Digitalizing Trade in Asia Needs a Legislative Reform 21 October 2021 3:00 pm Manila time (GMT+8) The pandemic caused massive disruption to global trade and revealed that a dependency on physical documents is not only obsolete but is a source of significant risk to supply chains. While paperless trade has been promoted for some time, a lack of facilitating legislation and regulations continues to be a deterrent to a large-scale shift toward digitalization. The Model Law on Electronic Transferable Records (MLETR), developed by the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law, addresses this fundamental impediment to the digitalization of trade. As of 2021, only three jurisdictions have adopted the MLETR: Bahrain, Singapore, and the Abu Dhabi General Market. The wider adoption of MLETR by additional jurisdictions will maximise the obvious potential benefits of these measures. ADB is engaged in a series of efforts to advocate for the adoption of MELTR, which would enable the digitalization of trade to spur more growth and jobs in developing Asia. The following webinar is part of these efforts. About the webinar This ADB webinar aims to promote better understanding of MLETR and disseminate global best practices on enabling of electronic trade documents, as well as sharing challenges countries face with a view to facilitate the UN model law’s faster and wider adoption. Program and Learning Materials 21 October 2021 Session / Activity Title Speaker(s) Opening Session Opening Remarks Steven Beck Asian Development Bank Presentations Legal recognition of electronic transferable records: The revolution of global trade Hannah Nguyen ICC Digital Standards Initiative Presentations Practicalities on how to enact MLETR: bringing the business community into discussion - Experience from United Kingdom Sarah Green Law Commission of England and Wales Presentations Asia and the Pacific Trade facilitation Report 2021:Implementation highlights of digital trade facilitation measures in the region Cyn-Young Park , Kijin Kim Asian Development Bank Panel Discussion: Best practices on enacting MLETR and opportunities for regional collaboration Moderator Emma Xiaoqin Fan Asian Development Bank Panel Discussion: Best practices on enacting MLETR and opportunities for regional collaboration Panelists Nikoloz Gagnidze Digital Governance Agency, Georgia Panel Discussion: Best practices on enacting MLETR and opportunities for regional collaboration Kay Ren Yuh Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), Singapore Panel Discussion: Best practices on enacting MLETR and opportunities for regional collaboration Guo Yu Peking University Law School, People’s Republic of China Closing Session Closing Remarks Satvinder Singh ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), ASEAN Secretariat Disclaimer The views expressed on this website are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) or its Board of Governors or the governments they represent. ADB does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this publication and accepts no responsibility for any consequence of their use. By making any designation of or reference to a particular territory or geographic area, or by using the term “country” in this document, ADB does not intend to make any judgments as to the legal or other status of any territory or area. Event Coordinator/s Maria Clarissa Laysa Related Full Agenda ADB Organizer/s Private Sector Operations Department Read Also Digitalizing Trade in Asia Needs Legislative Reform Topics Finance Industry and Trade