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ASYCUDA Side Event at UNCTAD16 Highlights Digital Innovation for Efficient, Secure and Sustainable Trade
Geneva, 20 October: At UNCTAD16, a high-level side event on “New technology to foster efficient, secure and sustainable trade” brought together ministers, ambassadors, and international partners to discuss how digital innovation can strengthen global trade systems and promote inclusive development.
Opening the event, Mr. Pedro Manuel Moreno, Deputy Secretary-General of UNCTAD, described ASYCUDA as “a cornerstone of our organisation and one of the most successful multilateral cooperation programmes.” He underlined how the new system, cloud-based, open-source, and modular, introduces artificial intelligence, real-time analytics and enhanced interoperability to make trade faster, safer and greener. “Shaping the future of trade,” he said, “means ensuring that digitalisation empowers rather than excludes.”
Delivering the keynote address, H.E. Moustoifa Hassani Mohamed, Minister of Economy, Industry, Investment and Economic Integration of the Union of the Comoros, emphasised that digitalisation is essential for small island developing States: “It is a buoy that keeps us afloat.” He highlighted how ASYCUDA helped Comoros maintain trade during the COVID-19 crisis and advance its single window for trade, now connecting agriculture, mining and pharmaceutical sectors, boosting food inspections by 30 per cent.
The ASYCUDA Programme emphasised that the event reflects UN Trade and Development’s continued commitment to helping developing economies build stronger, interconnected trade ecosystems. The session demonstrates that technology, when implemented through partnerships and capacity-building, can deliver lasting institutional and developmental impact.
A presentation video traced ASYCUDA’s evolution since 1981, from its early customs data systems to the launch of the New Generation Suite, which includes ASY5, ASYHUB, ASYREC, eCITES, and the enhanced Single Window Framework. Each module contributes to making global trade more efficient, transparent and sustainable.
A high-level panel moderated by Mr. Jaime Mendoza, ASYCUDA Regional Coordinator for the Americas, featured:
H.E. Davasuren Gerelma, Ambassador of Mongolia, who showcased ASYCUDA’s role in supporting landlocked developing countries.
Mr. Pha Eng Veng, Deputy Director-General of Cambodia Customs, who reported on full paperless clearance and successful ASYHUB integration.
Mr. AbdelIlah Bousseta, Director of Postal Operations, UPU, who highlighted the ASYCUDA-UPU interface that has halved postal clearance times worldwide.
Ms. Paula Baena, Global Policy Lead on Customs, ICC, who underlined the importance of digital standards, interoperability and responsible AI for inclusive trade.
High-level representatives from Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Sierra Leone and Vanuatu, alongside GIZ, reaffirmed their commitment to deepen collaboration and recognised ASYCUDA’s pivotal role in connecting customs, postal and trade systems across regions.
Closing the event, Mr. Torbjörn Fredriksson, Officer-in-Charge of UNCTAD’s Division on Technology and Logistics, congratulated the ASYCUDA team for “launching a platform that goes beyond automation to connect the dots across trade, transport, technology and innovation.”
The event reaffirmed that UNCTAD16’s mission to shape a more inclusive, secure and sustainable global economy depends on harnessing digital innovation not as an end in itself, but as a tool for equitable development. Within the broader context of UNCTAD16, the ASYCUDA Programme also held bilateral meetings with Angola, CARICOM, PPIU, Venezuela, the Harakat NGO (Afghanistan), Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Sierra Leone and the Comoros to explore avenues for deepening cooperation and advancing new joint initiatives.
Geneva, 20 October: At UNCTAD16, a high-level side event on “New technology to foster efficient, secure and sustainable trade” brought together ministers, ambassadors, and international partners to discuss how digital innovation can strengthen global trade systems and promote inclusive development.
Opening the event, Mr. Pedro Manuel Moreno, Deputy Secretary-General of UNCTAD, described ASYCUDA as “a cornerstone of our organisation and one of the most successful multilateral cooperation programmes.” He underlined how the new system, cloud-based, open-source, and modular, introduces artificial intelligence, real-time analytics and enhanced interoperability to make trade faster, safer and greener. “Shaping the future of trade,” he said, “means ensuring that digitalisation empowers rather than excludes.”
Delivering the keynote address, H.E. Moustoifa Hassani Mohamed, Minister of Economy, Industry, Investment and Economic Integration of the Union of the Comoros, emphasised that digitalisation is essential for small island developing States: “It is a buoy that keeps us afloat.” He highlighted how ASYCUDA helped Comoros maintain trade during the COVID-19 crisis and advance its single window for trade, now connecting agriculture, mining and pharmaceutical sectors, boosting food inspections by 30 per cent.
The ASYCUDA Programme emphasised that the event reflects UN Trade and Development’s continued commitment to helping developing economies build stronger, interconnected trade ecosystems. The session demonstrates that technology, when implemented through partnerships and capacity-building, can deliver lasting institutional and developmental impact.
A presentation video traced ASYCUDA’s evolution since 1981, from its early customs data systems to the launch of the New Generation Suite, which includes ASY5, ASYHUB, ASYREC, eCITES, and the enhanced Single Window Framework. Each module contributes to making global trade more efficient, transparent and sustainable.
A high-level panel moderated by Mr. Jaime Mendoza, ASYCUDA Regional Coordinator for the Americas, featured:
- H.E. Davasuren Gerelma, Ambassador of Mongolia, who showcased ASYCUDA’s role in supporting landlocked developing countries.
- Mr. Pha Eng Veng, Deputy Director-General of Cambodia Customs, who reported on full paperless clearance and successful ASYHUB integration.
- Mr. AbdelIlah Bousseta, Director of Postal Operations, UPU, who highlighted the ASYCUDA-UPU interface that has halved postal clearance times worldwide.
- Ms. Paula Baena, Global Policy Lead on Customs, ICC, who underlined the importance of digital standards, interoperability and responsible AI for inclusive trade.
High-level representatives from Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Sierra Leone and Vanuatu, alongside GIZ, reaffirmed their commitment to deepen collaboration and recognised ASYCUDA’s pivotal role in connecting customs, postal and trade systems across regions.
Closing the event, Mr. Torbjörn Fredriksson, Officer-in-Charge of UNCTAD’s Division on Technology and Logistics, congratulated the ASYCUDA team for “launching a platform that goes beyond automation to connect the dots across trade, transport, technology and innovation.”
The event reaffirmed that UNCTAD16’s mission to shape a more inclusive, secure and sustainable global economy depends on harnessing digital innovation not as an end in itself, but as a tool for equitable development. Within the broader context of UNCTAD16, the ASYCUDA Programme also held bilateral meetings with Angola, CARICOM, PPIU, Venezuela, the Harakat NGO (Afghanistan), Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Sierra Leone and the Comoros to explore avenues for deepening cooperation and advancing new joint initiatives.