In its ongoing efforts to promote regional cooperation to implement cross-border trade digitalization, the Philippine Bureau of Customs (BOC) recently participated in the first Paperless Trade Week hosted by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) in Bangkok, Thailand.
The participation falls under the Framework Agreement on Facilitation of Cross-border Paperless Trade in Asia and the Pacific (CPTA), a UN treaty that aims to expedite the implementation of digital trade facilitation measures for trade and development. It is designed to support countries in moving to less paper and then to paperless trade by providing a dedicated, inclusive, and capacity-building intergovernmental platform.

The week concluded with the Third Sessions of both the Standing Committee and Paperless Trade Council of the Framework Agreement on Facilitation of CPTA, participated by assessment and operations Customs officials, comprising of key officers from our two major ports of entry—the Port of Manila and the Manila International Container Port to engage in enriching discussions and sharing of learnings on pertinent issues and solutions for digitalizing international trade processes.

The Philippines, through the BOC, is one of the first five countries that have acceded to the Framework Agreement and has actively participated in activities related to its implementation.

The Philippines is set to publish the National Feasibility Study on Cross-border Electronic Exchange of Trade-related Data or Documents with support from the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) this month. This study assesses the feasibility of implementing electronic exchange of trade-related data and documents between the Philippines and potential partners in the Asia-Pacific region. It also complies to the directives of both Standing Committee and the Paperless Trade Council of the Framework Agreement on Facilitation of CPTA.