The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), announces the launch of a new online platform named RIVA value chain analyzer, to help policymakers, analysts and researchers analyze trade integration in global value chains.
According to Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of ESCAP, “This first version of RIVA is expected to significantly enhance the evidence-based policymaking capacity of all our member States while preparing Governments to boost trade as a key means of implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.”
RIVA, the Regional Integration and Value Chain Analyzer will provide help to policy analysts so that they can optimize insightful graphs and statistics about their contribution. The tool can automate time-consuming data analysis tasks that were performed by experts with specialized trade and data management skills.
The online tool will support analyses and policy decision-making that require mapping of integration and linkages within global value chains as well as the full range of activities to bring a product from idea to end-use. It also allows for cross-country comparisons and benchmarking. Technical users can download data for analysis through the smooth data querying function of the platform.
Kamrang Tekreth, Secretary of State of the Cambodian Ministry of Commerce, said at the launch event, “While required data are increasingly available, major challenges remain in the capacity to utilize the data effectively and in a timely manner. From the perspective of emerging economies such as Cambodia, user-friendly tools like RIVA would be very practical for policymakers and the community, including those working with them. I am looking forward to seeing more tools and the expansion of the RIVA platform.”
