standard |
Web Services Business Process Execution Language Version 2.0 | International | International standard |
UN Trade Data Element Directory (TDED ISO7372) | International | International standard |