UNCTAD Technical Assistance and
Capacity Building in Trade
Facilitation
WTO, NGTF, 1 July 2009
How does UNCTAD operate
• As an executing agency for projects externally funded in
partnership with government and business sectors in
beneficiary countries.
• Often as a team player in joint technical assistance
projects under a broader umbrella such as ONE UN and
(E) Integrated Framework or Annex D
• Focusing on strengthening local capacities and designing
trade facilitation policy actions based on international
standards and best practices
TACB in Trade Facilitation
• Integrated country projects
– Trade Facilitation + Customs Automation
– Transport and Trade Facilitation
• ASYCUDA national and regional projects
– Customs Automation, procedures and administarive
reform, training of users
• Trust Fund on WTO negotiations on TF
– Flexible facility in support of developing countries
during the negotiations
Objectives of the Trust Fund
To support developing countries in facing challenges
stemming from trade facilitation negotiations and
future implementation of their outcome:
•
To develop a better capacity to take active part in
the multilateral trade negotiations process on trade
facilitation;
And
•
To take advantage of the opportunities offered by
the implementation of the outcome of the trade
facilitation negotiations.
Activities to support WTO and
other Annex D organizations
• Awareness raising workshops
• Support to regional initiatives
• Preparation of Needs assessments
workshops through development of
support groups
• Reference library
• Provision of Needs Assessment facilitators
• … funds until around November 2009 …
Recent developments
• Special facility within the Trust Fund for African Group and
SVE delegations in Geneva.
• Comparative legal study (to be released soon) on cross-cutting
issues related to implementation and monitoring of the TF
negotiation outcomes.
• New revision/update of the UNCTAD Technical Notes.
• New On-line Repository on national trade facilitation working
groups (in collaboration with UNECE)
– Cases studies on how to set up and maintain a national coordinating
mechanism
– Sharing Lessons Learned and Best Practices
http://r0.unctad.org/ttl/repository/
…unfortunately no Mister
TACB exists yet
Implementation Challenges
• Implementation of administrative reform is difficult
irrespective of whether it relies on internal or external
resources
• A good plan/project, including clear objectives, actions
and responsibilities is necessary but not sufficient.
• Conducive institutional environment, high level support,
human, technical and financial sustainable resources,
motivated staff, co-operation with all stakeholders … are
needed.
Implementation Opportunities
• To design effective trade facilitation reforms that would
match foreign trade policy and national trading
community needs.
• To adapt the level of ambition to national development
and regional integration strategies.
• To benefit from a greater exchange of best practices, know
how and support with WTO fellow Members.
• To build local capacities to design and execute reform
projects.
• To improve the coordination of existing Technical
Assistance at the diagnostic and implementation phases.
Thank you .
WTO, NGTF, 1 July 2009