[Index]
UN Group calls for “Task
Force on Electronic Trade Documents”
Geneva, 28 October 2004 - Two key
messages emerged from the three-day UNECE
Capacity Building Workshop on Trade Facilitation
Implementation: Tools, Techniques and Methodologies:
that a uniform approach to developing electronic
trade documents needs to be adopted, and that
it is essential to use international standards.
Through its Centre for Trade
Facilitation and Electronic Business (UN/CEFACT),
the United Nations Economic Commission for
Europe (UNECE) called for a task force to
be set up early next year on electronic documents
for trade, including UneDocs*. The task force,
which has the support of Technical Committee
154 of the International Organization for
Standardization (ISO), will have members from
all the interested parties.
Representatives of over 40
countries attended the UNECE Workshop, which
was held in Geneva from 18-20 October.
The Director of the UNECE
Trade Development and Timber Division, Carol
Cosgrove-Sacks, stressed the importance of
ensuring a smooth and efficient flow of trade
information for the international movement
of goods. “Without a standard for electronic
documents”, she said, “the world
cannot automate and move forward to paperless
trade”.
The Workshop focused on building
capacity for implementing existing UN/CEFACT
trade facilitation standards, recommendations
and tools. It provided intensive training
in:
- Supply-chain efficiency
- Document harmonization and simplification
- Use of standards and codes.
It also assessed participants’
needs and priorities regarding implementing
the tools.
Opening the Workshop, Ambassador
Alejandro Jara, Chile’s Permanent Representative
to the World Trade Organization, said that
trade facilitation, whether being undertaken
unilaterally, regionally (such as in the Asia-Pacific
Economic Cooperation Countries (APEC)) or
multilaterally, was primarily about reducing
transaction costs. He explained that under
the WTO mandate for trade facilitation negotiations,
as contained in the Agreement of July this
year, the Special and Differential Treatment
provision requires that the timing and extent
of commitments entered into by developing
countries shall be related to the countries´
implementation capacities.
He also pointed out that,
“while in WTO the trade facilitation
mandate is limited to three GATT Articles
– V, VIII and X, containing provisions
on goods in transit, fees and formalities
for imports and exports and transparency issues
– for UNECE, the World Customs Organization
(WCO) or APEC, trade facilitation might have
a different, broader meaning”.
In this regard, the Workshop
saw WTO as a channel for negotiations, addressing
the “what” of trade facilitation;
while UN/CEFACT, through its standards, recommendations,
tools, and capacity-building activities, provided
the “how”. UN/CEFACT could guide
countries in implementing the WTO Articles,
as well as other aspects of trade facilitation.
Ms. Cosgrove-Sacks called
attention to the benefits for enterprises
worldwide of implementing trade facilitation
instruments – regardless of their size
or level of development. Explaining the importance
of trade facilitation to UNECE, she said that
UNECE comprised 55 member States, including
the United States, Canada and the countries
of the former Soviet Union. “Since these
55 countries, together, account for two thirds
of world trade, it is logical that trade facilitation
should have its home in UN/CEFACT, where we
have a global remit for developing trade facilitation
instruments and tools”.
The Workshop also presented
examples of successfully operating “Single
Window” systems for submitting trade
information and documents. These were described
by speakers from Germany, Hong Kong SAR (China),
Mauritius, Senegal, Singapore, Sweden and
the United States. The speakers emphasized
that successful implementation of a “Single
Window” required securing strong political
will; establishing a strong dialogue, and
partnership, between government and business;
developing a strategic step-by-step approach;
and updating technology.
With an ever-increasing number
of countries worldwide introducing the “Single
Window”, the need for common standards
and interoperability between such facilities
has become evident. UN/CEFACT will work with
existing “Single Windows” to develop
this standard approach.
UNECE is compiling a repository
of information on the operation of current
“Single Windows”. The repository
will complement the UN/CEFACT Recommendation
and Guidelines on the establishment of a Single
Window (Recommendation No. 33).
The Workshop stressed the
need for an integrated approach to trade facilitation
among all international organizations concerned.
Mr. Toni Matsudaira, Technical Officer of
the World Customs Organization, said that
his Organization continued to support the
UNECE in trade facilitation. ”Trade
facilitation”, he said, “is not
only about customs; it also needs a holistic
approach – which UNECE has”.
The four other UN regional
commissions, ECA, ESCWA, ESCAP and ECLAC,
attended the Workshop, and expressed their
support for UNECE’s trade facilitation
activities. They will consider the possibility
of organizing regional workshops on this topic
jointly with UNECE.
For further information, please contact:
Mr. Jean Kubler
Acting Chief, Global Trade Solutions Branch
UNECE Trade Development and Timber Division
Palais des Nations
CH-1211 Geneva, Switzerland
Phone: +41 (0) 22 917 27 74
Fax: +41 (0) 22 917 06 29
E-mail: [email protected]
Web site: http://www.unece.org/trade/workshop/wks_capbld/Wkshop_capbld.html
___________
* Detailed information on UNeDocs can be
found at http://www.unece.org/etrades/unedocs/
Ref: ECE/TRADE/04/N01