International trade has been a powerful driver of economic growth and higher living standards around the world. However, the global trading system has come under increasing pressure in recent years from global shocks, supply chain disruptions and geopolitical uncertainty. Countries will need to work together to make the global trading system fairer and function better while preserving the benefits of open markets and rules-based global trade, and navigating structural transformations in our economies.
This report looks at two such transformations that are reshaping international supply chains, bringing both opportunities and challenges. The rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) has significant potential to optimise supply chain operations and logistics but can also present risks that must be carefully managed – including data protection and cybersecurity. In parallel, policies to advance the green transformation can help reduce carbon emissions and tackle pollution while enhancing energy security, but to be fully effective they may require more detailed information at the border on how products are produced, transported, and certified.
Effective and coherent policies on trade facilitation are key to navigating these transformations. Streamlined, AI-enabled border procedures can support resilient supply chains by keeping goods moving more efficiently, including during crises, and by providing firms with the flexibility needed to diversify their suppliers and markets. Secure, standardised, and machine-readable data, together with interoperable systems, can help integrate new environment-related requirements while minimising bottlenecks at the border.
The 2025 Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders’ Gyeongju Declaration reaffirmed the importance of AI for international trade, as well as the need to promote more environmentally sustainable trade. In close partnership with Korea, the OECD provided evidence and analysis to support APEC discussions.
Building on these developments at APEC 2025, this report brings together the OECD’s work on creating a supportive policy environment for trade facilitation and paperless trade. It highlights the links between supply chain efficiency, resilience and environmental performance, and the role of digitalisation in strengthening these outcomes. The work significantly benefits from insights drawn from Korea’s rapid progress and policy efforts to deploy AI tools at the border and beyond.
Going forward, the OECD will continue to provide our objective, evidence-based analysis to support policymakers in seizing the full potential of digital and AI-enabled trade facilitation for stronger, more sustainable growth in the years ahead.
Mathias Cormann
Secretary-General, OECD
Han-Koo Yeo
Trade Minister of Korea