The meeting of the South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) Trade Facilitation Working Group (TFWG) was held on 4 November, 2024 in Thimphu.  The meeting was chaired by the Director, Department of Trade, Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Employment, Bhutan and was attended by more than 50 delegates from the SASEC member countries of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Myanmar (virtually), Nepal and Sri Lanka and officials from the Asian Development Bank and SASEC Secretariat. The Bhutan delegation consisted of representatives from the Bhutan Food and Drug Authority, Department of Economic and Tech Diplomacy, Department of Revenue and Customs, Department of Tourism, Department of Macro Fiscal and Development Finance, Department of Trade and Royal Bhutan Police.

The meeting agenda covered a wide range of important topics related to the implementation of trade facilitation measures, such as customs modernization, addressing Sanitary and Phytosanitary and Technical Barriers to Trade concerns, cross-border e-commerce, and the Action Plan on SASEC Initiatives among others. The TFWG will continue its discussions along with the Transport Working Group on November 5, 2024, focusing on issues related to the Highly Facilitated Trade Corridor, developing a comprehensive border point ecosystem and improving connectivity for regional tourism within the SASEC area.

The SASEC TFWG is dedicated to promoting regional cooperation, integration and facilitating smoother cross-border trade among the SASEC member countries in line with global standards and practices. The outcomes of the meeting will complement the ongoing initiatives to meet the overall objective of promoting regional prosperity, improving economic opportunities and building a better quality of life for the people of the subregion.