UN Accra Convention signed, paving way for digital cargo papers

Twenty-six States have signed the United Nations Convention on Negotiable Cargo Documents, known as the Accra Convention. The signing took place in Accra, Ghana, on Oct. 26, according to the International Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations (FIATA).

The signatories are Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, China, Comoros, Côte d’Ivoire, Cuba, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Dominica, the Dominican Republic, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Pakistan, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Tanzania, Togo and Venezuela. FIATA said more States are expected to sign once their diplomatic procedures are complete.

The Convention provides a harmonized and technology-neutral legal framework for negotiable cargo documents in paper and electronic form. FIATA said these documents have historically been tied closely to sea transport, and the Convention aims to cover goods moving by road, rail, sea and air across borders.

FIATA said the Convention reflects existing commercial practice rather than a new model. It added that the framework is particularly relevant to multimodal corridors and to emerging and landlocked economies, and may support trade finance and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

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