1. Atelier CNUCED - Bamako, Mali
10 Juillet 2008
East African Community Forum on Trade Facilitation
Kigali, Rwanda, May 2013
Addressing Trade Facilitation regionally
United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
10 Juillet 2008
Pratique de la méthodologie
Pratique de la méthodologie

2. EAC Overall conformity (except KENYA)

3. Conformity status by Article (BUR, TAN, UGA, RWA)
Forum #2: Publication
Forum #2: Alerts/Tests
Forum #1: Border Cooperation
Forum #1: Single Window

4. A regional approach to improve TF conformity ?
Joint adhesion to international conventions
Joint standards in terms of services supply (transport operators, etc.)
Sharing experiences and best practices towards the implementation of a specific measure
Should these initiatives led by EAC secretariat or by the very same Member States?

5. The EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY

6. EAC Projects & Programmes
The Treaty recognises that monitoring and evaluating EAC projects and programmes is a shared responsibility at different levels and by different stakeholders:
Article 71 (I c & g) empowers the Secretariat to
undertake strategic planning & management;
monitoring & evaluation of projects and programmes for the development of the Community;
and regularly submit reports on activities of the Community to Council through the Coordination committee.

7. EAC Dev-Strategy 2011-2015 Priority Area 2: Trade Facilitation.
a) Harmonization and simplification of Customs procedures;
b) Application of ICT (Interface/Inter-connectivity) & exchange of information;
c) Management of free movement of goods
d) Establishment of effective and efficient procedures for elimination of Customs-related NTBs
e) Promotion of intra and inter-regional trade
f) Harmonization of Axle load limit
g) Development of effective policies and programmes for trade facilitation.

8. EAC’s PRIORITY INTERVENTIONS
Priority Area 4: Promotion of Customs and Trade Partnerships
a) Institutionalizing systems and partnerships with government agencies and Line Ministries at national and regional level;
b) Developing appropriate systems of partnerships with the private sector;
c) Institutionalising systems and relationships with international trade related organizations
d) Facilitation of border agencies cooperation and coordination

9. EAC’s PRIORITY INTERVENTIONS
(c) To enhance collection and dissemination of trade information: a) Building capacity in Information Technology (IT), data collection and analysis; b) Development of a mechanism for sharing information among Trade Support Institutions (TSIs); key stakeholders, business community and citizenry; c) Undertaking market research in priority sectors and markets d) Establishment of business development service centres at strategic points

10. EAC’s survey of WTO TF
A quick survey conducted by EAC on WTO’s TF measures under negotiations suggests that Partner States are implementing some of the elements of TF at different paces.
Some measures like advance rulings, require both Policy and legal framework.
Capacity Building is needed to consolidate some of the existing TF measures such as Risk Management, AEO and Post Clearance Audit (PCA).

11. But we still have a lot of work to do!
Harmonization of Customs and non-customs procedures through an integrated Border Management framework.
Finalize the interconnectivity of Customs Systems from RADDEX to a more vibrant and integrated systems
Eliminations/reduction of NTBs across the supply chain
Fully used Risk Based Management System in Customs Process

12. Regional Initiatives on TF
Adoption of the regional of customs laws and regulations since 2004 which are applied uniformly. The CMA contained a number of TF measures from the RKC.
Development and adoption of the harmonised EAC customs procedures with reduced and standardised customs forms, to ensure standard practices. C17A for ASCUDA and C17B for SIMBA

13. The EAC scene
EAC Customs Union is a powerfull integration factor supporting WTO TF conformity
The EAC customs law is designed according to the Revised Kyoto Convention.
EAC Customs Union
Customs Code
RKC provisions
WTO Agreement on TF
Customs elements
RKC provisions
Non-Customs elements

14. The WORLD CUSTOMS ORGANIZATION

15. WCO Instruments and WTO Trade Facilitation Principles
GATT 1994
Article V- Transit
Article VIII – Fees & Formalities
Article X – Publication of trade regulations
WCO (Kyoto)
Effective rules for transit procedures
Fees limited to the cost of services rendered
Simplified procedures and limited data requirement
Publication of Customs laws and procedures
RKC provisions
Tool to implement WTO Principles
High Principles
Complementary
WORLD CUSTOMS ORGANIZATION

16. World Customs Organization
Existing regional activities (as an example):
Columbus programme;
Economic Competitiveness Package (ECP);
Regional Office for Capacity Building (ROCB).

17. The Columbus Programme
Phase 1 - Needs assessment - A comprehensive diagnostic needs assessment of the current situation in the Customs administration
Phase 2 – Planning and Implementation - Support for action planning, donor matchmaking, planning of pilot activities and implementation
Phase 3 – Monitoring and Evaluation - Monitoring progress and evaluating results

18. Economic Competitiveness Package (ECP)
Objectives:
Elaboration and communication of WCO instruments and tools to stakeholders
WCO Members correctly implementing the RKC
Members implementing other WCO instruments and tools
Actions:
Promote the RKC and other instruments and tools
Enhance cooperation among all stakeholders in int. trade
Share best practices among Members
Develop new tools as appropriate
Capacity building

19. ECP conceptual framework
Risk Management Compendium
SAFE Framework of Standards
Integrity
Transit
Authorized Economic Operator
Time Release Study Guide
Revised Kyoto Convention
SMEs
Informal Sector
Data Model
Globally Networked Customs
Single Window Compendium
Coordinated Border Management
Information Exchange
Copyright © 2006 World Customs Organization. All rights reserved. Requests and inquiries concerning translation, reproduction and adaptation rights should be addressed to

20. WCO Regional Office for Capacity Building (ROCB)
To meet the objective of capacity building, in accordance with the WCO Strategic Plan, WCO has established the ROCB East and Southern Africa (based in Nairobi, Kenya) in 2008.
The ROCB covers set four priority areas (pillars) to ensure smooth implementation of the ROCB Strategic Plan. The four pillars are:

21. ROCB Pillars
Pillar 1: To support the implementation of the WCO SAFE Framework;
Pillar 2: To further develop partnerships with donor institutions;
Pillar 3: To enhance the provision of better technical and management assistance;
Pillar 4: To develop communication and coordination with Members including sharing regional best practices.

22. TF and Regional Agreements

23. TF in Regional Trade Agreements
A study by UNCTAD includes RTAs signed within developing countries, and between developing and developed countries that have been notified to the WTO. As of May 2011, from 202 RTAs on goods and services that have presently been notified to WTO, around 118 (or 58 per cent), include provisions related to some form of customs and trade facilitation measures.
For purposes of this study “RTAs” cover all levels of trade integration, from bilateral and plurilateral free trade areas, to customs unions with common external tariffs.

24. WTO-likeTF Measures contained in 118 RTAs

25. Do you have any suggestion to foster Trade Facilitation
through regional coordination and cooperation ?