Market access

Acknowledgements are due to all the data providers, mostly national administrations or WTO delegations who have made this information available including through notifications presented as a special topic. In a number of cases, data has been made available on national websites or through regional organizations. Given the vast amount of statistical data and metadata that needed to be processed, and because this information is not available in one single organization, this publication was only possible as a joint effort of the WTO, ITC, and UNCTAD. Each of the three organizations has a proven track record and comparative strengths in the field of tariff analysis.

I have long been concerned by illicit trade. As Finance Minister in my home country, Nigeria, I witnessed how it harms societies and impedes economic growth and development. Although the full scale of illicit trade is often obscured by its clandestine nature, there is little doubt about its impacts. Spurious products threaten people’s health as well as their livelihoods. Illicit trade undermines legitimate business activity, abets corruption, and acts as a drain on the revenue and resources governments need to address critical social and economic priorities. And when illicit traders join forces with corrupt officials and financiers, the negative impacts are amplified. Illicit trade leaves no country, developing or developed, untouched.