Welcome to our International Forum on Trade Facilitation Carol Cosgrove-Sacks Director

1. Welcome to our International Forum on Trade Facilitation Carol Cosgrove-Sacks Director Trade Development & Timber Division United Nations Economic Commission for Europe

2. Trade Facilitation - key tool in economic development Trade as engine of growth Globalization - dominant feature of today’s economy Trade Facilitation supports this goal Millennium Development Goal United Nations Economic Commission for Europe

3. Trade Facilitation - Regional / international approach Trade Facilitation at national and regional level - based on international standards UN regional commissions United Nations Economic Commission for Europe

4. UNECE’s approach Standards development and trade facilitation – at global level Implementation in member States Facilitating debate and policy development – at regional and global level United Nations Economic Commission for Europe

5. Enhancing economic potential of our member States Increasing market access Reducing costs Improving trade infrastructures and competitiveness Improving integration in the global market Economic impact of trade facilitation Enhancing security United Nations Economic Commission for Europe

6. Some of our Trade Facilitation tools UN Layout Key for trade documents UN/EDIFACT standards for electronic commerce 30 Recommendations Agricultural quality standards – approx. 100 Technical harmonization & standardization policies New e-business standards (UN/CEFACT) Current survey (baseline) United Nations Economic Commission for Europe

7. New areas in Trade Facilitation Security – need for collaboration Enhancement of International Supply Chain Reference Model “Single Window” Recommendation and Guide Benchmarking Guide and Recommendation Flow of information Policy papers United Nations Economic Commission for Europe

8. Capacity Building Focus on member States Project on Trade Facilitation and electronic business in Mediterranean (e-Med) UN electronic trade documents (UNeDocs) Project to improve trade finance and investment prospects for Russian timber sector POLITICAL WILL United Nations Economic Commission for Europe

9. Capacity Building (other examples) Electronic Data Interchange (UN/EDIFACT) in eastern Europe Southeast European Cooperative Initiative (SECI) Special Programme for the Economies of Central Asia (SPECA) Collaboration with WTO in Doha Development Agenda Seminars on quality control for perishable produce Implementation of UNECE Recommendation on International Model for Technical Harmonization United Nations Economic Commission for Europe

10. Regional Dimension UN Development Account project, 2004-2005 Regional commissions and the Doha Development Agenda Commitment to common actions United Nations Economic Commission for Europe

11. Promotion International Forum on Trade Facilitation Strengthening UNECE Trade Multiplier Point programme Developing additional promotional & information material, - electronic and paper versions Wide range of publications (selection available in and outside Conference room) United Nations Economic Commission for Europe

12. Cooperation UN regional commissions UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) World Trade Organization (WTO) International Trade Centre (ITC) European Union (EU) Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) United Nations Economic Commission for Europe

13. Cooperation (cont’d) • International Organization for Standardization (ISO) • UN ICT Task Force • Business community and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) • High-level trade coordination meetings United Nations Economic Commission for Europe