What's new in ECIE

Electronic Commerce Initiatives of ESCAP

Initiatives that are demand-driven

Trading, manufacturing and retail are essential to the development of the Asian and Pacific Region. So it is imperative that business information is available when needed, and transactions are completed quickly, efficiently and accurately. However, access to business information varies considerably among countries - and the information is not available in one place. In addition, the large amount of paperwork associated with trade transactions frequently leads to errors, slow responses, missed deadlines, misplaced information and ultimately, shows on the bottom line. 

The Electronic Commerce Initiatives of ESCAP (ECIE) address the need for "one stop gateway" for the essential "building blocks" of trade. 

The aim of ECIE is to facilitate the integration of the vast amounts of work done on procedures and documentation to simplify international trade with the equally vast array of electronic commerce technologies and services that seek to support change initiatives. It aims to achieve this through: 

  • Enhancing interdisciplinary understanding of electronic commerce and trade facilitation 
  • Catalysing cross-disciplinary communications 
  • Identifying requirements and opportunities for integration 
  • Ensuring the mechanisms to meet these challenges. 

HRD tools for electronic trade

ESCAP, in collaboration with relevant organizations, has put together a series of training materials to provide enterprises and trade practitioners with a clear understanding of the benefits that can be derived from introducing electronic commerce, from the environment and factors leading to successful implementation of electronic commerce and how a successful electronic commerce implementation should be managed. 

The series of training modules on Electronic Data Interchange (EDI), developedin collaboration with the Asia EDIFACT Board and UN/ECE includes: 

TraFIX, the Trade Facilitation Information Exchange on the Internet has been developed by ECE in collaboration with ESCAP. Its mirror site in Bangkok is a "one stop address" on the cyberspace for the Asia Pacific region providing a vast range of trade facilitation information. 

TISNET, the regional trade information network, promoting information exchange for the expansion of intra-ESCAP trade, will also be available online through ECIE. 

The underlying theme of the Electronic Commerce Initiatives of ESCAP is that nothing could move faster than the information which controls it. 

For further information please contact: 

Director
International trade and Economic cooperation Division
Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific
United nations Building, Rajadamnern Avenue
Bangkok 10200, Thailand
Tel: +66 2 288-1234 Fax: +66 2 288-1026/1027
E-mail: Trade_info.unescap@un.org