Launch of global transport costs database by UNCTAD and World Bank

Transport costs have an impact on trade competitiveness. These costs vary significantly across different types of countries. Often, small island developing States (SIDS), landlocked developing countries (LLDC) and least developed countries (LDC) spend more than the average country on international transport and insurance costs for trade in goods.

Maritime transport costs have gained further relevance in view of on-going debates at the International Maritime Organization (IMO) on upcoming greenhouse gas reduction measures. However, data on maritime transport costs needed for impact assessments of such measures is often incomplete, outdated and non-existent. Thus, compiling and estimating these data can enable better informed impact assessments and support the decision-making process at the IMO.

Therefore, UNCTAD and the World Bank have joined forces since December 2019 to start a joint global transport costs database for public use, compiling and estimating transport mode-specific trade data and leveraging the recent upgrade of the United Nations Commodity Trade Statistics database (UN Comtrade Plus). The development of the database has been kindly supported by PROBLUE.

This event will launch the first version of this new database and explain the methodological approach that the developers have chosen. The event is organized in collaboration with the 70th Session of the Technical Cooperation Committee (TCC70) at the International Maritime Organization.

The webinar will be moderated by Dominik Englert, Economist, Climate Change Advisory and Operations, World Bank. It features the following speakers: 

• Jan Hoffmann, Chief, Trade Logistics Branch, UNCTAD
• Nour Barnat, Statistician, Chief of Method Unit, UNCTAD
• Onno Hoffmeister, Chief of Statistics Production Unit, UNCTAD