Publications List

Comprehensive listing of books, reports, and research on regional cooperation and integration (RCI) in South Asia and relevant global RCI publications, including publications on transport, trade facilitation, energy, and economic corridors in the SASEC region.

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Strengthening Regional Cooperation and Integration for a New Era of Collective Action: Proceedings of the 2022 Regional Cooperation and Integration Conference

This publication discusses new directions for expanding regional cooperation and integration in Asia and the Pacific, as laid out in the Regional Cooperation and Integration Conference held in 2022 in Bangkok, Thailand. One panel discussion tackled how regional platforms such as the South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) could support cross-border environmental protection of shared natural resources. In another panel, Mr. Nilaya Mitash, principal operations coordination specialist on regional cooperation for the Asian Development Bank, discussed cross-border logistics and the Electronic Cargo Tracking System (ECTS) initiative under the SASEC program.

Author: Asian Development Bank

Year: 2023

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Tags: ADB, Logistics, Regional Cooperation, Electronic Cargo Tracking System, SASEC

ADB Annual Report 2022

In 2022, under the operational priority of Fostering Regional Cooperation and Integration, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) provided support for a $143-million program in Bangladesh to construct integrated customs stations and land ports at border-crossings to help increase trade volumes among South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) countries. In India, ADB committed $300 million to upgrade district roads in Assam, which will reduce travel time to SASEC corridors. ADB is also supporting a nonsovereign loan that would improve communication network capacity and mobile services in Maldives.

Author: Asian Development Bank

Year: 2023

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Tags: ADB, SASEC, Maldives, India, Bangladesh, Road

Asian Economic Integration Report 2023

This report shows how smart trade and investment policies, and regulatory cooperation in the Asia and Pacific region can help economies tackle climate change, recover from the pandemic, and support resilient and sustainable development. Analyzing topics including global value chains, investment, the movement of people, and regional cooperation initiatives, it outlines the economic and environmental challenges the region currently faces. It explores how trade and investment policies can support climate action and highlights why a joined-up approach is essential to help deepen the digital economy, strengthen supply chains and foster greener businesses, markets, and trade.

Author: Asian Development Bank

Year: 2023

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Tags: SASEC, Infrastructure, ADB, Connectivity, Climate Change, Global Value Chains, Trade

Identifying Challenges and Improving Trade Facilitation in the States of Northeast India

The northeast of India is shares international borders with Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, and Myanmar and acts as a bridge for India's participation in global forums through the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multisectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation and the South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation program. This paper highlights challenges in global trade and suggests ways for improving trade with other countries in South Asia and Southeast Asia.

Author: Sanchita Basu Das and Soumya Chattopadhyay

Year: 2023

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Tags: India, Trade Facilitation, SASEC, BIMSTEC, Transport, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Myanmar

Fostering Regional Cooperation and Integration for Recovery and Resilience: Guidance Note

The publication identifies opportunities for regional cooperation and integration to complement country efforts to widen include health and financial safety nets. Subregional partnerships such as the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation, Greater Mekong Subregion, and South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) took steps to coordinate coronavirus-response initiatives. SASEC customs officials, for example, agreed to keep country borders open to sensitive and critical goods.

Author: Asian Development Bank

Year: 2022

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Tags: ADB, SASEC, Regional Connectivity, ADB RCI 2022 , ADB RCI

Regional Cooperation and Integration in Asia and the Pacific: Responding to the COVID-19 Pandemic and "Building Back Better"

Platforms for regional and subregional cooperation helped spur collective action to help Asia and the Pacific build back resiliency from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Regional cooperation platforms such as the South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation program helped countries respond to the COVID-19 emergency. In South Asia, partners will have the opportunities to support regional market development through transport corridors, trade facilitation, and cross-border energy trade post-COVID-19.

Author: Asian Development Bank

Year: 2022

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Tags: ADB, Bangladesh, COVID-19, Economic Corridor Development, Energy, India, Trade Facilitation, SASEC, ADB RCI 2022 , ADB RCI

Asian Economic Integration Report 2022: Advancing Digital Services Trade in Asia and the Pacific

As of December 2021, 73 South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) projects worth $17.43 billion had been financed. The SASEC Program was able to sustain its momentum in 2020 and 2021 in spite of setbacks brought about by the coronavirus pandemic. In 2020–2021, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) committed $2.36 billion for 13 regional cooperation and integration projects in the subregion, including five transport projects, three energy projects, and five multisector/economic corridor projects. The SASEC Secretariat is reviewing the progress of the SASEC Vision initiatives to help make coordination mechanisms more effective and to improve resource mobilization.

Author: Asian Development Bank

Year: 2022

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Tags: Trade, SASEC, ADB, COVID-19, Regional Cooperation

Strengthening Trade along the Dhaka-Kolkata Route: For a Prosperous and Integrated South Asia

The growing trade on land between Dhaka and Kolkata is pushing development in both India and Bangladesh. The governments of the two countries—in partnership with the South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) program, the Asian Development Bank, and other development partners—are implementing projects to improve infrastructure and streamline trade. Improvements will reduce trade costs and help scale up trade bilaterally, across the SASEC region, and internationally.

Author: Asian Development Bank

Year: 2021

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Tags: ADB, Bangladesh, India, Bilateral Trade, SASEC, ADB RCI

Potential Exports and Nontariff Barriers to Trade: Bhutan National Study

This diagnostic study explores how Bhutan could boost its exports by addressing nontariff trade barriers. It looks at export products that have the potential to increase their market share in South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) partner countries. It examines possible legal reforms, the upgrade of quality standards, and capacity development for accrediting agencies and offers practical recommendations for Bhutan’s public and private sectors.

Author: Asian Development Bank

Year: 2021

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Tags: Bhutan, SASEC, Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures, Technical Barriers to Trade, Non-Tariff Measures, ADB RCI

Asia–Pacific Regional Cooperation and Integration Index: Enhanced Framework, Analysis, and Applications

This report discusses the framework of the Asia–Pacific Regional Cooperation and Integration Index (ARCII), which has been revised to include digital connectivity and environmental cooperation. ARCII estimates have remained stable among Association of Southeast Asian Nations members and in the Greater Mekong Subregion, while it improved for Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation Program countries. ARCII declined slightly for South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation countries, though improvements and links with nearby subregions are expected from joint initiatives with the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation countries.

Author: Asian Development Bank

Year: 2021

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Tags: Regional Cooperation, SASEC, BIMSTEC

Field Diary Phuentsholing: Largest Commercial Hub in Bhutan

This study assesses infrastructure and trade logistics in Phuentsholing, Bhutan. It observed that several South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) projects have helped develop trade and transport in Phuentsholing through the construction of four-lane roads and bridges. The study proposes ways to promote multimodal connectivity among the BBIN countries (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, and Nepal), such as the further improvement of ports and related facilities in Phuentsholing to handle an increase in trade and transport.

Author: CUTS International

Year: 2021

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Tags: Bhutan, SASEC, Trade, Transport, BBIN

ADB Annual Report 2020

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) 2020 Annual Report details operational and financial results. In 2020, ADB continued its support for the South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) road corridor in Dhaka-Northwest in Bangladesh, committing $406.1 million in loans to strengthen trade. Under the SASEC program, ADB committed $200 million to support cross-border power trade by upgrading substations in Nepal in Khimti, Barhabise, and Lapsiphedi. ADB also committed a $150 million concessional loan to improve the safety and capacity of Tribhuvan International Airport and Gautam Buddha Airport to help revive Nepal's tourism industry and address the long-term economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

Author: Asian Development Bank

Year: 2021

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Tags: COVID-19, Energy, Regional Cooperation, SASEC, Trade, Transport

Learning from CAREC Corridors and Connectivity: Prospects for BBIN Sub-region

This publication looks at Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) corridors, drawing lessons for the Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal (BBIN) subregion. It also looks at the potential for multimodal connectivity between CAREC and BBIN countries. BBIN countries formed the South Asian Growth Quadrangle in 1996 and, with help from the Asian Development Bank, formed the South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) program in 2001 to promote regional cooperation in transport and trade. The SASEC partnership later grew to include Maldives, Sri Lanka, and Myanmar.

Author: CUTS International

Year: 2021

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Tags: BBIN, Connectivity, Economic Corridor Development, SASEC, Regional Connectivity, Trade Facilitation, Transport

Regional Cooperation for Trade and Transport Connectivity in the Age of Pandemics in Asia and the Pacific

Governments, border agencies, logistics companies, and traders have been studying how trade and transport facilitation measures may be used to maintain the flow of goods across borders. In South Asia, the South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) Trade Facilitation Working Group and the SASEC Customs Subgroup, through SASEC’s Trade Facilitation Strategic Framework, have helped develop separate lanes for handling and releasing medicines and other critical goods. A SASEC technical assistance project is also being implemented to modernize cross-border e-commerce for micro, small and medium enterprises.

Author: United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific

Year: 2021

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Tags: Trade, Transport, SASEC, Trade Facilitation

Asian Economic Integration Report 2021: Making Digital Platforms Work for Asia and the Pacific

This report reviews economic cooperation and integration in Asia and the Pacific. As of the end of 2019, ADB had committed a total of $13.77 billion to 60 projects under the South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) partnership, including projects for improving transport connectivity, trade facilitation, and power transmission. In 2019, SASEC members revamped the SASEC Operational Plan 2016–2025 to prioritize narrowing gaps in the subregion’s transport and energy networks. The SASEC program focused on expanding multimodal connectivity to include maritime and inland water transport. Subregional health cooperation was strengthened in 2020 to improve access to health services in Asia and the Pacific.

Author: Asian Development Bank

Year: 2021

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Tags: ADB, Regional Cooperation, SASEC, Transport, Trade Facilitation, Energy

Future of Regional Cooperation in Asia and the Pacific

The book reviews how Asia and the Pacific can leverage regional cooperation to realize the region’s economic potential. Subregional initiatives such as the South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) Program could support regional public goods, including road, energy, communication, and railway networks. SASEC is also promoting the development of economic corridors, the strategy for which was introduced in the SASEC Operational Plan 2016–2025.

Author: Bambang Susantono and Cyn-Young Park

Year: 2020

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Tags: SASEC, Transport, Economic Corridor Development, Regional Cooperation, ADB RCI

New Approaches to Measuring and Assessing Regional Cooperation and Integration: Workshop Highlights

This publication presents highlights from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) workshop on regional cooperation and integration on 16 and 17 April 2020. Discussions focused on approaches to measuring RCI and its implications for policy assessment. Mr. Ronald Antonio Butiong, Director, Regional Cooperation and Operations Coordination Division, South Asia Department, ADB, discussed regional integration indicators in South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) member countries and outlined priorities for enhancing economic growth, improving social inclusion, and tackling poverty.

Author: Asian Development Bank

Year: 2020

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Tags: Regional Cooperation, South Asia, SASEC, ADB, ADB RCI

Summary of Proceedings of the 53rd ADB Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors

The Fifty-Third Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) was held virtually in two stages in May and September 2020. Ms. Nirmala Sitharaman, Minister of Finance, India, called for the establishing of a regular South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) meeting of finance ministers by 2021 to further strengthen regional cooperation. Mr. Ibrahim Ameer, Finance Minister, Maldives, noted how ADB has assisted Maldives through the SASEC National Single Window Project.

Author: Asian Development Bank

Year: 2020

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Tags: SASEC, ADB, India, Maldives, Regional Cooperation, National Single Window

Role of Multi-modal Connectivity in Fostering Value Chains in the BBIN Sub-region

This report looks at how multimodal connectivity can strengthen regional value chains in the Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal (BBIN) subregion. It also provides a snapshot of various multimodal connectivity initiatives, such as the South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) Road Connectivity Investment Program, the inland waterways agreement between Bhutan and Bangladesh, and the railway link between Raxaul (India) and Sirsiya (Nepal).

Author: CUTS International

Year: 2020

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Tags: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Rail, Road, Transport, SASEC

Asia's Journey to Prosperity: Policy, Market, and Technology Over 50 Years

This book presents factors that can explain Asia's development performance. It looks at the role of policy, market, and technology in promoting trade and investment, infrastructure, and regional cooperation and integration (RCI). In South Asia, RCI has focused on connectivity through transport, energy, and trade facilitation. The Asian Development Bank has supported RCI by initiating several subregional programs, such as the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS), the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC), and the South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC).

Author: Asian Development Bank

Year: 2020

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Tags: ADB, SASEC, Regional Cooperation, Trade, Energy

ADB Annual Report 2019

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) 2019 Annual Report details ADB’s operations, activities, and financial results over the year. ADB helps foster regional cooperation and integration through its support of the SASEC Program. In 2019, ADB committed $495 million to reduce travel times along regional corridors connecting Nepal with India and Bangladesh and improve connections to Sri Lanka’s international port under the SASEC Program.

Author: Asian Development Bank

Year: 2020

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Tags: ADB, SASEC, South Asia, Regional Cooperation

Potential Exports and Nontariff Barriers to Trade: India National Study

This diagnostic study explores how India could boost its exports by addressing nontariff trade barriers. It looks at sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures and technical barriers to trade (TBT) and identifies export products that have the potential to gain market share in its South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) partner countries. It considers possible legal reforms, the upgrade of laboratories and quality standards, and capacity development for accrediting agencies.

Author: Asian Development Bank

Year: 2020

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Tags: India, Trade, Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures, SASEC, Technical Barriers to Trade, Non-Tariff Measures, ADB RCI

South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation Operational Plan 2016-2025 Update

This report embodies the strategic objectives and updated operational priorities of the South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) Program operational plan for 2016–2025. It reflects the changes resulting from a rigorous vetting process and identifies priority projects based on preparedness and their roles in filling network gaps. This Update also defines SASEC transport and energy networks and presents adjusted estimates of funding needs to help meet SASEC’s goals of multimodal connectivity, energy market development, and increased intraregional and interregional trade.

Author: Asian Development Bank

Year: 2020

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Tags: ADB, SASEC, Economic Corridor Development, Energy, Regional Cooperation, Trade Facilitation, Transport, ADB RCI

Accelerating Regional Cooperation and Integration in Asia and the Pacific: 2017 Conference Highlights

Regional cooperation and integration (RCI) plays a critical role in accelerating economic growth, reducing poverty and economic disparity, and raising productivity and employment. This conference report looks at challenges for accelerating RCI in Asia and the Pacific, with a focus on economic corridors and emerging RCI initiatives. It underscores the importance of gateway ports to multimodal transport, such as the Port of Chittagong in Bangladesh under the South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) program. The report also maintains that RCI technical secretariats, such as that for the SASEC partnership, are vital to fostering RCI across Asia and the Pacific.

Author: Asian Development Bank

Year: 2019

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Tags: ADB, Economic Corridor Development, Regional Cooperation, Trade, Transport, SASEC

Bountiful Bangladesh: An Ocean of Opportunities

This special publication by the Bangladesh High Commission, New Delhi, India, celebrates India-Bangladesh relations. A chapter on regional cooperation discusses how prosperity is promoted in the region through the South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC). Progress in regional cooperation builds on the momentum generated in the last 18 years through SASEC. Economic performance has been impressive and South Asia is forecast to become the fastest growing subregion in Asia.

Author: Bangladesh High Commission, New Delhi, India

Year: 2019

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Tags: Bangladesh, India, SASEC, Regional Cooperation

Borders without Barriers: Facilitating Trade in SASEC Countries

Borders without Barriers presents an analysis of the state of trade facilitation in member countries of the South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) program. The book includes an analysis of the state of trade facilitation in Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka, as well as in Maldives and Myanmar. It identifies trade facilitation priorities in SASEC countries: implementation of trade facilitation agreements and other conventions; logistics and infrastructure development and regulatory reforms; coordinated border management; and institutions and capacity development.

Author: Asian Development Bank

Year: 2019

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Tags: ADB, SASEC, Trade Facilitation Agreement, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, ADB RCI

Asian Economic Integration Report 2019/2020: Demographic Change, Productivity, and the Role of Technology

This report reviews economic cooperation and integration in Asia and the Pacific. It reports that in 2018, the South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) focused on reducing gaps in multimodal connectivity among its member countries. By the end of 2018, 52 ADB-financed projects worth $11.36 billion had been committed to SASEC projects, with an additional $106.44 million in 81 technical assistance grants. SASEC nodal officials and working groups met in Singapore in March 2018 to update the SASEC operational plan. The operational plan identified 77 projects ($45.6 billion) to be financed by SASEC members, ADB, and development partners. A holistic approach under the operational plan will build transport links with Southeast Asia and East Asia and expand regional trade markets.

Author: Asian Development Bank

Year: 2019

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Tags: ADB, Regional Cooperation, SASEC, Trade Facilitation, Transport, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka

2018 Development Effectiveness Review

This report looks at the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) performance in achieving the goals set out in ADB’s Strategy 2020. In its South Asia operations, ADB supported the linking of countries through transport connectivity. ADB has committed $180 million to rehabilitate the Kanchanpur–Kamala section of the East–West Highway in Nepal to promote safety and transport connectivity. It is also committed to a $150 million project through the South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation Road Connectivity Investment Program to upgrade a section of the Asian Highway connecting Manipur, India, to Myanmar and construct an international bridge between India and Nepal.

Author: Asian Development Bank

Year: 2019

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Tags: ADB, India, Jobs, Myanmar, Nepal, SASEC, Transport, Road

ADB Annual Report 2018

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) supports cross-border infrastructure to help foster regional cooperation and integration. It is transforming transport corridors into economic corridors, allowing South Asian countries to participate in regional and global value chains and promote agriculture trade. In 2018, ADB committed $150 million to upgrade sections of South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) road corridors in India and Nepal. The investments aim to improve connectivity between Manipur (in India) and Myanmar; build an India–Nepal international bridge; and improve the safety of Nepal’s East–West Highway. ADB also approved a technical assistance project to build institutional capacity and improve expertise of trade facilitation officials in SASEC member countries.

Author: Asian Development Bank

Year: 2019

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Tags: Economic Corridor Development, ADB, Energy, India, Nepal, SASEC, Trade Facilitation

SASEC Vision – Myanmar

Myanmar serves as a land bridge between South Asia, Southeast Asia, and East Asia. This book identifies regional and subregional opportunities for Myanmar to harness natural and human resources, industrial potential, and infrastructure connectivity as part of the South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) program. SASEC Vision – Myanmar serves to supplement the 2017 SASEC Vision document, which articulates shared aspirations of the SASEC countries and sets the path to achieve these through regional collaboration.

Author: South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation Program

Year: 2019

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Tags: SASEC, Trade Facilitation, Transport, Energy

Asian Economic Integration Report 2018

This report tracks the progress of regional cooperation and integration in Asia. It shows how intraregional trade grew in South Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific. In South Asia, the South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) has been focused on building multimodal connectivity to facilitate trade as one of its priorities. Its operational plan is being reviewed to better reflect regional project priorities in the region. SASEC is also studying how Myanmar, its newest member, is to be integrated as a vital link between South Asia, Southeast Asia, and East Asia. The chapter "Toward Optimal Provision of Regional Public Goods in Asia and the Pacific" looks at how collective action among countries can help find solutions for such transnational challenges as infrastructure connectivity, environmental degradation, and transnational health threats.

Author: Asian Development Bank

Year: 2018

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Tags: ADB, Regional Cooperation, SASEC, Trade Facilitation

Risk Management in Maldives: Sharing Practical Experience and Lessons Learned

Maldives is implementing reforms to improve risk management controls and to strengthen its trade environment. Risk management aims to determine which goods need to be examined in detail when entering a country. As government agencies improve service delivery, traders will benefit from reduced time to import and export goods, increased predictability of services, and greater ease of doing business. This report shows that improvements to risk management processes to deliver operational and economic gains in Maldives can be replicated across South Asia.

Author: Asian Development Bank

Year: 2018

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Tags: Customs, Maldives, SASEC, Trade, ADB RCI

Strategy 2030: Achieving a Prosperous, Inclusive, Resilient, and Sustainable Asia and the Pacific

Under its new long-term strategy, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) continues its efforts to eradicate extreme poverty while bringing focus to a vision of a prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable Asia-Pacific. ADB’s key operational priorities include the fostering of regional cooperation and integration, covering its support for enhancing connectivity and competitiveness, promoting regional public goods, and strengthening the financial sector cooperation. ADB also aims to strengthen subregional initiatives, such as the South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) Program.

Author: Asian Development Bank

Year: 2018

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Tags: ADB, Energy, Regional Cooperation, SASEC, Regional Integration, Connectivity

2017 Development Effectiveness Review

This report serves as the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) tool for monitoring and strengthening its progress. In South Asia, ADB’s $1.3 billion commitment to regional cooperation and integration (RCI) were spread across South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) program’s priority areas: transport, energy, trade facilitation, and economic corridor development. Project preparation work will expand the $5 billion pipeline for RCI in the subregion with 26 projects planned for approval. SASEC finance ministers endorsed a joint vision of regional cooperation and connectivity. Myanmar’s addition to SASEC improved cooperation prospects between South and Southeast Asian subregions.

Author: Asian Development Bank

Year: 2018

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Tags: ADB, Myanmar, SASEC, Transport, Economic Corridor Development

Trade Costs, Time, and Supply Chain Reliability

Trade Costs, Time, and Supply Chain Reliability analyzes the effect of time on trade costs using shipment-level data from the Universal Postal Union. Distance and logistics performance are factors that affect transport times and uncertainty, which increase trade costs substantially. The paper suggests that by investing in improving connectivity, South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation countries could reduce transport times and increase reliability to major markets.

Author: Utsav Kumar, Ben Shepherd, and Roselle Dime

Year: 2018

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Tags: ADB, SASEC, Trade, Transport, ADB RCI

Trade Facilitation and Innovation: Evidence from South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation Countries

This paper looks at trade and its effects on innovation. Its analysis of firm-level data from Bangladesh, India, and Nepal shows that shorter trade times add competitive pressure from world markets and induces firms to innovate, hence associated with introduction of new products and new management systems. The results suggest that policies that improve trade facilitation would support long-term growth in South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation countries.

Author: Ben Shepherd, Utsav Kumar, and Roselle Dime

Year: 2018

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Tags: Bangladesh, India, Nepal, SASEC, Trade Facilitation Agreement, WTO, ADB RCI

ADB Annual Report 2017

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) 2017 Annual Report details ADB’s operations, activities, and financial results over the year. In South Asia, finance ministers from South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) member countries launched the SASEC Vision, which sets a long-term strategy for inclusive growth for the region. ADB also signed seven SASEC projects worth a combined $1.33 billion, bringing SASEC’s cumulative investment portfolio to $10.72 billion. ADB helped form SASEC working groups for cross-border trade and supported economic corridors in Bangladesh, India, and Sri Lanka to facilitate trade and investment in South Asia.

Author: Asian Development Bank

Year: 2018

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Tags: ADB, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Regional Cooperation, SASEC, South Asia

Charting a Roadmap to Regional Integration with the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement

This report provides a roadmap for regional policy frameworks on trade facilitation to boost intraregional trade. It gives suggestions on how small and medium-sized enterprises could increase their participation in regional value chains and help deepen regional integration. It also shows how the South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) partnership strengthens intraregional trade by improving trade facilitation efficiency in terms of strengthening standards, improving cross-border facilities, easing transport, and institution and capacity building.

Author: International Trade Centre

Year: 2017

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Tags: Regional Integration, SASEC, SME, Trade Facilitation Agreement, WTO

Review of Developments in Transport in Asia and the Pacific 2017

This issue of the Review of Development in Transport in Asia and the Pacific looks at how transport development helps achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It also discusses emerging trends that are making transport systems cleaner, safer, and more affordable, and examines how projects including the SASEC Road Connectivity Project in Bangladesh facilitate regional transport operational connectivity.

Author: United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific

Year: 2017

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Tags: Bangladesh, SASEC, Sustainable Development Goals, Transport

Work Plan for the Technical Assistance for SASEC Customs Reform and Modernization for Trade Facilitation under JFPR

This work plan serves as a roadmap to implement the second tranche policy actions of the SASEC Customs Reform and Modernization for Trade Facilitation Program, a policy-based loan signed between the Government of Nepal and the Asian Development Bank. Ten policy actions feature reform milestones in (i) policy and legal framework, (ii) automation, (iii) organization restructuring, and (iv) capacity development—building blocks to transform the Nepal Department of Customs into risk-based, paperless e-Customs operations, introduce customs procedures with economic impact to promote exports, and comply with WTO TFA measures and implement RKC general standards and other relevant international standards. This work plan comprises tasks designed to boost the capacity of the Customs and support delivery of its Customs Reform and Modernization Strategies and Action Plan 2017–2021. It also includes implementation arrangements, timeline, and inputs from the technical assistance (TA) attached to the Program.

Author: Nepal Ministry of Finance, Department of Customs

Year: 2017

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Tags: SASEC, Customs, ADB, Nepal, Trade Facilitation Agreement

Asian Economic Integration Report 2017

The 2017 Asian Economic Integration Report introduces the Asia-Pacific Regional Cooperation and Integration Index (ARCII), a composite index constructed from 26 socioeconomic indicators grouped into six dimensions: (i) trade and investment, (ii) money and finance, (iii) regional value chains, (iv) infrastructure and connectivity, (v) movement of people, and (vi) institutional and social integration. It helps capture the diversity of regional cooperation and integration, allowing Asian economies to keep track of their progress in regional integration. Within the region, ARCII shows RCI is highest in East Asia and Southeast Asia, but remains low in South Asia and Central Asia owing to gaps in infrastructure and connectivity. It is also low in the Pacific due to weak institutional and social integration. In subregional cooperation, SASEC comes third to the ASEAN and GMS. The publication highlights that regional integration can be improved through institutional and social dimensions, including efforts to remove national barriers to regional integration, adopt regional standards, and institutionalize regional frameworks, and narrowing gaps in regional connectivity and infrastructure.

Author: Asian Development Bank

Year: 2017

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Tags: Regional Cooperation, Trade Facilitation, Connectivity, SASEC, GMS

Regional Cooperation and Integration in Asia and the Pacific: Implementation of the Operational Plan for Regional Cooperation and Integration, 2016–2020─Corporate Progress Report 2017

Regional cooperation and integration (RCI) is a valuable means for attaining national development goals. This report reviews ADB’s progress in implementing its Operational Plan for Regional Cooperation and Integration, 2016–2020, and identifies areas for improvement. It takes a close look at progress in connectivity, competitiveness, and regional public goods and collective action through projects such as the Nepal: SASEC Customs Reform and Modernization for Trade Facilitation Program.

Author: Asian Development Bank

Year: 2017

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Tags: Nepal, Energy, Trade, Customs, Myanmar, Regional Cooperation, Regional Integration, SASEC, Trade Facilitation

Enhancing Regional Economic Cooperation and Integration in Asia and the Pacific

This report examines challenges and opportunities that underpin regional cooperation and integration in Asia and the Pacific. It gives recommendations on how to lay the foundations for market integration, seamless connectivity, and financial cooperation, and address shared vulnerabilities. It also looks at how cooperation in South Asia in such areas as energy and infrastructure financing could be enhanced to help address poverty and other issues.

Author: United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific

Year: 2017

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Tags: Regional Cooperation, Regional Integration, SAARC, SASEC, UNESCAP, South Asia

Nepal Energy Sector Assessment, Strategy, and Road Map

To improve energy security and stimulate economic growth in the face of an unprecedented energy crisis, Nepal is accelerating the development of its hydropower sector. This report examines the performance of Nepal’s energy sector amid development constraints, and highlights government development plans and strategy. It assesses the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB’s) future support strategy, which sees Nepal’s energy sector as a key driver of inclusive economic growth.

Author: Asian Development Bank

Year: 2017

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Tags: Energy, Nepal, SASEC, ADB, Hydropower

Aid for Trade in Asia and the Pacific: Promoting Connectivity for Inclusive Development

Aid for Trade (AfT) is essential to promoting growth and tradability of services, and is a major catalyst for inclusive economic and structural information. This report looks at how trade performance in Asia and the Pacific is evolving, and highlights emerging trends in AfT. The report looks at cooperation projects in the energy sector, and shows how South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) projects fund cross-border electricity transmission, power trade, energy efficiency, capacity building, and renewable sources of energy. The report also examines the impact of AfT on trade in services and the rise of e-commerce.

Author: Asian Development Bank

Year: 2017

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Tags: Trade, Energy, SASEC, Aid for Trade, ADB

Trade Facilitation and Better Connectivity for an Inclusive Asia and Pacific

This report investigates the evolution of trade costs, examines trade facilitation and paperless trade implementation, and highlights key initiatives in South Asia, including efforts by members of the South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC). The SASEC Trade Facilitation and Transport Working Group agreed to expand assistance to trade facilitation through technical assistance to support more efficient, transparent, secure, and service-oriented processing of cross-border trade across South Asia. Through 2025, the SASEC connectivity agenda will be better aligned with the frameworks of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation and the Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation. To help establish a trade and transport facilitation monitoring mechanism, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Nepal conducted studies that reviewed trade and transport procedures, analyzed bottlenecks, and gave recommendations on trade and transport facilitation.

Author: Asian Development Bank and United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific

Year: 2017

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Tags: ADB, Bangladesh, Bhutan, BIMSTEC, Maldives, Nepal, SAARC, India, Myanmar, SASEC, South Asia, Sri Lanka, Trade Facilitation, Transport, UNESCAP, ADB RCI

Trade Facilitation for a More Inclusive and Connected Asia and Pacific Region: Progress and Way Forward

This report gives an overview of assessments from the 2017 global survey on trade facilitation and paperless trade in Asia and the Pacific. It looks at the implementation of trade facilitation and paperless trade measures in 44 countries in Asia and the Pacific, including how the South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation Trade Facilitation Strategic Framework promotes development by deepening regional cooperation. The Framework covers national and subregional projects in Customs harmonization, improving cross-border facilities, and transport facilitation. The Framework also supports regulatory reforms and the development of the National Single Window Customs management system in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, and Nepal.

Author: Asian Development Bank and United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific

Year: 2017

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Tags: ADB, Bangladesh, Bhutan, BIMSTEC, Maldives, Nepal, Regional Cooperation, Regional Integration, SAARC, SASEC, Standards Harmonization, Trade Facilitation, Trade Facilitation Agreement, WTO, UNESCAP, ADB RCI

Myanmar’s Engagement in Regional Integration: Status and Way Forward (AWP No. 169)

Myanmar strategic position connects Asia’s three big markets—Association of Southeast Asian Nations, China, and India. Since 2011, Myanmar has laid down economic reforms that are unlocking the country’s potential. This working paper discusses Myanmar’s participation in regional partnerships, such as the South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation, which it joined in 2017. It argues that such partnerships are essential in building Myanmar’s infrastructure and speeding up its growth.

Author: Prabir De

Year: 2017

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Tags: ADB, ASEAN, India, Myanmar, Regional Cooperation, Regional Integration, SASEC, UNESCAP

Together We Deliver: 50 Stories of ADB's Partnerships in Asia and the Pacific

This special edition of Together We Deliver tells 50 stories that highlight the importance of good partnerships in Asia and the Pacific in meeting complex development challenges. In South Asia, ADB has supported infrastructure development and social programs, helping lift people out of poverty in a diverse, rapidly urbanizing subregion. The South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation Roads Improvement Project, for instance, is set to widen 160 kilometers of Nepal’s East–West Highway, which connects Nepal to India. The improved roads will provide faster and better access to social services and economic opportunities, and will facilitate national and regional integration.

Author: Asian Development Bank

Year: 2017

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Tags: ADB, Economic Corridor Development, India, Nepal, Regional Integration, Roads, SASEC, South Asia, Transport

Asian Development Bank and Bangladesh: Fact Sheet

This Asian Development Bank (ADB) Fact Sheet provides social and economic indicators on Bangladesh, as well as concise information on ADB's operations in Bangladesh and contact information. ADB supports Bangladesh’s efforts to generate inclusive and sustainable growth, and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. ADB has provided Bangladesh with $18.3 billion for 269 loans, $252.4 million for 422 technical assistance projects, and $787.10 million for 35 grants. ADB supports projects contributing to regional connectivity to foster development along economic corridors and co-finances the SASEC Railway Connectivity: Akhaura-Laksam Double Track Project.

Author: Asian Development Bank

Year: 2017

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Tags: ADB, Bangladesh, Economic Cooperation, Energy, Sustainable Development Goals, Sustainability, SASEC

Improving Lives Together in Bangladesh: 50 Years of the Asian Development Bank

This report highlights the milestones in the Bangladesh-Asian Development Bank (ADB) partnership since 1973, including projects in transport and energy that have shown sustained development results. Development contributions from ADB-assisted projects in Bangladesh include the Second South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation Program (SASEC) Bangladesh-India Electrical Grid Interconnection Project that will help double electricity imports from India from the current 500 megawatts; the $505 million SASEC Railway Connectivity, Akhaura Laksam Double-Track Project, which will help railways meet passenger and freight demand; the SASEC Road Connectivity Project, which is upgrading a 70 km stretch along a corridor connecting the northwest to Dhaka to support domestic and subregional trade; and the SASEC Trade Facilitation Program, which aims to reduce non-tariff barriers by adopting international Customs administration protocols, upgrade existing Customs management systems, and establish a web-based electronic trade portal.

Author: Asian Development Bank

Year: 2017

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Tags: SASEC, ADB, Bangladesh, India, Railway, Energy, Transport

Trade and Transport Facilitation Monitoring Mechanism: Baseline Study in Bangladesh

This report synthesizes the business process analysis conducted on the export of plastic kitchenware and tableware from Bangladesh to Bhutan through Burimari land port, and the import of lentils from Nepal to Bangladesh through Banglabandha land port, as well as studies on trade corridors and border crossings in Bangladesh, to quantify current trade and transport facilitation in Bangladesh through a set of indicators. Findings of the study reveal bottlenecks to trade, including costly one-time procedures for a new trader, numerous documents and copies required to complete export and import processes, and low speed along the trade corridors. This report includes specific short-term and long-term policies to improve Bangladesh’s trade and transport facilitation.

Author: Asian Development Bank

Year: 2017

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Tags: Trade Facilitation, Transport, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Nepal, SASEC, ADB RCI

ADB Annual Report 2016

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) 2016 Annual Report provides a complete picture of ADB’s performance in the reporting year. In 2016, South Asia sustained its rapid economic growth, expanding by 6.6% despite global headwinds. ADB approved $4.4 billion in loans and grants covering 30 projects in South Asia. ADB also supported the development of the South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) Vision, which articulates the region’s potential as an integrated entity. SASEC countries adopted the partnership’s first comprehensive and long-term Operational Plan covering 2016-2025, defining strategic objectives and operational priorities. The Operational Plan identifies over 200 potential projects requiring more than $120 billion in development assistance over the next five years.

Author: Asian Development Bank

Year: 2017

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Tags: ADB, SASEC, South Asia

Banking on the Future of Asia and the Pacific: 50 Years of the Asian Development Bank

This book tells the five-decade history of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), illustrating how the multilateral bank has grown and expanded, tackling Asia and the Pacific region’s economic development, and the evolution of its international development agenda. It discusses how ADB has helped promote regional cooperation and integration by developing subregional cooperation programs, including SASEC, which was formally established in 2001 as a project-based initiative to promote economic cooperation through the enhancement of cross-border connectivity and facilitation of trade. In 2006, the ADB Board approved the Regional Cooperation and Integration (RCI) Strategy based on four pillars: subregional economic cooperation on cross-border infrastructure and related software, trade and investment cooperation and integration, monetary and financial cooperation and integration, and cooperation in regional public goods. The RCI strategy envisaged ADB as a money bank, as a knowledge bank, as a capacity builder, and as an honest broker.

Author: Peter McCawley

Year: 2017

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Tags: ADB, Development, Regional Cooperation, SASEC

SASEC Powering Asia in the 21st Century

SASEC Powering Asia in the 21st Century defines the SASEC Vision, framing the SASEC partnership in the larger context of the subregion’s collective growth and development by articulating shared aspirations of the SASEC countries (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, and Sri Lanka), and setting the path to achieve these through regional collaboration. The SASEC Vision lays out a subregional transformative opportunity by leveraging natural resources, promoting industry linkages for the development of regional value chains, and expanding the region’s trade and commerce through the development of subregional gateways and hubs. This document is supplemented by SASEC Vision – Myanmar.

Author: South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation

Year: 2017

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Tags: SASEC, Trade Facilitation, Transport, Energy, ADB RCI

Asian Economic Integration Report 2016: What Drives Foreign Direct Investment in Asia and the Pacific?

The 2016 Asian Economic Integration Report reviews regional economic cooperation and integration in Asia and the Pacific, amidst the rising global uncertainty following the United Kingdom’s referendum on leaving the European Union and the U.S. election, slower-than-expected global economic recovery, and ongoing economic restructuring in the People’s Republic of China and growth moderation. Asia faces heightened uncertainty–trade growth decelerated in 2015, falling to 2.3% in 2015; subregional trade linkages continue to strengthen, but inter-subregional trade linkages weakened; and non-tariff measures have become major obstacles to trade. In South Asia, SASEC cooperation has improved access to key markets in smaller economies, reduced real trade costs and behind-the-border barriers to stimulate investment; and enabled cross-border power exchanges to ensure power supply affordability, reliability, and overall grid stability. However, the SASEC agenda needs to be framed within wider integration processes taking place in Asia in the next decade to enhance economic linkages, and harness the full potential of Asian integration.

Author: Asian Development Bank

Year: 2016

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Tags: ADB, ASEAN, Asia-Pacific, Development, FDI, Free Trade Agreements, Regional Cooperation, Regional Integration, SASEC, Trade Facilitation, UNCTAD, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka

SARSO News: Vol. 2 No. 3

The South Asian Regional Standards Organization (SARSO) newsletter features updates on SARSO events and activities. This issue highlights SARSO efforts to strengthen international relations, through its participation in the 39th International Organization for Standardization (ISO) meeting in Beijing, China, and related activities. The issue also features a meeting with the Asian Development Bank (ADB), where ADB briefed SARSO on the progress of diagnostic studies in South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) member countries.

Author: South Asian Regional Standards Organization

Year: 2016

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Tags: SARSO, ADB, SASEC

South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation Operational Plan 2016-2025

The SASEC Operational Plan 2016–2025 embodies the strategic objectives and operational priorities of the SASEC Program for the next decade. It expands the SASEC Program's focus beyond intraregional cooperation to developing links with Southeast and East Asia, thus widening the scope of transport, trade facilitation, and energy cooperation. Economic and industrial corridor development, which will arise from improved connectivity, has been introduced as a priority initiative. SASEC 2025 is supported by a list of potential projects to be implemented in the subregion during 2016-2025, that will advance the SASEC goals of multi-modal connectivity, energy security and the growth of regional energy markets, and increased intra- and inter-regional trade. An update to the operational plan was published in 2020.

Author: Asian Development Bank

Year: 2016

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Tags: SASEC, ADB, Trade Facilitation, Economic Corridor, Transport, Myanmar

Regional Organizations Cooperation Mechanism for Trade Facilitation (ROC-TF) Newsletter: Issue X, August 2016

This issue highlights the framework agreement on cross-border paperless trade facilitation adopted by the United Nations Regional Commission for Asia-Pacific, which will facilitate the exchange of electronic trade data and documents between participating United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) member states, and the 2016 Global Facilitation Partnership for Transportation and Trade forum. The latterencourages the private sector to mobilize expertise in support of trade facilitation reforms to develop effective trade facilitation solutions for small and medium-sized enterprises. The Newsletter also features SASEC-supported initiatives, including the launch of the new Maldives Customs Service training module on Customs valuation, as well as data collection for establishing the Trade and Transport Facilitation Monitoring baseline in Bhutan. The ROC-TF newsletter is a biannual publication featuring updates, publications and forthcoming activities of regional and international organizations working on trade facilitation in the Asia-Pacific region, including the Asian Development Bank, the World Customs Organization, and UNESCAP.

Author: United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific

Year: 2016

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Tags: Trade Facilitation, ICT, Maldives, Customs, SASEC, Customs Valuation, Bhutan

ADB Annual Report 2015

The Asian Development Bank's (ADB) 2015 Annual Report provides a complete picture of ADB’s performance in the reporting year. In 2015, South Asia became the fastest-growing regional economy in Asia and the Pacific, and ADB's assistance to the region approached $3.80 billion in combined loans and grants for 22 projects and $37.26 million in grants for technical assistance. Through the South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) Program, ADB also continued to drive tighter integration in the region, enhancing cooperation and boosting connectivity with initiatives including helping finalize the Bangladesh-Bhutan-India-Nepal and India-Myanmar-Thailand Motor Vehicle Agreements, Bangladesh-India power grid upgradation, preparation of high-priority transport projects in Bangladesh, and analytical studies for India's East Coast Economic Corridor.

Author: Asian Development Bank

Year: 2016

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Tags: ADB, SASEC, BBIN, Energy, Transport

How Much Could South Asia Benefit from Regional Electricity Cooperation and Trade?

This paper assesses the potential economic benefits of cross-border electricity cooperation and trade in South Asia from 2015 to 2040. It focuses on the possibilities of unlimited power flow across borders in response to regional demands and investment in generation and transmission to cost-effectively meet those demands. The study quantifies the potential economic benefits that South Asia could reap if the countries engage with full regional electricity trade and cooperation. Among South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation countries, Bhutan and Nepal have the potential to cost-effectively supply electricity from hydroelectric resources in excess of their own demands; Bangladesh and India are likely to become more dependent on higher-cost coal as well as natural gas to generate electricity. The countries of the South Asia region also have non-coincident demand peaks across the year, implying gains from trade.

Author: The World Bank

Year: 2015

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Tags: Energy, South Asia, Trade, Bangladesh, India, SASEC

Developing Economic Corridors in South Asia

This book describes key conditions for transforming transport corridors into economic corridors and establishes the rationale for developing economic corridors, and the related benefits from production value chains along those corridors. It further emphasizes the significant potential of economic corridors in South Asia, particularly those being developed under the South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation Program. The chapters highlight the impact of trade barriers on bilateral trade and present case studies on trade facilitation in South Asia. Countries in the subregion would benefit by working closely to exploit the full economic potential of economic corridors.

Author: Asian Development Bank

Year: 2014

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Tags: Economic Corridor, South Asia, Trade Facilitation, Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, ADB, SASEC, Bilateral Trade, Transport

Regional Transit Agreement in South Asia: An Empirical Investigation

This discussion paper published by the South Asia Watch on Trade, Economics and Environment assesses the potential gains of a sub-regional transit arrangement and the removal of other border-trade barriers, particularly the eastern South Asia sub-region (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal). It also discusses the link between transit and trade flows, provides profiles of intra-regional transit trade and current transit arrangements in South Asia, and identifies efficient regional transit corridors using linear programming or the Data Envelopment Analysis model.

Author: Prabir De and Arvind Kumar

Year: 2014

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Tags: South Asia, Trade, Transport, Economics, Economic Corridor, SASEC, SAARC, UNESCAP, Customs, Harmonisation, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Maldives, Sri Lanka

Bridging Transport, ICT, and Energy Infrastructure Gaps for Seamless Regional Connectivity

This publication is a contribution by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific to deliberations at the Second United Nations Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) in Vienna, Austria, 3-5 November 2014. It shows regional connectivity as an unfinished agenda and bridging infrastructure gaps as a complex challenge for LLDCs. While physical infrastructure is a priority, this report argues that deeper regional integration – through regionally cohesive and terrestrial networks – is key to effectively linking Asian LLDCs to the region’s infrastructure networks.

Author: United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific

Year: 2014

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Tags: Transport, ICT, Energy, UNESCAP, SASEC, Connectivity, Infrastructure, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Trade, Trade Facilitation, Policy, Trade Policy

Industrialization and Global Value Chain Participation: An Examination of Constraints Faced by the Private Sector in Nepal

This paper examines the constraints behind and beyond Nepal's borders that hinder its full participation in global value chains (GVC). Basing the analysis on recent and relevant publications, key economic data, and interviews with policymakers and stakeholders, the authors explain how weak and uncertain industrial policy has led to de-industrialization. They also looked at the effects of inadequate infrastructure, energy shortage, and inefficient transit. Failures in coordination, shallow regional integration and non-tariff barriers also bar further growth of Nepal's industrial development and GVC participation. The authors recommend necessary domestic reforms for behind-the-border constraints, and subregional partnerships—facilitated through the South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation program—for beyond-the-border challenges.

Author: Yurendra Basnett and Posh Raj Pandey

Year: 2014

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Tags: Infrastructure, Private Sector, Nepal, Global Value Chains, Industrialization, Infrastructure, Energy, Transport, Regional Integration, SASEC

SASEC Website Brochure

This promotional brochure for the SASEC website features the web portal as a one-stop shop for information on SASEC activities, events, projects, and knowledge materials. The SASEC website seeks to build a dynamic discussion platform and repository of data on regional cooperation.

Author: Asian Development Bank

Year: 2014

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Tags: SASEC, Knowledge Product, ICT, ADB, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, South Asia, Transport, Trade Facilitation, Energy

SASEC Brochure

This promotional brochure is a concise introduction to the South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) Program, highlighting the main areas of regional cooperation and activity. It includes facts and figures about SASEC projects in transport, trade facilitation, energy, and ICT.

Author: Asian Development Bank

Year: 2014

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Tags: SASEC, Trade Facilitation, Regional Cooperation, ICT, ADB, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Energy, Transport, Connectivity, Myanmar

SASEC Trade Facilitation Strategic Framework 2014-2018

The South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) Trade Facilitation Strategic Framework 2014-2018 builds on the momentum of member countries over recent years in forging ahead with many significant improvements to facilitate, and ultimately increase, trade in the subregion and with the rest of the world. It supports the mission of the SASEC Transport and Trade Facilitation Strategy “to promote the prosperity of the subregion by facilitating the efficient movement of trade across the borders”, and focuses on five priority areas: customs modernization and harmonization; standards and conformity assessment strengthening; cross-border facilities improvement; through-transport facilitation; and institution and capacity building.

Author: Asian Development Bank

Year: 2014

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Tags: SASEC, Trade Facilitation, Regional Cooperation, Transport, Trade, Customs, Standards, Harmonisation, Regional Integration, ADB, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka, South Asia, ADB RCI

A Connectivity-Driven Development Strategy for Nepal: From a Landlocked to a Land-Linked State

Transforming Nepal from a landlocked into a land-linked state, the authors argue, could be key to unlocking the country's much-awaited growth. With its strategic location between India and the People's Republic of China, a connectivity-driven development strategy could energize Nepal's lackluster post-conflict economic performance. Further, Nepal implements a multi-track approach to promoting regional cooperation and integration in connectivity with its neighbors, reinforced through participation in South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation, and South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation. By identifying ten priority projects that could further boost Nepal's connectivity, the paper also discusses how strengthening Nepal's transport, energy, and trade links could benefit the region. However, the authors also warn against “internal threats” to Nepal's development—corruption and the country's difficult political situation.

Author: Pradumna B. Rana and Binod Karmacharya

Year: 2014

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Tags: Nepal, Economic Corridor, Regional Trade, Connectivity, Development, Economic Growth, SASEC, India, Regional Cooperation, Regional Integration, SAARC, BIMSTEC, Transport, Energy, Trade

Nepal: Development Effectiveness Brief 2014

Nepal has the potential to achieve more inclusive growth and can largely benefit from regional cooperation and integration with its developing neighbors. It is also benefiting from South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation, a flagship ADB-supported program that promotes economic cooperation and integration in areas of trade facilitation (custom modernization and transport connectivity), power development, trade, and tourism development. This brief further explores ADB’s contribution to inclusive development and poverty reduction, energy, and transport. Exporting energy when surplus is available is one way of meeting seasonal demand by subregional cooperation and power trade. Transport infrastructure is also another key ingredient to equitable, inclusive growth that can address challenges such as lack of market access, inadequate roads, and poor connectivity.

Author: Asian Development Bank

Year: 2014

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Tags: Nepal, Regional Cooperation, South Asia, ADB, Connectivity, Energy, Roads, SASEC, Trade, Transport

Energy Security, Sustainability, and Affordability in Asia and the Pacific

Energy security, sustainability, and affordability from 2010 to 2035 for Asian Development Bank’s Asia and Pacific members are calculated in this working paper, including potential benefits of integrating energy systems regionally. Based on business-as-usual and alternative scenarios, outlook on SASEC member countries by 2035 include (i) dramatic improvement in Bhutan's energy efficiency, (ii) slight decrease in Bangladesh's energy intensity—although carbon dioxide will increase in its primary energy mix, as dependence on fossil fuels rise, and (iii) decrease in energy self-sufficiency of SASEC member countries by 2035, but improved energy affordability. Since renewable energy sources and importation of energy may be capital-intensive, requiring additional tariff support, regional cooperation can enhance affordability and energy security—with Bhutan and Nepal standing to benefit greatly from energy integration in South Asia.

Author: Norberto Fueyo, Antonio Gómez, and César Dopazo

Year: 2014

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Tags: Energy, Bhutan, Nepal, Sustainability, Asia-Pacific, ADB, Regional Integration, SASEC, South Asia, Bangladesh, Sustainability, Renewables, Tariff, Regional Cooperation

Policies to Enhance Trade Facilitation in South Asia and Southeast Asia

This Asian Development Bank Institute publication identifies the state of play of trade facilitation and provides an overview of intra- and inter-regional trade in South and Southeast Asia. It highlights key challenges and bottlenecks to effective trade facilitation, ranging from the lack of expert human resources such as information technology specialists in small landlocked countries (Bhutan and Nepal), to the high border transaction costs and severe congestion faced at border crossing points, and the lack of effective dialogue on bilateral enhancement of trade facilitation. Regional initiatives such as the South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation Program aim to address these challenges through customs modernization and harmonization, automation, and the use of international best practices in border procedures.

Author: Anthony Bayley

Year: 2014

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Tags: South Asia, Trade Facilitation, Trade Policy, Southeast Asia, ADB, ICT, Bhutan, Nepal, SASEC, Customs

Trade Facilitation and Paperless Trade Implementation

This paper reports survey findings on progress in implementing various trade facilitation and paperless trade measures made by 29 countries in Asia and the Pacific, including six SASEC member countries. Factors considered include pre-arrival clearance, post-clearance audit, National Single Window, and authorized operator programmes. The survey reveals that while countries have prioritized automation and paperless trade at the regional level, there is an urgent need for regional arrangements that will facilitate cross-border exchange of trade-related electronic documents and information to enable smoother trade facilitation.

Author: Tengfei Wang and Yann Duval

Year: 2014

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Tags: Trade Facilitation, Regional Cooperation, Trade, Asia-Pacific, SASEC, Single Window, UNESCAP, Customs, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka

SASEC Overview Brochure

The South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) Program brings together Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, and Nepal to strengthen connectivity, promote economic growth through trade, and help unleash the tremendous potential of this strategically vital area of South Asia.

Author: Asian Development Bank

Year: 2013

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Tags: Regional Cooperation, South Asia, Regional Integration, SASEC

ARIC Information Pack: October 2013

The ARIC Information Pack compiles news and events on regional cooperation & integration (RCI) that corresponds to ADB's four RCI pillars: cross-border infrastructure, trade and investment, money and finance, and regional public goods. A special feature on the implications of the US recovery to Asian exports also appears in this issue.

Author: Asian Development Bank

Year: 2013

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Tags: Regional Cooperation, Regional Integration, ADB, SASEC

South Asia- Intra Regional Cooperation: The Way Forward

This study aims to showcase the benefits of regional integration and recommends strategies for overcoming the many hurdles.

Author: Shahid Kardar

Year: 2011

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Tags: Policy, Economic Cooperation, Regional Integration, Development, SAARC, Non-Tariff Measures, Trade Facilitation, SAFTA, India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka, BIMSTEC, Myanmar, SASEC, Energy

RCI Digest 2011 Special Feature (October to December) Volume No.1- Issue No.5

ADB supports RCI in South Asia in four ways: (i) subregionally through the South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) program, (ii) regionally through the South Asia Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), (iii) interregionally through the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC), and (iv) through collaboration with networks of regional policy research institutes.

Author: Asian Development Bank

Year: 2011

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Tags: Regional Cooperation, Regional Integration, South Asia, SASEC, BIMSTEC, Policy, ASEAN

SASEC ICT Development Master Plan

This report represents the first comprehensive multilateral ICT development plan. Its primary objective is to create a framework that will support the already existing ICT plans of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, and Nepal and help these SASEC countries collaborate more effectively with each other.

Author: Asian Development Bank

Year: 2006

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Tags: ICT, Regional Cooperation, Regional Integration, SASEC, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal

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