Digitalising Trade Facilitation Implementation: Opportunities and Challenges for the Commonwealth

This issue of Trade Hot Topics argues that effective trade facilitation reform can be accomplished through institutional adoption of digital technologies and by learning best practices from leading Commonwealth members. Countries such as Singapore and Australia have very early on incorporated paperless and digital trade components into their trade facilitation frameworks; this modernisation is of special importance for Commonwealth countries that are still in the inception stages of implementing digital trade facilitation frameworks. With increased modernisation, they will be able to implement up-to-date trade facilitation reforms and adopt trade facilitation solutions with a digital component, preparing for the next steps in the digital revolution and its increasing impact on trade policies.