CAREC Customs Cooperation Meeting and Time Release Study Seminar
Post-event Statement
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Toward Smoother, Cheaper Trade in Central Asia
Trade drives economic growth across Asia. In the landlocked Central Asia region, eight countries are working together under the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) Program* to improve the trade environment with a focus on six transport and trade corridors linking the countries to each other, and the CAREC region to major markets across Eurasia.
Modern customs and logistics arrangements will be critical to cutting trade costs and time, and to ensuring the Program’s large investments in transport infrastructure* bring the greatest benefit to the region.
The CAREC Customs Cooperation Committee (CCC)*, which is supported by the Asian Development Bank*, held its 9th annual meeting at ADBI in September. The meeting reviewed each country’s progress in the simplification and harmonization of customs procedures and documentation, including single-window development; ICT for customs modernization and data exchange; risk management and post-entry audit; joint customs control; and regional transit development.
As the Program considers options for a regional customs modernization project, the CCC studied the Time Release Study (TRS) methodology* developed by the World Customs Organization (WCO) and its use in Japan. The TRS is a tool to measure the efficiency of customs procedures and identify bottlenecks. In a discussion of Japan’s approach to TRS’s*, Japan Customs outlined its experience and key findings from the nine studies it has implemented since 1991. The findings have helped it fine-tune customs processes and shape new initiatives such as its Authorized Economic Operators program*. The results have been impressive—a two-thirds reduction since 1991 in the mean time required for the clearance of imported goods transported by both sea and air.
The CCC also reviewed issues surrounding the development of single window systems to support international trade. In an overview of the role of customs in single window environments, the WCO noted* that while establishing single window systems is a complex undertaking, successful single windows offer a range of benefits: Governments can increase supply chain security, improve trader compliance with customs regulations, and increase the accuracy of trade data; Traders can reduce their cost of compliance with relevant rules and regulations, and benefit from faster clearance and release of shipments. These efficiency gains were highlighted by Japan’s experience in developing its national single window, the Nippon Automated Cargo and Port Consolidated System*.
All workshop documents including CCC progress reports, country reports, and powerpoint presentations are available at the event page* on the CAREC Institute web site.
* This link takes you outside the ADBI.org website
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Purpose
The event is intended to support efforts by the Customs Cooperation Committee* of the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) Program to identify, design, and implement a regional customs modernization program.
* This link takes you outside the ADBI.org website
Background
The CAREC Program* is a partnership of 8 countries and 6 multilateral institutions: Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, People's Republic of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Mongolia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan; with ADB, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, International Monetary Fund, Islamic Development Bank, United Nations Development Program, and World Bank.
The CAREC region sits at the heart of the rapidly integrating Eurasian continent. CAREC countries are working together to improve the region's transport infrastructure and reduce the cost of trade across regions. The CAREC Transport and Trade Facilitation Strategy* presents a shared vision of transport and trade facilitation development in the region to 2017.
The Strategy identifies three trade facilitation goals:
- Improve administrative efficiency and simplify, standardize, and harmonize trade procedures to significantly reduce transaction costs and time.
- Encourage free movement of goods and business people.
- Enhance the transparency of laws, regulations, procedures, and forms, and share information on these and other trade issues.
In support of the Strategy, the CAREC Program is pursuing a regional customs modernization project. The Program started a Corridor Performance Measurement and Monitoring* scheme in 2009 to monitor traffic movement and identify key bottlenecks along the six CAREC transport corridors*. The scheme has identified border crossing points including customs clearance as a bottleneck for transport and trade in the CAREC region. The Program plans to conduct a detailed study of participating countries' customs systems to identify appropriate focus areas for investment activities to improve cross-border flows. The World Customs Organization's (WCO) Time Release Study methodology is being considered for this purpose.
The first component of the event will feature progress reports and experience sharing among the CAREC countries and multilateral partners on agreed areas of focus in deepening customs cooperation:
- Joint Customs Control;
- Simplification and Harmonization of Customs Procedures and Documentation; Regional Transit Development; TIR Transit System; and other regional transit arrangements (focus on rail);
- ICT and Customs Modernization;
- Single Window and Data Exchange;
- Risk Management and Post-Entry Audit; and
- Capacity Building.
The second component of the event will provide training on the WCO Time Release Study approach to customs efficiency analysis. It will comprise
- An introduction and overview of the Time Release Study approach and methodology by the WCO;
- A case study of Japan's experience in conducting a Time Release Study on its customs operations, the findings, and their impact on policy and process changes at Japan Customs; and
- An introduction to Japan Customs' special programs to promote efficiency, including
- Authorized Economic Operators Program;
- Intellectual Property Rights Enforcement;
- Customs Mutual Assistance Agreements; and
- Technical Cooperation and Training.
* These links take you outside the ADBI.org website
Objectives
This activity will:
- Facilitate the exchange of information and experience among senior customs officials in the CAREC countries on the Program's priority areas for customs cooperation;
- Provide training on the objectives and approach of the WCO Time Release Study methodology, with a focus on learning from Japan's experience; and
- Enable CAREC officials to explore options for employing the Time Release Study to deepen customs cooperation among Program countries.
Outputs
The activity will provide participants with
- Updated knowledge on each CAREC countries' activities in the Program's priority areas for customs cooperation;
- Training on the WCO Time Release Study methodology and an opportunity to discuss the methodology with ADB, Japanese, and WCO experts;
- Exposure to Japan Customs' experience in implementing the Time Release Study and integrating findings into policy and process changes; and
- An opportunity to expand their network of senior customs officials and establish new professional contacts.
Participants
Participants will include Heads and senior officials of the Customs Administrations of the CAREC countries.
Language
English and Russian
Partners
* These links take you outside the ADBI.org website
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