Asia-Pacific Trade Facilitation Report 2021

Supply chain disruptions caused by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic have underscored the need for digital and paperless trade procedures to facilitate trade. This report reviews the impact of trade facilitation initiatives on trade costs in Asia and the Pacific since the pandemic began. A special chapter examines the pandemic’s impact on the supply chains of critical goods such as vaccines, personal protective equipment, and food, and provides policy suggestions toward enhancing supply chain resilience along with trade facilitation. This is the third biennial progress report on trade facilitation implementation in Asia and the Pacific jointly prepared by the Asian Development Bank and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific.