The Asia-Pacific Trade Facilitation Forum (APTFF) is the leading regional platform for the exchange of good practices and knowledge on trade facilitation. Since 2009, the Forum has been jointly organized by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), in cooperation with a growing number of partners. This year’s Forum will be held as a special joint edition with Paperless Trade Week (PTW). The Asia-Pacific Trade Facilitation Forum x Paperless Trade Week 2026 (APTFF x PTW 2026) is expected to attract over 300 participants from more than 30 countries, offering extensive opportunities for capacity building and cooperation.
Anchored on the theme, “Next Generation Trade Digitalization—Advancing Digital and Sustainable Trade Facilitation,” the APTFF x PTW 2026 will convene policymakers, practitioners, and experts for panel discussions, interactive sessions, and knowledge-sharing dialogues. These engagements aim to generate practical solutions for trade facilitation through digital transformation.
A key highlight of the event will be the launch of the ADB–ESCAP joint report, Asia-Pacific Trade Facilitation Report 2026: Harnessing Artificial Intelligence in Trade Facilitation, which explores key opportunities, challenges, and policy implications for applying artificial intellience in trade facilitation.
The program will also feature a series of capacity‑building sessions that provide in‑depth exploration of priority trade facilitation issues, as well as the Asia‑Pacific Trade Facilitation Innovation Awards, recognizing outstanding achievements by countries, government agencies, and institutions advancing trade facilitation across the region.
More information about the event can be found here.
Participants may join the event online by registering here.
Event details:
Date/Venue:
-
10:00AM–6:00PM (GMT+8, Manila)
8–12 June 2026
United Nations Conference Centre
United Nations Building, Rajdamnern Nok Avenue Phra Nakhon, Bangkok 10200, Thailand
Contacts:
- Mr. Kijin Kim
Senior Economist, Economic Research and Development Impact Department, Asian Development Bank
Email: kijinkim@adb.org
- Ms. Irose Mae G. Boniel
Associate Economics Officer, Economic Research and Development Impact Department, Asian Development Bank
Email: iboniel@adb.org
Agenda:
9 June 2026 (Tuesday)
09:30 Opening Session
- 09.30–10.10
Opening Remarks
Launch of the Asia-Pacific Trade Facilitation Report 2026
- 10.10–10.30
Coffee Break
10.30 High-level Panel Discussion: Next Generation Trade Digitalization – Building Trust and Sustainability across Borders
- 10.30–12.00
- Ensuring that next generation trade digitalization supports the Sustainable Development Goals
- Strengthening digital infrastructure to build trust in increasingly complex cross‑border digital environments
- Working towards data-driven trade ecosystems to bridge digital divides and provide enhanced support systems for groups with special needs
- 12.00–13.30
Lunch
13.30 Plenary 1: Advancing Digital and Sustainable Trade Facilitation in Asia and the Pacific
- 13.30–15.00
- State of Play: Insights from the Asia-Pacific results of the UN Global Survey on Digital and Sustainable Trade Facilitation
- Key findings from the ADB–ESCAP Asia-Pacific Trade Facilitation Report 2026 on the role of artificial intelligence in trade facilitation
- Panel discussions
- 15.00–15.30
Coffee Break
15.30 Plenary 2: Harnessing Digital Innovation for Smarter Trade Facilitation
- 15.30–17.00
- Developing policy and regulatory frameworks and coherent government policies to build robust digital infrastructure while managing associated risks
- Digital transformation trends from document-centric to data-centric, analytics-driven, end-to-end supply chain systems
09.30 Plenary 3: Enabling Green and Inclusive Trade Facilitation through Digital Transformation
- 09.30–11.00
- Balancing digital transformation with efforts to mitigate the environmental footprint of digital trade, including the energy and cost requirements of large-scale data processing and storage
- Ensuring equitable access to digital trade tools for SMEs, women traders, and underserved groups
- Targeted capacity building and mainstreaming approaches for inclusive digital transformation
- 11.00–11.30
Coffee Break
11.30 Plenary 4: Building the Future: Institutional Pathways and Partnerships for Next Generation Trade Facilitation
- 11.30–13.00
- Identifying best practices for international organizations to provide adequate technical assistance and capacity building throughout the digital transformation process
- Optimizing public-private partnership models to leverage innovation for sustainable, cross-border institutional pathways in next generation trade
- 13.00–14.00
Lunch
14.00 Innovation Award
- 14.00–14.45
Showcase and award the winning cases of innovative trade facilitation
14.45 Guided Exhibition Experience
- 14.45–15.15
Guided Exhibition Experience & Coffee Break
15.15 Capacity‑Building Events (Held Simultaneously from 10–12 June)
- 15.15–16:35
- AI, Blockchain and Digital Public Infrastructure: Building Trusted Digital Trade in collaboration with Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA)
- Advancing Transit in CAREC Countries: From Concept to Pilot Implementation in collaboration with Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) Program
- TWIN in Action: Building a Trusted, Decentralized Backbone for Paperless and Resilient Trade in collaboration with World Economic Forum (WEF)
09.30 Capacity‑Building Events (continued)
- 09.30–10.50
- India's Trade Digitalization: From Domestic to Cross-Border Integration in collaboration with the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER) and the Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS)
- Single Window Interoperability in Asia: Pathways and a Roadmap in collaboration with the Islamic Development Bank
- ePhyto for Digital Trade Compliance: Public–Private Partnerships for Regulatory Compliance in Plants and Plant Products in collaboration with the PAA Digital Trade Alliance
- 10.50–11.10
Coffee Break
- 11.10–12.30
- AI in Digital Trade Agreements Involving GMS Economies: From Negotiation to Regulation to Application
- Mutual Recognition of Electronic Invoices and Other Trade-Related Documents in Central Asia in collaboration with the ITFC and GIZ
- Value Chain Digitalization: For Sustainable, Traceable, and Trustworthy Trade in collaboration with the GS1
- 12.30–13.30
Lunch
- 13.30–14.50
- Greening through Digitalization: Climate Smart Trade Facilitation in Practice in collaboration with United Nations Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
- From National Digitalization to Cross-Border Trust in collaboration with the International Trade Centre (ITC)
- AI-Driven Digital Transformation of Cross-Border Trade: Reshaping the Digital Ecosystem in collaboration with the International Trade Centre (ITC) and the China Electronic Chamber of Commerce (CECC)
- 14.50–17.00
Reception
09.30 Capacity‑Building Events (continued)
- 09.30–10.50
- Digital Trust in Action: Global Best Practices for Paperless Trade Infrastructure in collaboration with the Asia PKI Consortium
- Digital Trade Technologies in Wider Eurasia: Traceability, EDI and Smart-Contracts in collaboration with the Eurasian Economic Commission
- Digitalizing Trade through the Negotiable Cargo Documents Convention: From Legal Frameworks to Implementation in collaboration with UNCITRAL and the International Chamber of Commerce Digital Standards Initiative (ICC DSI)
- 10.50–11.10
Coffee Break
- 11.10–12.30
- UN Tools for Evidence-based Trade Digitalization
- Interoperable Digital Product Information Systems: Driving Circularity and Sustainability in Global Trade in collaboration with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
- Single Window Towards Cross-Border Paperless Trade: Overcoming Obstacles and Ensuring Sustainability in the Pacific Region in collaboration with the World Bank Group
- 12.30–13.30
Lunch
