Workshop: Lessons Learned from 18 National Readiness Assessments for Cross-border Paperless Trade in Asia and the Pacific

Dr. Leonila GUGLYA is a counsel leading the International Trade / WTO Law Practice of SwissLegal Rouiller et Associés office in Geneva. She holds a Ph.D. in international trade law from the University of Geneva (2017) and an SJD in international arbitration from Central European University (2010), both summa cum laude.

Dr. Guglya gained a robust experience in international trade law and policy, international business law and international dispute resolution, having advised private entities and governments within the framework of varied programmes and initiatives. Her latest mandates focus on trade-related aspects of e-commerce, trade facilitation and paperless trade on all – multilateral (WTO), plurilateral (WTO Joint Statement Initiatives (on E-commerce and others), regional (notably, ASEAN, UEMOA, the RCEP) and national levels (varied jurisdictions in South-East Asia, South Asia, West Africa, and the Pacific, including the recent ESCAP Paperless Trade Readiness Assessment of Lao PDR (2022) and ongoing UNCTAD E-trade Readiness Assessment of Mongolia); on the assistance in the other ongoing WTO negotiations, WTO Trade Policy Reviews / RTA transparency exercises, and accessions; as well as on ensuring the  implementation of the international and regional trade-related commitments nationally / their streamlining into national laws and strategies.

After starting her career as an in-house lawyer in Ukraine, she has worked with several international law firms, international organizations (WTO, UN ESCAP, UNCTAD, the ITC and the CoE) and NGOs, and had various of academic engagements in the different corners of the world. She regularly publishes and intervenes in the areas of her expertise.

Ms. Soo Hyun Kim is Economic Affairs Officer, Trade Policy and Facilitation Section, Trade, Investment and Innovation Division, United Nations ESCAP. She is currently managing capacity building projects on cross-border paperless trade and trade facilitation in the age of pandemics; and supporting the implementation of the Framework Agreement on Facilitation of Cross-border Paperless Trade in Asia and the Pacific. Previously she worked in the Investment and Enterprise Development Section with research focus on foreign direct investment (FDI) and investment regimes and their impact on sustainable development. She also worked to promote public-private sector dialogue by organizing the Asia-Pacific Business Forum (APBF) and supporting the ESCAP Sustainable Business Network (ESBN). Prior to this, she worked at the United Nations Secretariat in New York; local government (United Kingdom); and higher education institution (United Kingdom). She holds master’s degrees in business administration (specialisation in financial management) from TiasNimbas Business School (Netherlands) and library and information science from Loughborough University (United Kingdom). 

Email: [email protected]

Athita Komindr is Head of the UNCITRAL Regional Centre for Asia and the Pacific (UNCITRAL RCAP), managing technical assistance and capacity building programming available to over 50 States in Asia and the Pacific in key areas of commercial law, including dispute resolution, MSMEs, international contract practices, sale of goods, electronic commerce, transport, insolvency, international payments, secured transactions, and procurement. In that capacity, she coordinates with Governments and international and regional organizations with respect to trade law reform activities aimed at achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

Athita has twenty years of experience in the fields of international trade and economic law, arbitration, multilateral dispute resolution, and the rule of law and development. Prior to joining the United Nations, Athita mainly advised and worked with numerous Thai agencies, including the Thailand Institute of Justice, the Thai Ministry of Science and Technology, and the Thailand Arbitration Center where she managed the Arbitration and Legal Affairs Divisions. She also worked for the Thai Ministry of Commerce in Bangkok (2002-2005) and Geneva (2005-2010), representing Thailand in bilateral, regional, and multilateral trade negotiations, WTO dispute settlement, and treaty drafting.

Admitted to the New York Bar, Athita has experience in both common and civil law traditions in the public and private sectors, and holds degrees from Harvard College, Georgetown University Law Center, and Harvard Law School.

Email: [email protected] 

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