Digitised logistics services smoothening supply chain operations: WTO

25 Oct '21

1 min read

WTO Deputy Director-General Anabel González PIC: WTO

The digitalisation of logistics services, accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, is helping facilitate smooth operation of supply chains and post-COVID economic recovery, according to World Trade Organisation (WTO) deputy director general Anabel González, who recently said the critical role of logistics services in trade and economic development can never be overemphasised.

“As trade is more and more organised through value chains, be it global or regional, logistics services are the ‘glue’ that holds value chains together,” she told a webinar, titled ‘Digitalization and logistics resilience—lessons learned from COVID-19 and challenges ahead’, held virtually on October 15.

This is particularly important for developing countries as their logistics services are usually underperforming and the least developed countries (LDCs) suffer most from logistics constraints, she said.

Developing countries urgently need to improve their logistics capacity in the pursuit of development goals, she said.

As digitalisation is accelerating and expanding, various challenges, such as trade protectionism, new regulatory environment, cybersecurity, unintended fragmentation and lack of interoperability between the systems/platforms of stakeholders, lie ahead for the logistics industry, she added.

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