SDGAsia: More Trade Liberalization

More Trade Liberalization

The 2017 report titled, ‘Channelling Trade and Investment into Sustainable Development,’ provides analyses of trends and policies by country and subregion. In addition, the report includes trade and investment briefs on 16 countries. The briefs provide data and interpretation of trends in goods and services trade, intraregional trade, FDI, tariffs, trade costs, and trade agreements.
Akhtar highlighted UN research showing that the SDGs cannot be achieved through protectionist policies.
On 30 October 2017, ESCAP Executive Secretary Shamshad Akhtar highlighted UN research showing that the SDGs cannot be achieved through protectionist policies. She also called for targeted liberalization policies to be “more inclusive,” and to be mindful of the social and environmental dimensions of sustainable development. The ESCAP Committee on Trade and Investment met during the week, with discussions addressing the promotion of trade facilitation, paperless trade and electronic commerce for achieving the SDGs, and ways to engage the business sector in achieving the SDGs, as well as the respective roles of the ESCAP Sustainable Business Network and the Asia-Pacific Business Forum. The Asia Pacific Foreign Direct Investment Network also convened, deliberating on regional cooperation mechanisms for harmonized investment regimes for sustainable development, among other topics.