Presented during an MC-11 side event on trade facilitation for sustainable growth organized jointly by all United Nations Regional Commissions in Buenos Aires, the interactive database provides detailed data on implementation of trade facilitation and paperless trade measures for 120 countries around the world as of 2017. The database features data collected jointly by UNESCAP and other UN Regional Commissions as part of the second UN Global Survey on Trade Facilitation and Paperless Trade Implementation.

The Survey includes key trade facilitation measures in the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA), as well as other complementary digital trade facilitation measures, such as electronic exchange of certificates of origin or sanitary and phytosanitary certificates. The Survey also includes a new set of “inclusive” trade facilitation measures, i.e., measures specifically targeted at SMEs, the agricultural sector, or aimed at enabling participation of women in trade. The Survey results suggest that many countries have made significant progress in implementing WTO TFA provisions since 2015. However, digitalization of trade procedures remains very partial and much work remains to be done on enabling seamless exchange and legal recognition of electronic data and documents across borders.