UN Calls for Action on Inclusive Trade Amid Uneven Progress
The United Nations is calling for an urgent acceleration of efforts to make global trade systems more inclusive and sustainable. Despite broad progress in trade facilitation, the organisation highlights a critical lack of support for vulnerable groups, including small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), women traders, and the agricultural sector.
Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), emphasised the pressing need for change.
“The global trading environment has recently faced unprecedented challenges,” she stated. “Extensive tariff measures have introduced uncertainty and increased trade costs, while broader disruptions have exposed vulnerabilities in global supply chains. These trends underscore the urgent need to enhance the efficiency, transparency and resilience of international trade systems.”
Findings from the sixth United Nations Global Survey on Digital and Sustainable Trade Facilitation show a global implementation rate of 70 per cent—a five percentage point rise over the past two years.
Developed economies lead the way at 86 per cent, followed by South-East and East Asia at 81 per cent. However, Pacific countries continue to lag, with an average implementation rate of just 45 per cent.
In the Asia-Pacific region, trade facilitation measures have advanced, with a five-point improvement between 2023 and 2025. Australia, New Zealand, and East and North-East Asia recorded the highest implementation rates in the region.
Strong progress was noted in areas linked to the World Trade Organisation’s Trade Facilitation Agreement, alongside notable gains in cross-border paperless trade. Legal reforms supporting electronic transactions and digital authentication also reflect growing momentum toward digitalisation in trade.
Regional and subregional initiatives are playing a crucial role in driving global progress. The Framework Agreement on Facilitation of Cross-border Paperless Trade in Asia and the Pacific, for instance, has been instrumental.
Such initiatives provide dedicated, inclusive, and capacity-building intergovernmental platforms, supporting countries in their transition from paper-based to paperless, and slowly cross-border paperless trade.
This year’s Survey also introduces new metrics on cross-border e-commerce and green trade facilitation. As climate concerns grow, aligning trade systems with environmental objectives is becoming more urgent. The report notes that further research and coordinated action will be essential to advance green trade.
Covering 180 economies, the Survey is a joint initiative by the United Nations’ regional commissions and UN Trade and Development. Led by ESCAP, the exercise is designed to help countries identify policy gaps, set priorities, and inform future action on trade facilitation both regionally and globally.
