5th tranche UN Development Account project

1
5th tranche UN Development Account project UNECE
and UNESCAP Capacity-Building for Trade
Facilitation in Support of Trade Integration in
Central Asia Mario Apostolov, Regional Adviser,
UNECE Trade mario.apostolov_at_unece.org
2
Logic of the project

1. Strengthen regional cooperation
2. Build networks (a) Project Working Group and (b)
   public-private cooperation
3. Build the foundation for pilot projects
4. Project seed money -gt we suggest topics,
   standards and tools for national and rtegional
   projects (AZ, KZ, KG, TJ, UZ) and donor financed
   projects (GTZ, USAID, ADB)

3
UN Development Account project in trade
facilitation in Central Asia results

• 1. Two networks
• Working Group on trade (decision makers) 4
  sessions
• Public-private and interagency cooperation
  (formal and informal conference in Almaty
  contacts in all forms of activities under the
  project)
• 2. New capacity created seminars, trainings,
  etc.

4
UNDA project 2 Capacity-building results

• Trainings, seminars and conferences on
• Seminar on Integrated approach to trade
  facilitation (Almaty, June 07) all 7 countries
  and donors (GTZ, USAID, ADB) started projects
  on national trade facilitation bodies (KG, TJ),
  the Single Window (KG, TJ), international
  standards. This seminar organized together with
  first public-private mechaisms meeting
• Second seminar on Single Window (Baku, May 2008)
• 2008-2009 Another series of national seminars
  and projects in Kyrgyzstan (1) and Uzbekistan (4)
  plus training in Sweden on the Single Window

5
Rec. 33 The Single Window Concept
FROM
TO
Customs, export, import, etc. processes
together Many documents filed together Appr. 1
hour for clearance
Mountains of paper 30 mistakes Weeks for
clearance
6
Two directions of work in building a Single
Window

• Policy work
• Building political will
• Interagency management group
• Draft concept paper and a feasibility study
• Appoint a lead organization (e.g. Customs)
• Harmonize policy
• (80 of the work - negotiations)

• Technical work
• Interagency technical group
• Data harmonization
• Developing a SW system
• Alignment with international standards
• (20 technical work)

7
MASTER PLAN FOR IMPLEMENTING A SINGLE WINDOW
STEP-BY-STEP (Rec.33)

1. Business can make a well argumented request
2. Create interagency groups
3. of decision-makers
4. of technical specialists
5. Develop a Single Window Concept
6. Build political will
7. Feasibility study / Analysis of purpose
8. Selection of a lead agency / implementing agency
9. Draft a Work Plan
10. Creating the technical system data harmonizat,
    start step-by-step e.g. licenses

8
Seminar 2 Single WindowDefinition a system
that allows all participants in trade and
transport file requested information in only one
place, in a standard format, in order to carry
out import, export and transit operations.
Key TF issue in WTO

• Seminar 3 electronic trade documents (Bishkek,
  Oct. 2008)- Training how to create electronic
  trade documents- Study visit to the Manas
  Airport (electronic declaration)- Started a
  pilot project on establishing a  forms
  repository  - introduce it in all countries in
  the region!

9
Forms repository gather all document forms in
one place only Formular Server www.zoll.de
10

• Seminar 4 Trade Facilitation at the Border
  (Dushanbe, May 2009)- How to move the process
  of inspecting documents and trade information
  further from the border-crossings, in order to
  avoid congestion- Study visit to the border
  between Tajikistan and Uzbekistan (Tursunzade)
  describing the process

11
Border

• Border police

Customs
Veterinary
Financial control
Road agency
Phytosanitary
Environment
12
Cooperation
13
International cooperation
Border Service
Border Service
Customs
Customs
Inspection Services
Inspection Services
14
Network II national mechanisms for trade and
transport facilitation (Rec. 4) and the Single
Window conferencia in Almaty, Oct. 2009

• Public-private partnership for trade facilitation
• Forum to discuss problems and possible solutions
• Cooperation and projects with international
  organizations (UNECE, WTO, UNCTAD, WB) and aid
  agencies (GTZ, WB, USAID, ADB)
• On the Single Window the key interest. The
  Recommendations from the seminar have already
  been discussed at the Prime Ministers office.
• To follow

15
How to bridge gaps in interests?
State agencies
Stress on the function
Customs, Police, etc.
Ministries of trade, transport, etc.
Exporters, importers, freight
forwarders, software companies banks, SMEs etc.
Big companies and associations in various sectors
Business
16
How to bridge gaps in interests?
State agencies
Stress on the function
Customs, Police, etc.
Ministries of trade, transport, etc.
Exporters, importers, freight
forwarders, software companies banks, SMEs etc.
Big companies and associations in various sectors
Business
17
Electronic Corridors and the Eurasian trade
links
18
Thanks!
mario.apostolov_at_unece.org www.unece.org/trade
www.unece.org/cefact