Case Study: Outreach Programme on the Upgraded ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement (ATIGA) & Trade Facilitation Initiatives

A regional trade deal among ASEAN Member States (AMS), the ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement (ATIGA) makes it easier for countries in the region to trade with one another. By putting its provisions into practice — such as lowering tariffs, simplifying customs procedures, and aligning trade rules — ATIGA reduces business costs and speeds up cross-border trade. It also gives businesses easier access to ASEAN’s larger regional market and stronger regional supply chains.

ASEAN’s decision to upgrade ATIGA aims to modernise trade rules and better align with today’s complex supply chains. Negotiations for this upgrade began in September 2022 and concluded in May 2025. The updated agreement, known as the 2nd Protocol to Amend the ATIGA, was endorsed at the 47th ASEAN Summit in October 2025, and signed by several Member States. The protocol will take effect in May 2027, allowing Member States time to complete their domestic approval processes.

“The signing of the Upgraded ATIGA last year marked an important moment in ASEAN’s journey towards deeper integration: enhancing customs procedures and trade facilitation, improving transparency, and introducing modern disciplines on non-tariff measures,” according to the United Kingdom Ambassador to ASEAN, H.E. Helen Fazey as she delivered her opening remarks in February on the opening day of a workshop in Timor-Leste.

The workshop in Timor-Leste is the first country-level outreach workshop on the upgraded ATIGA, following the regional workshop in Singapore that kicked-off the outreach programme. Organised by the ASEAN Secretariat and supported by the UK Government through the ASEAN-UK Economic Integration Programme (EIP) Open Trade Pillar (OTp), the outreach initiative includes a series of workshops for public and private sector stakeholders across ASEAN. The outreach programme aims to build understanding of the upgraded agreement while supporting OTp’s goals of advancing trade digitalisation, strengthening ASEAN’s trade and customs systems, and improving transparency of non-tariff measures (NTM) through digital tools.

“This outreach event is an excellent opportunity to advance these shared objectives. It enables you – as a group of policymakers, officials and technical experts – to exchange views on how best to implement the upgraded ATIGA and to ensure that its benefits are fully realised,” Ambassador Fazey further elaborated.

Attended by all AMS, the regional outreach programme on the upgraded ATIGA and Trade Facilitation Initiatives was conducted in Singapore on 4 November 2025, and country-level workshops were later held in Timor-Leste on 10-12 February 2026, and in Thailand on 5-6 March 2026, attended by local participants. 

One participant at the Timor-Leste workshop expressed that, “this outreach programme of the upgraded ATIGA and trade initiatives gives the opportunity for Timor-Leste to stay in the loop with other ASEAN Member States, to prepare the country to implement the existing ATIGA by 1 January 2028”.

To date, more than 500 people (247 males; 300 females) have participated in the workshops. It highlights the significance of the Upgraded ATIGA in the current trade environment and formally introduce the enhanced provisions and new elements incorporated in the agreement, to raise awareness of key ASEAN trade facilitation initiatives, to showcase the functionality, data coverage and practical use of the ASEAN Tariff Finder (ATF), and to foster dialogue on the progress of Member States in implementing trade facilitation initiatives and promote utilisation of ATIGA and other trade tools among private and public sector stakeholders. This outreach programme is planned to be held at all ASEAN Member States to explore potential follow-up for in-country ratification.

“Sharing sessions from AMS practitioners is really the most interesting and useful session, to learn how they start implementation, operationalization, etc.,” said another participant of the workshop in Dili. “…Next step, as I am part of the ATIGA Working Group Timor-Leste, we will review the workplan and establish closer engagement and partnership with relevant parties to implement this upgraded ATIGA”.

This is just the beginning and the EIP Open Trade Pillar is poised to continue supporting ASEAN Member States by providing technical assistance and follow-up support to help stakeholders strengthen country readiness for implementing the upgraded ATIGA.