FIATA
International Federation of
Freight Forwarders Associations
The global voice of freight logistics

Key Updates on 2026 FIATA HQ Meeting, NCD Convention, CBAM & ICS2

FIATA e-flash
12 January 2026

2026 FIATA HQ Meeting: Early Bird Offer Ends Soon!

The 2026 FIATA Headquarters (HQ) Meeting will bring together Members, partners, and international stakeholders in Geneva, Switzerland from the 30 March to the 2 April 2026 for focused dialogue on the issues shaping freight forwarding and global logistics. The meeting provides a platform to exchange knowledge, strengthen cooperation, and engage directly on regulatory, operational, and strategic developments affecting the industry.

Early bird registration closes on Friday, 16 January 2026. Members requiring a visa are advised that Swiss or Schengen visa processing may take up to two to three months, and are therefore encouraged to initiate their request at the earliest opportunity.

The programme reflects the evolving responsibilities of freight forwarders within increasingly complex supply chains and underlines FIATA’s role in connecting regional perspectives with international commitments.

The programme has been carefully curated to translate expert dialogue into practical outcomes, channelling Members’ knowledge to strengthen FIATA’s actions for their benefit.

  • Driving Competitiveness of Multimodal Corridors
  • Mastering Risk Management in Airfreight
  • Building Effective Digital Learning
  • Turning Sustainable Compliance into Resilience
  • Coffee & Learn - eFBL User clinic: Practical Demo, Member Support and Insurance Insights
  • Cross Border Action Against Illicit Trade
  • FIATA Regional Committee Meetings: Turning Global Strategy into Regional Action
  • Unlocking Seamless Multimodal Trade in the Digital Age: the new NCD Convention
  • De Minimis and E-Commerce in Practice: What Freight Forwarders Need to Know
  • Coffee & Learn – Leveraging the value of Data
  • Unlocking Value with Emerging Technologies in Freight Forwarding
  • Mastering Public Speaking & GS3 Competition Award Ceremony

For details of each of the session, click here.

Register now and be part of the discussions at the 2026 FIATA HQ Meeting!

*Details of the FIATA Closed Meetings, on Thursday 2 April, will be shared separately with members of the respective groups concerned.
Disclaimer: The programme outlined above is preliminary in nature and is intended to give participants a general overview of what the FIATA HQ Meeting might entail. All timings, session names and topics are merely indicative, and FIATA reserves the right to modify the programme and session details at anytime. In no circumstances shall FIATA be held liable for any amendments to the programme or any consequences arising from such amendments. Participants are responsible for checking FIATA communications for any changes to the programme.

International Trade and Law: UN Adopts Landmark Convention on Negotiable Cargo Documents

On 16 December, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly adopted the United Nations Convention on Negotiable Cargo Documents (NCD Convention), establishing the first harmonised, technology-neutral legal framework recognising the negotiability of multimodal transport documents, including electronic forms such as the FIATA Multimodal Transport Bill of Lading (eFBL).

The Convention supports digital trade, legal certainty and end-to-end multimodal transport, benefitting freight forwarders, SMEs and global supply chains. It will play a critical role in facilitating access to trade finance, opening new opportunities particularly in regions reliant on long inland routes and complex multimodal planning. It complements existing transport liability regimes and can be applied without altering current operational processes.

During that landmark week, the UN Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) Working Group VI convened on 15-19 December 2025 to work on the development of the accompanying explanatory note to the Convention. In addition, various side events were organised to showcase the practical benefits brought by the Convention, and the efforts underway to support the Convention’s practical implementation. FIATA was invited to showcased the electronic negotiable FIATA Multimodal Transport Bill of Lading (eFBL), and the fully digital pilots conducted in 2024 on real-life transactions – one from Kazakhstan to China, and the other from Turkmenistan to Romania – using the eFBL and the NCD Convention. FIATA presented on its work to support further pilots amongst its members and other trade actors, such as customs, and its efforts to support its Members in advocating for the Convention’s ratification by their respective governments. In addition, FIATA participated in a role-play dialogue together with the Global Shippers Forum (GSF), International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Banking Commission, and ICC Digital Standards Initiative to demonstrate how the Convention would work in practice.

As explained by Ms Anna Joubin-Bret, Secretary to the UNCITRAL, during the special session held to welcome the adoption of the Convention, the NCD Convention is a great example of multilateralism and global trade at a time of disruption and fragmentation. The Convention will enter into force once ten States deposit their ratifications, with a formal signature ceremony planned in 2026 in Accra, Ghana, the home of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

The draft text of the Convention, as transmitted for adoption, is available here. For more information on the NCD Convention, please see the past communications by FIATA (here and here). Members and stakeholders are encouraged to familiarise themselves with the Convention and prepare for its implementation. FIATA will continue to work to develop practical tools and resources to support implementation and ratification, including further pilots to be launched shortly.

FIATA Members requiring assistance and support to work with their government to ratify the Convention are invited to contact legal@fiata.org.

For further information, please consult the What you need to know about the UN Convention on negotiable cargo documents FAQ.

Read FIATA's Press Release here.

Read the official UN Press Release here.

Sustainability: EU CBAM Simplification Measures in Force in 2026

FIATA would like to remind its Members that the European Parliament adopted simplification measures to the European Union (EU) Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), ahead of the definitive regime which entered into force on 1 January 2026.

The measures introduce targeted adjustments to reduce administrative burdens, including a de minimis threshold exempting importers handling less than 50 tonnes per year of CBAM-covered goods, alongside clearer emissions calculation methodologies and streamlined reporting requirements.

While importers remain responsible for CBAM compliance, these developments will have implications across logistics and supply chains, with freight forwarders increasingly supporting clients on emissions data, documentation and preparedness.

FIATA encourages Members to review their exposure to CBAM, engage with clients accordingly and make use of FIATA’s available CO₂ calculation resources. FIATA will continue to monitor developments and provide updates as further guidance becomes available.

For a detailed overview of the measures and their implications for the logistics community, click here to read the full FIATA communication.

CBAM Sources:

Safety and Security: ICS2 - Updated List of "Stop Words"

The European Commission has updated its list of “Stop Words”, the use of which in Entry Summary Declarations (ENS) may trigger automatic rejections under ICS2 due to insufficient data quality. This update is the result of the ongoing implementation of the Import Control System 2 (ICS2) and shows the growing importance of providing accurate cargo data to avoid filing rejections, operational delays, and potential compliance risks. Members are encouraged to review existing guidance on data quality, ensure alignment with current ICS2 messaging specifications ahead of the decommissioning of ICS2 v2 on 3 February, and proactively communicate data requirements to their clients.

For more information, please see the related article.

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