27 February 2001

RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE NATIONAL WORKSHOP ON TRADE FACILITATION

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Phnom Penh, 26-27 February 2001

The Workshop, which took place on 26 and 27 February 2001 in Phnom Penh, agreed on the important role that trade facilitation measures can play in invigorating trade in Cambodia and other countries in Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS). In this regard, the Workshop called for urgent action to standardize, harmonize and simplify trade procedures and trade documents.  The Workshop also recognized that a multiplicity of documentation and tariff requirements can act as an inhibiting factor to accelerating trade and that much benefit can be derived from reduction and simplification of trade and transport documents and procedures.

The Workshop observed that:  

1.  Successful trade facilitation will increase international trade, attract foreign direct investment, increase foreign exchange earnings and vitalize the domestic economy;

2.  There is ample scope for simplifying procedures and merging several trade related  documents;

3.  Simpler trade and transport procedures increase competitiveness and transparency;

4.  Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) makes for faster communications with a view to accelerating trade and transport activities;

5.  There is urgent need by both Government and private sector to jointly review the documentation and procedural requirements so that these may be streamlined and harmonized;

6.  Trade facilitation work will be included under Cambodia’s National Committee on Implementation of Trade Strategy, which will be important to provide an important institutional mechanism for introducing trade facilitation measures and modernizing trade and transport practices, in addition to introduction of Information Technology in trade related services; 

7.  Efforts on Cambodian custom reform would be complemented by WCO, ESCAP, and ASEAN-assisted customs reform and trade facilitation activities; and

8.  The efforts by UN-ESCAP, in organizing this Workshop and focussing on the role the multiplicity of trade documents plays as a barrier to trade, is important and timely.

 The Workshop recommended the following:

1. Further development of the simplification, standardization andcontinued in
Cambodia.To that end, the ESCAP Secretariat should act as a focal point for advising Cambodia in progressing towards the simplification of documentation in line with international standards;

2. The establishment of the Trade Facilitation Working Sub-committee, which should be a focal point for the sustained and continued effort by the Government and private sector, would facilitate to simplify the existing trade procedures and implement trade facilitation measures. The TFWSC shall be integrated under the National Working Group on the Implementation of the Trade Sector Strategy and will work in close consultation with the government/private sector working groups on manufacturing and distribution; and processing for export;

3. UN-ESCAP should continue to support Cambodia in trade facilitation process under the GMS Trade Facilitation Working Group objectives; and

4. UN-ESCAP should assist Cambodia in developing Electronic Data Interchange and other electronic commerce systems to improve the processing of trade related documents.