FIATA International Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations took center stage at the inaugural United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) workshop on the new UN Convention on Negotiable Cargo Documents (NCD).
Held in collaboration with UNCITRAL, ESCAP, and the ICC Digital Standards Initiative (ICC DSI), the workshop brought together global trade experts to explore the legal framework, risk management, and practical application of the new Convention in advancing multimodal transport and dry port development.
The workshop opened with remarks from Ms. Azhar Jaimurzina (Chief of Transport Connectivity and Logistics, ESCAP) and a detailed legal briefing by Ms. Yanying Li (Legal Officer, UNCITRAL).
To translate complex legalities into practical business insights, FIATA Director General Dr. Stéphane Graber, alongside Ms. Jun Xu (Bank of China) and Ms. Rhodalyn Djanitey (Ghana Shippers Authority), conducted an interactive role-play exercise. Simulating a real-world scenario between a banker, shipper, and freight forwarder, the demonstration highlighted how NCDs actively mitigate risk and streamline trade finance.
Dr. Graber showcased FIATA’s pioneering role in this space by presenting its negotiable Multimodal Transport Bill of Lading (FBL) and its digital counterpart (eFBL) as the world’s first globally recognized NCD templates. The discussion also featured emerging industry solutions, including COSCO’s projected NCD solution and the ICC’s new NCD Tracker.
A key highlight of the event focused on successful pilot projects. Notably, Ms. Jun Xu shared the Bank of China’s recent success in financing a rail-and-road wheat shipment between Kazakhstan and China utilizing the secure FIATA eFBL framework.
“Participants acknowledged the significant potential of the NCD Convention in facilitating international trade, enabling the sale of goods in transit, promoting multimodal transport, and supporting the digitalisation of global trade.”
While member states widely recognized the transformative potential of the Convention, delegates emphasized an urgent need for regional capacity building. The session concluded with a collective call for the ESCAP Secretariat to sustain awareness campaigns and deepen collaborations with FIATA, UNCITRAL, and the ICC to drive pilot projects ahead of the Convention’s formal entry into force.
