PROGRAM
| Day 1 – Tuesday, 4 March | |
| 08:30 – 09:00 | Registration |
| 09:00 – 09:10 | Opening Session Opening Remarks: Ms. Fatima Yasmin, Vice President for Sectors and Themes, ADB (5mins) |
| 09:10 – 09:20 | Photo session |
| 09:20 – 09:40 | Overview - Advanced Technologies for Trade Facilitation (Setting the Scene):
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| 09:40 – 10:40 | High-Level Plenary Leveraging Advanced Technologies for Trade Facilitation: Role of Development Partners The recent development of technologies has been changing several services. In the area of trade facilitation, the adoption of advanced technologies holds immense potential for transforming cross-border trade operations. Such technologies make administrative and business processes transparent, accurate, and faster significantly. This plenary session emphasizes the impacts brought by advanced technologies and share views on the role which developing partners should fulfill. Interactions among panelists will provide various policy implications and practical recommendations to further promote integration of advanced technologies. [Panel Discussion] Moderator: Mr. Bruno Carrasco, Director General, CCSD, ADB
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| 10:40 – 11:00 | Coffee Break |
| 11:00 – 11:15 | Guidance on the Marketplace Guidance: Mr. Yuya Yamamoto, Trade Specialist, CCRC, ADB (5 min) |
| 11:15 – 12:45 | Session 1: Collaborative Solutions for Sustainable Trade Facilitation: Strategies for a Coordinated and Greener Future Sustainable trade facilitation emerges as a critical concept, aiming to streamline cross-border trade processes while simultaneously reducing carbon emissions. This includes climate change mitigation that has become a global imperative, the international trade community faces the dual challenge of facilitating efficient commerce while minimizing its environmental impact. This session explores innovative approaches and technologies that can transform trade facilitation into a catalyst for coordination, transparency, and environmental sustainability, aligning global commerce with climate action goals. By leveraging advanced technologies and streamlined processes, countries can significantly decrease idle times at borders, optimize transportation routes, and promote more efficient use of resources. The discussion will also touch upon the broader implications of sustainable trade facilitation, including its potential to drive coordination, transparency and innovation in clean technologies, foster international cooperation on environmental standards, and create new opportunities for green growth in the global economy. Moderator: Mr. Kijin Kim, Senior Economist, ERCI, ADB
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| 12:45 – 14:15 | Lunch at Multi-Function Hall 2-3 |
| 14:15 – 15:45 | Session 2: Paperless Trade in Asia and the Pacific: Embracing Digital Future The old paper-based documentation has sometimes led to inefficiencies, delays, and increased costs. Paperless trade initiatives offer a viable solution to this challenge. By standardizing and digitizing documentation formats for trade-related documents like invoices, bills of lading, packing lists, and many kinds of certificates, stakeholders can streamline processes, reduce duplication of efforts, and enhance data accuracy. This session will explore the multifaceted benefits of digital documentation and highlight innovative platforms and services to facilitate paperless trade. Additionally, it will shed light on the efforts of customs authorities to accept and integrate electronic documents into their processes, fostering a seamless transition towards paperless operations. The session will also address international coordination efforts aimed at harmonizing documentation standards and enabling the secure exchange of electronic trade documents across borders. Moderator: Mr. Yuya Yamamoto, Trade Specialist, CCRC, ADB
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| 15:45 – 16:00 | Break |
| 16:00 – 17:30 | Session 3: Innovative Tech-Solutions for Cross-border E-commerce: Opportunities and Challenges The global landscape of international trade has been rapidly transformed by the explosive growth of cross-border e-commerce, accelerated by changing consumer behaviors and digital transformation. This shift has created a new trading environment where millions of small parcels cross borders daily. The resulting challenges are multi-faceted: customs authorities face unprecedented volumes of declarations, risk assessment complexities, and revenue collection issues, while struggling to maintain appropriate levels of control. The sheer volume of small parcels, the speed of transactions, and the diversity of sellers and buyers have strained traditional customs processes designed for bulk commercial shipments. The discussion will focus on innovative technological solutions that can help customs authorities effectively manage the surge in e-commerce shipments while balancing security concerns and trade facilitation. Participants will learn about emerging technologies and best practices that enable customs administrations to process high volumes of small parcels efficiently, enhance risk management capabilities, and ensure compliance with customs regulations. Moderator: Ms. Zulfia Khamitovna Karimova, Principal Regional Cooperation Specialist, CWRC, ADB
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