Launch of the UN Trade Digitalization Index (TDI): Mainstreaming Trade in Digital Connectivity

Ms. Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana was appointed Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) on 13 September 2018.

Prior to joining ESCAP, Ms. Alisjahbana was Professor of Economics at Universitas Padjadjaran in Bandung, Indonesia, a position she assumed in 2005. She joined Universitas Padjadjaran as a lecturer in 1988. Since 2016, she has served as Director for the Center for Sustainable Development Goals Studies at Universitas Padjadjaran and Vice Chair of the Indonesian Academy of Sciences.

She also serves on the Governing Board of the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA), and member of the Indonesian Academy of Sciences (Akademi Ilmu Pengetahuan Indonesia - AIPI), the Forum of Statistics Community (Forum Masyarakat Statistik or Advisory Council of the Indonesian Statistics), the International Advisory Board of the Bulletin of Indonesian Economic Studies and Council Member of the Regional Science Association International (RSAI).

From 2009 to 2014, she was Minister of National Development Planning and the Head of the National Development Planning Agency (BAPPENAS), Indonesia. She served as Co-chair of the Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation from 2012 to 2014. From 2009 to 2014, she was Alternate Governor of the World Bank and Alternate Governor of the Asian Development Bank representing the government of Indonesia. In 2016, she was a member of the High Level Independent Team of Advisors to support the ECOSOC Dialogue on the longer term positioning of the United Nations Development System in the context of the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development.

Dr. Yann Duval is currently Chief of Trade Policy and Facilitation at ESCAP, the regional branch of the United Nations Secretariat for Asia and the Pacific. Over the past 20 years at UN ESCAP, Mr. Duval has conducted research and delivered technical assistance and advisory services on trade policy and facilitation throughout Asia and the Pacific, including on the WTO Agreements. He spearheaded the development of the Asia-Pacific Research and Training Network on Trade (ARTNeT), as well as the creation of the ESCAP-World Bank Trade Cost Database and the UN Global Survey on Digital and Sustainable Trade Facilitation. Mr. Duval was instrumental in the development and negotiation of the Framework Agreement on Facilitation of Cross-Border Paperless Trade in Asia and the Pacific, a UN treaty which entered into force in 2021. He has actively promoted the use of advanced information and communication technologies for research and building capacity in policy making, including through the launch of the online Trade Intelligence and Negotiation Adviser (TINA), a tool aimed at supporting developing countries in preparing for trade negotiations.

Dr Shamika N. Sirimanne is the Director of the Division on Technology and Logistics of United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). She leads UNCTAD’s trade logistics programme, including the work on trade facilitation, maritime transport, port management, and e-commerce and the digital economy. She also supervises UNCTAD’s largest technical cooperation programme, ASYCUDA—the Automated System for Customs. Dr Sirimanne has extensive experience in development policy, research and technical cooperation gained from international organizations, national governments, think tanks and universities. Prior to UNCTAD, she served as the Director of the ICT and Disaster Risk Reduction Division of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), where she spearheaded major regional cooperation programmes such as the Asia-Pacific Information Superhighway initiative, and Regional Drought Monitoring Mechanism.

Valerie Picard is the Deputy Director for the Global Alliance for Trade Facilitation based at the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC). Based in Paris, Valerie leads ICC’s contribution to the Alliance working with her team to leverage the ICC’s network of businesses, national committees and chambers of commerce to support the work of the Alliance and deliver trade facilitation projects. She previously worked at Bolloré Transport & Logistics advising on legal matters relating to public-private partnerships and the development and operation of ports and terminals in Africa and Asia. Valerie holds a BA in Government from Smith College and a JD/LL.M from Duke University School of Law.

Maria Teresa Pisani is currently Acting Chief of the Trade Facilitation Section at the at the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE. Prior to this, she headed the Sustainable Trade and Outreach Unit at UNECE, where she leads the work on policies and standards for sustainable and digital trade facilitation, and managed a global multi-stakeholder initiative on green and inclusive value chains in the textile and clothing industry. At UNECE since 2011, she has been focusing on trade and environmental governance. Before joining the UN, Maria Teresa has been with the European Commission, and the ILO, and has managed World Bank funded projects for institutional reforms in emerging economies around the world.

María Vásquez Callo-Müller Ph.D. is a Post-Doctoral Fellow in the project “Trade Law 4.0” (Trade Law for the Data-Driven Economy) based at the University of Lucerne, Switzerland. Her expertise lies at the intersection of digital trade, data governance and intellectual property. As part of her post-doctoral work, María manages the TAPED (Trade Agreements Provisions on Electronic-commerce and Data) dataset. María regularly consults on digital trade law and policies, having collaborated with organizations such as the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Policy Support Unit, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the German Corporation for International Cooperation (GIZ), the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), and the World Economic Forum (WEF).