160 experts from over 40 countries and organisations in Africa, Asia, Europe and North America are gathering this week in Bangkok for the 28th UN/CEFACT Forum (26 - 30 September) to develop recommendations, standards and other instruments to support trade facilitation.
Some of the key expected outcomes are:
- Approval by the Bureau of the UNECE Recommendation on Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) in Trade Facilitation;
- Launching of a new UN/CEFACT project on core operational aspects of Single Windows;
- Finalisation of the draft UN/CEFACT standard for traceability of agricultural products, including animal and plant fibres;
- Sharing of best practices in using UN/CEFACT standards, recommendations and guidance for directly exchanging electronic sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) certificates; and
- Completion of the project that produced the Verified Gross Mass (VERMAS) message that allows the transmission of the weight and related details for a packed container (it is a legal requirement that all parties along the transport chain are informed about the verified gross mass of a container).
Eight Mini Conferences have been organised during the week to showcase ongoing UN/CEFACT projects and new deliverables. The topics include women in trade facilitation, sustainable fisheries (FLUX standard) and Single Window.
This edition of the UN/CEFACT Forum is co-hosted by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and the Electronic Transactions Development Agency (ETDA) of Thailand.