UN/CEFACT: READY FOR BUSINESS
18 September 1997
The United Nations is dedicated to making international
business easier. At the end of its second session the United
Nations Centre for Facilitation of Procedures and Practices
for Administration, Commerce and Transport (CEFACT)
demonstrated that it was assuming its role as the
international centre for global trade facilitation. The
strategic objective of CEFACT is to support international
commerce, transport and administration in the simplification
of their business processes and procedures.
Delegations, with strong industry representation, emphasized
the importance of CEFACT's simplification and electronic data
interchange work to electronic commerce and to small and
medium sized enterprise as well as the potential created by
CEFACT's cooperation with the private sector in a time of
rapid technological change.
Since its establishment earlier this year, the Centre has
been working closely with governments and the private sector
in order to put in place the organization required to support
its strategic objective. At this session, an important step
in completing this organization was made with the approval of
the first CEFACT permanent working groups. These will cover:
- Business Analysis;
- International Trade Procedures;
- Legal Aspects;
- International Codes;
- Techniques and Methodologies; and
- Electronic Commerce Policy.
Within electronic commerce, an important area of CEFACT's work is UN/EDIFACT (United Nations Electronic Data Interchange for Administration, Commerce and Transport) where over 1000 experts contribute to the ongoing work. At this session,
it was announced that the UN's Economic and Social Council had approved a recommendation
to all governments to use UN/EDIFACT.
The unique position of CEFACT is illustrated by the worldwide, active participation
in its work by governments, business and trade representatives from ECE and
other UN member states as well as by other intergovernmental organizations.
To reinforce this, the Centre has also established a network of partnerships
between its secretariat, located in the UN Economic Commission for Europe,
and the other UN Regional Commissions -- one of the highlights of this session
being the appointment of special representatives to CEFACT for the Commissions
for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP),
Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC)
and Western Asia (ESCWA). The Centre is chaired by Mr. Martre of France, President
of AFNOR, the French national standards
organization and previously Chief Executive Officer of Aerospatiale.