Documents

This pilot project was initiated in the context of implementing the recommendations of the 2019 and 2020 UNECE “Odessa seminars” to support the development of digital multimodal transport corridors, to increase the harmonization and standardization of data exchange in international transport, trade and logistics, to encourage electronic data exchange and thereby to reduce person-to-person contacts during the COVID-19 crisis and in the post-pandemic recovery, using relevant UN/CEFACT standards.

This included: an analysis of merchandise and information flows along the Black Sea – Baltic Sea corridor as background information for the further development of the project. A set of electronic messages (electronic document equivalents) based on the UN/CEFACT standards and Reference Data Models, using XML and JSON formats, has been developed in collaboration with relevant UN/CEFACT experts and using their guidance on how the UN/CEFACT standards should be applied to develop electronic document-equivalents for CIM/SMGS documents, in particular:

• Packing List;
• SMGS Consignment Note;
• CIM/SMGS Consignment Note (BY);
• CIM/SMGS Wagon List;
• Invoice for Customs (in cooperation with the Ukrainian consultant in the project).

A survey and analysis took place on what was necessary to accomplish for a complete conversion of data between maritime, road and railway transport. The focus was on new standards for generic document equivalents, in order to look into possibilities for their pilot implementation under the United Nations Development Account (UNDA) coronavirus (COVID-19) response project “Transport and Trade Connectivity in the  Age of Pandemics”. The consultant worked in the areas of:

• practical aspects of preparing electronic standards for data exchange and new message structure subsets contextualized to the specific transport modes, using UN/CEFACT standards that would best service digital multimodal corridors and support modern technologies, including XML and JSON;
• development and implementation of a data model for the Black Sea – Baltic Sea digital corridor, combining the data for key documents accompanying goods, as described above, as identified in the project, and based on the UN/CEFACT Multimodal Transport Reference Data Model.

The main objective was to foster the harmonization of electronic data sharing, using global (UN/CEFACT) standards for transport, trade, and logistics, and to prepare templates for electronic document equivalents based on the UN/CEFACT semantic standards and reference data models.

Fulfilling the recommendations of the 2019 and 2020 UNECE “Odessa” seminars to support the development of digital multimodal transport corridors, with a view to increasing the harmonization and standardization of data exchange in international transport, trade and logistics to encourage electronic data exchange and thereby to reduce person-to-person contacts during the COVID-19 crisis and in the post-pandemic recovery, using relevant UN/CEFACT standards, a pilot project under the overall UN Development Account project “Transport and Trade Connectivity in the Age of Pandemic: United Nations solutions for contactless, seamless and collaborative transport and trade produced the following results:

• Analysis of data and documents transported via the Dnieper – Danube route (as a pilot implementation project);
• Development of electronic document equivalents for Inland Water Transport using DAVID forms (developed by the EU Strategy for the Danube Region, Priority Areas 1a and 11, in a cooperation that has been going on since 2013);
• Analysis of the feasibility of using API in this corridor;
• Test for interoperability.

The aim is to foster the harmonization of electronic data sharing using global (UN/CEFACT) standards for transport, trade and logistics, and to prepare standards for e-documents based on the UN/CEFACT semantic standards and reference data models. The focus will be on the development of electronic document equivalents for the documents mentioned above, using UN/CEFACT tools in the countries developing a digital multimodal transport corridor.

This report covers the results of a pilot project in the implementation of: (a) the recommendations of the 2019 and 2020 Odessa trade facilitation seminars of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) to support the development of digital multimodal transport corridors to increase the harmonization and standardization of data exchange in international transport, trade and logistics to encourage electronic data exchange and thereby to reduce person-to-person contacts during the COVID-19 crisis and in the post-pandemic recovery, using relevant standards of the United Nations Centre for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business (UN/CEFACT), a subsidiary body of the UNECE.

The aim is to foster the harmonization of electronic data sharing using global (UN/CEFACT) standards for transport, trade and logistics, and to prepare standards for e-documents based on the UN/CEFACT semantic standards and reference data models. The focus will be on the development of electronic document equivalents for the documents mentioned above, using UN/CEFACT tools in the countries developing a digital multimodal transport corridor.

The Convention on the Contract for the International Carriage of Goods by Road (CMR) was developed in 1956. This convention standardizes contractual and carrier liability conditions of transporting goods by road in vehicles for reward if the origin and destination are in two different countries, and at least one of the countries is a contracting party. It has been acceded to by 55 states around the world, thus making the use of the CMR obligatory in these countries. In 1976, the International Road Union introduced a United Nations Layout Key aligned CMR Note template in cooperation with the International Chamber of Commerce. This road consignment note template was updated in 2007 and is now used by most, if not all, parties to contracts of carriage in CMR contracting countries.

Trade information portals (TIPs), sometimes also called National Trade Portals/Repositories (NTP/Rs), are websites where one can obtain information on laws, regulations and procedures that need to be followed when engaging in international trade. The information and services provided through TIPs have the potential to enhance regulatory transparency and greatly facilitate trade. While many countries already have some forms of TIPs, ensuring their effectiveness and sustainability often remains a challenge. The objective of this online course on enhancing TIPs is to provide a framework and guidelines for assessing the as-is conditions of a TIP and generating recommendations for its improvement.

The Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has hit international trade worldwide and in Asia and the Pacific, underscoring the importance of maintaining trade connectivity not only for the immediate pandemic response, but also for the subsequent recovery efforts in order to build resilience to future disruptions. The report first describes, in the section II, the initial developments and lessons learnt in trade and transport facilitation practices in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Section III presents the results of a Survey on trade facilitation in times of crisis and pandemic in the Asia and the Pacific region. Finally, Section IV discusses the ways forward for trade facilitation measures to support a sustainable and resilient recovery from the COVID-19 crisis and how the Asia-Pacific region can be better equipped to build back better.