Policymakers
View ResourceRules of Origin Facilitator
To support SMEs and MSMEs as they navigate the various interlocking rules of origin (ROOs) in place across export markets, with users able to determine which ROOs are in place depending on HS code or the name of the product.
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OECD SMEs and Entrepreneurship
To provide the information policymakers need as they consider national and international policy options to support MSMEs
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ePing alert
To provide regular updates on new measures related to food safety, plant and animal health, labelling, standards, searchable by product and export market. It also includes information on enquiry points, notification authorities, and more.
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Global Trade Helpdesk
This site provides market intelligence for MSMEs looking to trade abroad, both for importing and for exporting. It includes a host of integrated tools, tutorials, product finders by Harmonized System (HS) codes, data sources, and much more.
View GuideTrade Information Portals and MSMEs
Trade Information Portals and MSMEs International trade requires businesses to navigate a complex web of regulatory requirements, customs procedures, and tax structures. For many businesses, simply finding reliable and complete information about these requirements is itself a major barrier to engaging in trade. Trade Information Portals (TIPs) are a key policy instrument designed to address this problem directly. Also referred to as National Trade Portals (NTPs) or National Trade Repositories (NTRs), TIPs are designed to enhance regulatory transparency and reduce the time, cost, and uncertainty traders face when seeking to comply with a country’s trade regulations. Under Article 1 of the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA), WTO Members are required to publish import, export, and transit procedures online, and TIPs are the primary vehicle through which many countries meet this obligation. Why MSMEs and TIPs? A central reason for the well-known gap in relative trade participation between large and smaller firms is the difficulty in accessing and understanding regulatory requirements. The costs of regulatory uncertainty fall disproportionately on smaller operators. To counter this, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development cites effective TIPs as a powerful policy instrument for promoting trade facilitation, inclusive trade, and supply chain resilience across both developed and developing countries. When trade regulations are transparent and accessible, MSMEs are better placed to plan, budget, and execute cross-border transactions and to take advantage of preferential trade agreements and export opportunities they might otherwise never know exist. What Makes a TIP Effective? According to UNESCAP, effective TIPs share several key characteristics: They must be easy to navigate, allowing a user to find information quickly without requiring specialist knowledge. Content must be relevant, written in plain language, be available in multiple languages, have low bandwidth requirements and mobile-friendly designs. Information must be accurate, consistent with official sources, complete across all relevant regulatory agencies, and updated in a timely manner when rules change. These are all important features given the digital constraints many MSME operators face, yet the quality of TIPs varies widely, and many existing portals fall short of what is needed. Critically, users must trust the portal. In Tajikistan, for example, portal content is formally signed off by customs officials, building confidence among traders that the information is authoritative. UNESCAP finds that the best-performing TIPs also include a feedback mechanism, allowing traders to report errors, ask questions, and flag outdated content, creating a continuous improvement loop between the portal and its users. Where can policymakers access more resources? The UN ESCAP and ITD Guide to Enhancing Trade Information Portals (2021) is the primary technical reference for TIP assessment and improvement. It includes the Maturity Roadmap Model, nine critical success components, a complete recommended content checklist, performance indicators, and a country TIP assessment template. Available at: https://www.unescap.org/kp/2021/guide-enhancing-trade-information-portals The ESCAP-ITD Free Online Course on Enhancing Trade Information Portals provides a full framework and guidelines for assessing an existing TIP and generating improvement recommendations, and is recommended for trade facilitation officials and TIP operators. Available at: https://www.unescap.org/training/etip The UN/CEFACT Guidelines for Establishing a Trade Information Portal (2020) provide internationally agreed standards for TIP content and structure, and serve as the baseline content checklist referenced throughout the ESCAP-ITD framework. Available here: Rec38-ECE-TRADE-465E.pdf The World Bank’s Developing a Trade Information Portal (2012) provides foundational guidance on TIP development including recommended service checklists and governance principles. Available here: World Bank Document The UNCTAD article “Making Trade Information Portals More Relevant and Sustainable” (2021) by Yann Duval (ESCAP) provides a concise overview of key principles for effective and MSME-accessible TIPs. Available at: https://unctad.org/news/making-trade-information-portals-more-relevant-and-sustainable Highlighted national and regional trade information portals The East African Community (EAC) Trade Helpdesk (tradehelpdesk.eac.int) links national TIPs from Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda, and is an example of regional integration of national trade information systems. For each step of the process, the portal tells the user where to go, who to see, what documents to bring, what forms to fill, and what costs to pay, EAC). The European Union Access2Markets Database (trade.ec.europa.eu/access-to-markets), launched in 2020, aggregates both import and export information, offering product-specific tariff and regulatory information, rules of origin guidance, trade statistics, and information on trade barriers across EU trading partners, all searchable by product and country. It is frequently used as a benchmarking reference in TIP assessment exercises such as in the joint UNESCAP-ITD report. The Rwanda Trade Information Portal (rwandatrade.rw), managed by the Rwanda Revenue Authority under the National Trade Facilitation Committee, is a model example from Africa of a government-led TIP developed with international technical assistance from UNCTAD and ITC to meet WTO TFA obligations (launched in March 2018, it provides comprehensive, single-point access to user-centric information needed to trade in and out of Rwanda, including step-by-step guides to imports, exports, and transit). [Video guide] Tajikistan’s Trade Portal (tajtrade.tj) is consistently cited as one of the most effective and user-friendly TIPs globally and is a key benchmarking reference in the UNSCAP-ITD assessment framework [Video guide]
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Electronic Cross-border Payments
What are e-payments? Electronic payments (e-payments) are digital transactions that users make to pay for goods and services on the internet. To execute payments electronically, businesses and individuals use a variety of e-payment methods that range from debit and card payments to bank transfers to mobile pay and automated clearing house (ACH) transactions. E-payments are basically financial operations enabled by electronic devices, such as computers, smartphones, or tablets. For more information on e-payment models and transaction types, see the International Chamber of Commerce’s (ICC) Electronic Payment Services and E-Commerce and the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) fintech note 19/91 “The Rise of Digital Money.” Why do e-payments matter for MSMEs to trade? Technological developments in recent years have been enabling financial and non-financial institutions to modernize the payment methods they offer to users. Studies by the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) and the International Monetary Fund have documented the rapid growth that digital technologies are seeing relative to traditional instruments. As digital technologies offer more efficient and less expensive payment instruments, small businesses can benefit from using e-payment options to reduce uncertainty and costs, especially for international trade transactions. Other advantages that e-payments have for MSMEs when it comes to engaging in trade range from speeding up cross-border payment activities at customs to reducing fraud risks and burdensome administrative expenses. For more information on e-payments and online transactions, see the following articles and papers: The BIS article on trends in digital payments, “Payments go (even more) digital”; The IMF working paper WP/21/177 “Is Mobile Money Part of Money? Understanding the Trends and Measurement“; The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe’s (UNECE) Trade Facilitation Implementation Guide; and The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) paper on “Trade finance for SMEs in the digital era.” Which challenges do MSMEs encounter in using e-payments? While digital technologies have contributed to the rapid expansion of financial services, e-payment markets face regulatory challenges that hinder the ability of small businesses to have greater access to cross-border payment options for trade. A recent World Trade Organization (WTO) study has shown that only a quarter of WTO Members have fully liberalized cross-border payments under the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) commitments. The World Economic Forum (WEF) and International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) have identified four key areas where policymakers could engage to reduce frictions in e-payment markets: (a) market access and national treatment barriers; (b) technical standards; (c) security and trust; and (d) policy coordination and oversight. For more information, see the WEF’s Connecting Digital Economies page and their white paper on Addressing E-Payment Challenges in Global E-Commerce, as well as the ICC’s Issues Brief on Electronic payment services and e-commerce. Where can I access resources on frameworks and policy recommendations? Policy recommendations for cross-border payments: The WEF outlines key areas where policymakers can engage and cooperate to reduce complexity in e-payments markets. Visit Connecting Digital Economies: Policy Recommendations for Cross-Border Payments. Scope of existing commitments on e-payment services: The WEF describes the current state of multilateral commitments and plurilateral negotiations on trade-related aspects of e-payment services and e-commerce. Read the WEF paper. Consumer policy guidance on mobile and online payments: The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) offers guidance that policymakers can use to address consumer protection issues when designing policies targeting mobile and online payment markets. Read the OECD guide. Analytical framework on fintech and payments regulations: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) documents recent international experiences in modernizing legal and regulatory frameworks for payments services. Link to IMF framework. Where can I find best practices and national examples? E-payments guide for developing countries: The International Trade Centre (ITC) developed a guide on legal and regulatory reforms and best practices that policymakers can use to address e-payment policy issues in developing countries. Visit the ITC guide. Electronic payments acceptance initiatives: The World Bank has documented a review of literature and country examples to guide policymakers in designing incentives to foster electronic payments acceptance. Access the World Bank review.
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Digital Economy
What is the digital economy? According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation (OECD), "the Digital Economy incorporates all economic activity reliant on, ...
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Business Contracts and Disputes
Why do MSMEs need model contracts? MSME often have relatively lower access to legal advice when negotiating a contract or managing a dispute than large firms.
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Authorized Economic Operators
What are authorized economic operators (AEOs)? AEOs are businesses and other entities certified by customs authorities to...
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Cross-Border Paperless Trade
What is cross-border paperless trade? Paperless trade refers to the digitalization of information flows required to support goods and services crossing borders.
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Services Trade – Overview
Modes of services supply: The World Trade Organization’s (WTO) General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) distinguishes...
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Investment facilitation
The relationship between trade and investment in the global economy is rapidly evolving as a result of technological...
