5th Meeting the GMS Task Force on Trade and Investment

The Fifth Meeting of the GMS Task Force on Trade and Investment (TFTI) was held on 10–11 July 2024 in Bangkok, Thailand, attended by more than 80 GMS governmental officials in-person or virtually.

The meeting discussed a digital action plan and the Cooperation Framework Agreement on digitalization of trade documents within GMS; provided an update on the study on private sector participation in the GMS, on the ongoing research on border economic zones, on the early harvest implementation of the Cross-Border Transport Facilitation Agreement (CBTA) and on the progress of the harmonization of Sanitary and Phytosanitary standards. It also presented a pilot project from the Asian Development Bank's Trade and Supply Chain Financing Program, aimed at enhancing participating banks’ capacity in identifying trade-based money laundering.

GMS members confirmed the TFTI’s good track record and agreed to present the elevation of the task force into a working group to the GMS Senior Officials’ Meeting.