News List

Compiled features on recent developments in regional cooperation and integration in the SASEC region.

Year:
November 2018

India's First Inland Waterways Terminal Inaugurated in Varanasi

India Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated India's first inland waterways terminal on the Ganga River in Varanasi, and received the first inland container vessel which journeyed from Kolkata. The Prime Minister heralded the arrival of the container as 'historic' for India. The inland waterways terminal is part of a planned multimodal terminal on the Ganga in Varanasi. The waterway route links eastern Uttar Pradesh to the Bay of Bengal. It promises to save time and money, lessen road traff

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Tags: Inland waterways, India, Transport, World Bank

October 2018

Speech: How Global Trade Can Promote Growth for All

Heads of the World Trade Organization (WTO), the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development issued calls to bring a new focus on trade and the multilateral trading system to drive growth around the world. In this speech given in Bali, Indonesia, on 10 October 2018, WTO Director-General Roberto Azevêdo discusses the need to cooperate on trade issues to promote growth for all.

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Tags: Trade Facilitation Agreement, World Bank, WTO

October 2018

Sri Lanka's Trade Information Portal Garners Highest Level of Data Accuracy

The Sri Lanka Trade Information Portal (SLTIP) has garnered the highest level of data accuracy among World Bank-assisted information portals, with 98.8% of its total content validated for accuracy. The SLTIP is a one-stop gateway for information on trading to and from Sri Lanka, containing basic information on import, export, and transit requirements and procedures, along with customs forms and documents.

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Tags: Customs, Sri Lanka, Trade Facilitation Agreement, World Bank, WTO

August 2018

Editorial: Need for Improving Logistic Performance

How efficiently a country moves physical goods across and within borders determines how it participates in international markets. This editorial from The Financial Express suggests areas that Bangladesh needs to focus on to improve logistics performance, enhance participation in global trade, and stimulate economic growth.

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Tags: Bangladesh, Customs, Trade Facilitation, Transport, World Bank

July 2018

Sri Lanka Launches Trade Information Portal

The Government of Sri Lanka's Department of Commerce launched the Sri Lanka Trade Information Portal, a one-stop gateway for information on trading to/from Sri Lanka. The portal provides information on laws and tariff, non-tariff measures, procedures and forms for license application, and international, regional, and bilateral trade agreements which Sri Lanka is a party to.

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Tags: Sri Lanka, Trade, World Bank, WTO, Trade Facilitation Agreement

June 2018

SASEC Countries to Gain by Improving Transport Times

By investing in infrastructure that improves connectivity and reduces transport times to key markets, South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation countries could reap major benefits, a new Asian Development Bank study says.

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Tags: SASEC, ADB, Trade, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, World Bank

November 2017

Speech: Accelerating RCI in Asia and the Pacific for Economic Growth, Shared Prosperity, and Sustainability

In his keynote address at the ADB Regional Cooperation and Integration Week, ADB President Takehiko Nakao stated that regional cooperation is critical to securing Asia’s economic future. He noted ADB’s continued commitment to support regional cooperation as a means to reduce inequality and overcome infrastructure gaps, and cited specific SASEC projects as effective examples. The ADB Regional Cooperation and Integration Week was held on 27-29 November 2017, in Manila, Philippines.

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Tags: ADB, ASEAN, Economic Corridor Development, Energy, Myanmar, Regional Cooperation, SASEC, Transport, World Bank, WTO