1. Capacity Building & Standards UNCTAD Trade Facilitation Section Birgit Viohl

2. Implementation Trade Facilitation is a public policy issue driven by urge for administrative effectiveness and pro- development growth strategies a private sector issue driven by search for operating effeciency, quality & innovation, and compliance effectiveness Standards are an important element of the implementation of trade facilitation reform

3. Implementation and Standards Link between public policy and private sector operations. Drivers for standards industry’ s demand and industry itself which apply them de facto or formalise them change in the regulatory context; e.g. security regulations developed to concretise certain abstract norms / rules in national regulation and int’l agreements (legal character if they are referred to in regulation or jurisprudence.

4. WTO and Standards WTO « agreement » on trade facilitation will set basic general rules on TF. Countries will concretise their implementation. There is a marge / scope for differences in implementation Existing standards (int’l or regional) will be looked for Need for capacity building on standards

5. UNCTAD’s work and standards UNCTAD has a global mandate for technical assistance and capacity building for the public sector in support of trade facilitation WTO negotiations related support (capacity building, institutional strengthening, needs assessments, advice) Support to national and regional trade facilitation programmes on the strategic level ASYCUDA implementation (applies many of CEFACT standards (UN layout key, EDI, XML, CCL)

6. Capacity building for TF Training, Institutional building, Awareness raising How much do we touch upon the issue of standards? … Not a lot but understanding of standards and standardisation process is necessary

7. …not a lot but why Political level and technical level seems to be disconnected Reactive approach to standards. Reliance on tf projects and tools which are based on standards. Fundamental capacity building questions: What ?, Who ?, How ?

8. What ? Sensitivation on standards –« where do they come into play? What do they solve? What are the requirements? » Sensitivation on implementation of standards –e.g. how is the UN layout key used in a national context ? –Regulatory actions necessary Information on which standards are used by the industry in country x –How can the political level find out of the use and needs of standards on the national level

9. Who ? Public and private sector Public includes national standard setting body (very limited in developing countries) Who need to know what and how much of standards? Flexible and adjusted information

10. How ? Information packages Training packages and modules for specific target groups Case studies of use in developing countries In collaboration with UN agencies working on the strategic and political level –Regional commissions –UNCTAD (national trade facilitation working groups constitute fora of stakeholders) Support to initiatives raising the profile of standards in developing countries; e.g.Pan- African alliance for e-commerce

11. Thank you? Birgit.viohl@unctad.org