Asia-Pacific Trade and Investment Report 2019: navigating non-tariff measures towards sustainable development

The Asia-Pacific Trade and Investment Report (APTIR) is a biennial publication prepared by the Trade, Investment and Innovation Division of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific to provide insights into the impact of recent and emerging developments in trade and foreign direct investment on countries' abilities to meet the challenges of achieving sustainable development.

The theme of APTIR 2019 is Navigating Non-tariff Measures (NTMs) towards Sustainable Development.
The Report provides an overview of NTM trends and developments in the Asia and the Pacific region, and explores the relationships between NTMs and the Sustainable Development Goals. It evaluates the impacts of NTMs on trade and investment, based on both quantitative analysis and private sector surveys. The Report highlights the importance of aligning NTMs with international standards, and of simplifying procedures related to these regulatory measures. It also includes a review of good practices for addressing NTMs unilaterally, as well as through multilateral and regional trade agreements. The report closes by offering sets of national-and regional-level policy recommendations for streamlining NTMs for sustainable benefits.