Transcript Document 7249886

Regional Co-operation in Trade,Transit and
Transport Facilitation
UNCTAD’s
Work
Tehran, 16-17 Novemeber 2005
United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
Mission
To provide developing countries with
sustainable trade, transit and
transport facilitation capacity
at national and regional levels.
Implementation principles
• Rely on local knowledge rather than
systematic international expertise;
• Build on regional trade, transit & transport
facilitation networks;
• Introduce ICT solutions along selected trade
and transport corridors ;
• Use available ICT tools (e.g. ASYCUDA,
ACIS).
Issues covered
• Institutional, legal and operational
reforms.
• Institution building with private and
public trade and transport communities.
• Trade routes and transport corridors in
regional networks.
• Linkages between national/regional and
global operators.
Security issues
• Developing countries need to cope with
security initiatives adopted at national
and international levels.
• The economic impact of these initiatives
must be taken into consideration.
Ongoing activities
1.
Research and analysis.
2.
Exchange of experiences & Consensus building.
3.
Information systems development.
4.
Technical assistance.
5.
Training & Knowledge dissemination.
6.
Doha Declaration
7.
Trade Facilitation in the WTO Framework Agreement
1. Research and publications
Examples
• Improvement of the legal framework for transport transit
and trade facilitation.
• Tools for assessing needs and priorities in TF.
• Support to transport and trade facilitation platforms.
• Trade and transport facilitation cluster development.
• Impact of security measures on developing countries
trade.
2. Exchange of experiences
and Consensus building
• Intergovernmental meetings:
– Almaty Parallel Event on Trade Facilitation, Aug. 2003
– Interactive Session on Transport & TF at UNCTAD XI.
• Experts meetings:
– Trade Facilitation, Nov. 2002, MT & logistics services, Sept. 2003,
Transit transport arrangements, Nov. 2004 and; Expert Meeting on
Trade Facilitation as an Engine for Development, September 2005
3. Information systems
development
• ASYCUDA:
installed in 84 countries.
See web-site:
www.asycuda.org
• ACIS:
installed in 18 countries.
See web-site:
www.railtracker.org
Technical cooperation
(external financing)
4. Objective
Aims at establishing a favorable domestic
environment for international trade transactions,
based on effectively implemented international
instruments, recognized best commercial practices
and common standards while recognizing the
critical importance of border crossing points,
which are key locations where discrepancies
between buyers and sellers’ domestic trade
environments are being exacerbated.
Current Projects
• Integrated country projects:
– Afghanistan and Pakistan (in co-operation with the
World Bank);
– Economic Co-operation Organization (ECO).
• IT-based management projects:
– Advance Cargo Information System, ACIS;
– ASYCUDA.
• Inter-regional projects:
– Needs and priorities in trade facilitation;
– Transport and trade facilitation platforms;
– Sustainable T & TF capacity for LLDCs.
Afghanistan
Emergency Customs Modernization
and Trade Facilitation project
Key objective: to increase Government
revenues from Customs through: (a) better
administration and collection of existing
customs revenues; and (b) facilitating trade
and transit to increase the customs
revenue base.
Pakistan: Promotion of trade and
transport sectors
Addressing trade and transport
facilitation measures and its
implementation.
Support to trade facilitation
platforms in developing countries
Aims at assisting developing countries and, in
particular, least developed countries, in
implementing specific trade facilitation
institutional development mechanisms. The
project has been focusing on two types of
trade facilitation platforms, namely:
facilitation bodies and single window facilities.
Economic Cooperation
Organization (ECO):
Introduction of international multimodal
transport operations in the ECO region
covering both Multimodal Transport and
Trade Facilitation issues.
Capacity building in trade and transport
facilitation for land locked and transit
developing countries
Aims at providing land locked and transit
developing countries with sustainable capacity to
plan and implement regional trade and transport
facilitation initiatives through local trade and
transport facilitation clusters and partnerships in
maritime, inland and border trading communities.
5. Training and
Knowledge dissemination
• WTO-related workshops:
– Organized with WTO; UNIDO; EU, etc.
• Trade logistics events:
– ICT & transport (Rio, Nov.03); Course on MT &
Logistics.
5. Training and
Knowledge dissemination (continued)
• Longer-term training:
– UNCTAD X Para.166 – International
Economic Agenda;
– Course on Logistics; Courses with World
Maritime Uni.
• Publications:
– Review of Maritime Transport 2005.
6. Doha Declaration
• 27. Recognizing the case for further expediting the movement,
release and clearance of goods including goods in transit and the
need for enhanced technical assistance and capacity building in this
area, we agree that negotiations will take place after the Fifth
Session of the Ministerial Conference on the basis of a decision, by
explicit consensus, at that Session on modalities of negotiations. In
the period until the Fifth Session, the Council for Trade in Goods
shall review and as appropriate, clarify and improve relevant aspects
of Articles V, VIII and X of the GATT 1994 and identify the trade
facilitation needs and priorities of Members, in particular developing
and least-developed countries. We commit ourselves to ensuring
adequate technical assistance and support for capacity building in
this area.
• (WT/MIN(01)/DEC/W/1, 14 November 2001)
7. Trade Facilitation including transit
and the WTO
• WTO member States agreed:
– to launch negotiations on trade facilitation, aiming at the
establishment of an agreement to further expedite the movement,
release and clearance of goods, including goods in transit by
clarifying and
improving relevant aspects
of GATT Articles V, VIII & X.
– To ensure technical assistance
and support for capacity building.
Art. V
Freedom of Transit
• Simplify transit rules and procedures
• Simplify customs procedures and documentation requirements
• Use of international standards (e.g. TIR)
•
Minimize burden on transit operations
• Secure non-discriminatory treatment
• Revisit fees, charges and securities
•
Support creation of regional systems and corridors
• Foster cooperation among administrations
Art. VIII
Fees and formalities
• Reduce, legitimize fees and charges
•
Simplify & standardize
•
Introduce simplified customs
release & clearance
•
Establish risk assessment
& authorized traders
•
Customs Automation
•
Coordinate official controls
•
Foster integrity
Art. X
Publication of trade regulations
• Complete transparency of all relevant
laws and procedures
• Establish mechanisms towards publication and availability of
information
•
Consultation & periodic review
• Establish consultative/feedback mechanisms and minimum
time periods before entry into force
•
Customs appeal procedures
• Establish review and appeal procedures and due process
UNCTAD’s Contribution
1. WTO negotiations process
2. Regional Co-operation in
Transit
1.
WTO negotiations process
• A short-term/immediate technical assistance to
enable negotiators (GVA & Capitals) to “better
evaluate the implications” of the negotiated TF
rules on their development policies and
objectives.
• Longer-term technical assistance aimed at
enhancing national capabilities to effectively
implement the negotiated TF rules.
2.
Regional Co-Operation in Transit
1.
Challenges and Opportunities for transit
facilitation, to name a few….
Importance of Regional Co-operation
What should happen for Reginal Cooperation to accelerate
Implementation of various instruments
such as ECO-TTFA
Cooperative Work
2.
3.
4.
5.
1. Challenges and Opportunities for
transit facilitation, to name a few….
• level of infrastructure development needed
to facilitate transit thus, increased
budgetary allocations required
• reforms required to modernize and
harmonize regulatory, institutional and
managerial systems
1.
Challenges and Opportunities for
transit facilitation(continued)
• Technical assistance support including:
– Negotiation and adoption of the legal
instruments;– Legislative work to translate and internalise the legal
instrument into national legislation;
– Mobilization of financial and human resources in
support of implementation of the intended reforms;
and
– Management of change on a sustainable basis.
1.
Challenges and Opportunities for
transit facilitation, to name a
few…(continued)
• Need for increased financial support at regional
and sub-regional level for transit promotion
• construction, maintenance and improvement of
transport, storage and other transit-related
facilities, including alternative routes and
improved communications.
2.
Importance of Regional Cooperation
• As cost being serious impediment to
development, cooperation in transport,
trade and transit facilitation could yield
important benefits in improving economic
performance of the region
• Harnessing vast resources in the region
require high degree of RC
2.
Importance of Regional Cooperation (continued)
• Could contribute to building trust and confidence
in the region
• In order to facilitate transit traffic as goods cross
more than one national border, regional and
subregional approaches to transit co-operation
has become the main vehicle for achieving the
aims set forth in Article V of GATT.
3.
What should happen for Reginal
Co-operation to accelerate
• Political Will with less vested interests
• Long term process recognizing short years
of independence
• Donor's understanding of culture and
history of the region
• Promote "win-win" solutions not "we winyou lose" and "we win we lose"
4. Implementation of various
instruments such as ECO-TTFA
Implement provisions of the Economic
Cooperation Organization’s negotiated
major initiative in transit and transport
sectors in the region.
5. Cooperative work
• With all UN Regional Commissions and
other agencies such as: ITC, UNIDO,
IMO, WB, IMF and;
• With intergovernmental organizations
such as WTO, WCO, OECD, ECO;
• With business sectors institutions such
as ICC, FIATA, IAPH.
Co-operation with Islamic Republic of
Iran: Building Bridges
• Iran as a Transit Hub in the Western Asia
• Region-wide Potential for Iranian Railroad
Transit
• UNCTAD’s Specific Cooperation with Iran
Iran as a Transit Hub in the
Western Asia
1.
Region-wide Potential for Iranian
Railroad Transit
2.
UNCTAD’s Specific Cooperation
with Iran
UNCTAD’s Specific Cooperation
with Iran
Need for Partnerships
3.
4.
Iran as a Transit Hub in the Western
Asia
• Half way between the East and the West, and
the North and the South and promises a suitable
market for providing transport services in
international trade.
• Potential for transit of goods in Iran's railway,
road, ports and shipping, airways, and
compound transportation sectors requires good
planning and coordinations
Iran as a Transit Hub in the Western
Asia (continued)
• Iran providing transit links to Afghanistan and to
Northern neighbours: Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan
and Kazakhstan and more to other countries
from their South-Northern initiative.
• Promotion of South-North Corridor
Region-wide Potential for Iranian
Railroad Transit
• Railway is an important mean of transport used
for transit of goods and is becoming increased
important in the region
• Transit corridor from the South-East to the west
could connect Singapore to Europe by railway
provided when it links railway between Kerman
and Zahedan inside Iran and railway between
Bangladesh and Thailand.
• transit corridor starting China and passes
through Central Asian countries and Iran linking
with Sarakhs-Mashhad railroad could provide
transportation via major following routes:
Region-wide Potential for Iranian
Railroad Transit
(continued)
• The northern route which passes through Jolfa and
joins railroads of Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia,
Russia and Ukraine to the Black Sea and Eastern
and Northern Europe.
• The western route which joins the Middle East Arab
countries and Europe through Turkey.
• The third project is a northern transit corridor which
provides for transportation from Japan and Korea
to Europe by means of the Russian Federation's
route. By this route and a diversion toward the
railway network of central Asia, Transit Transport
becomes available over the Iranian land towards
the Middle East countries
Region-wide Potential for Iranian
Railroad Transit
(continued)
• Requires an integrated and co-ordinated
approach and Planning to take advantage
of this unique location between all
transport modes and related sectors in
Iran. More specifically: requires
development and upgrade of transit
facilities to respond to the needs of the
CAR, Afghanistan and others
UNCTAD’s Specific Cooperation with
Iran
• ASYCUDA Being implemented with the
Iran Customs Authority
• ACIS
Port Tracker Module
organized with Ports and Shipping
Organization at Shaheed Rajaee Port
(Bander Abbas)
•
-Rail Tracker possibility was
also explored
• Role of TF Measures in Improved
Transport
UNCTAD’s Specific Cooperation with
Iran (continued)
• Promotion of Transit Cooperation
• Transport and Terminal Organization
(TTO) has requested assistance in
modernisation the freight management
system on roads
• Active participation in regional project of
Multimodal transport
Need for Partnerships
• Partnerships can play an important role in the effective
implementation of trade and transport facilitation
measures. They contribute to increase developing
countries’ participation in global trade.
• Multilateral platforms assist in achieving this goal:
– The UN-Trade Facilitation Cooperation Scheme;
– The Global Facilitation Partnership for Transportation and Trade
(www.gfptt.org).
Thank You
Sham Bathija, UNCTAD Coordinator
For Central Asia and its Affiliated Institutions
and the ECO Region
DSITE/UNCTAD/United Nations
CH 1211 Geneva, Switzerland
Telephone +4122 917 5881
Fax
+4122 917 0050
Email [email protected]
END