Guide or training materials

Russian version: РУКОВОДСТВО ПО ПРИМЕНЕНИЮ СТ.1.3 СОГЛАШЕНИЯ ВТО ОБ УПРОЩЕНИИ ПРОЦЕДУР ТОРГОВЛИ:
«ИНФОРМАЦИОННЫЕ ЦЕНТРЫ»

The World Trade Organization (WTO) Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) entered into force on 22 February 2017. The United Nations Centre for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business (UN/CEFACT) defines trade facilitation as “the simplification, harmonization and standardization of the procedures and associated information flows required to move goods and provide related services from seller to buyer such as payments”1. Trade facilitation can help simplify, standardize, harmonize, and modernize international cross-border trade, thereby increasing trade volumes and making international trade faster and cheaper, as well as more accessible for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and landlocked developing countries. Trade and trade facilitation have the potential to contribute to resilient, inclusive and sustainable recovery after the pandemic.

According to Art.1 of the TFA, WTO members shall promptly publish information related to international trade to enable WTO members (and all interested parties, accordingly) to acquaint each other with their trade rules and ensure transparent and predictable conditions of international trade. WTO members are also encouraged to make available further trade-related information on the Internet and to establish or maintain enquiry points. In compliance with TFA Art. 1.3 these enquiry points should provide the necessary information.

The guidebook presents a step-by-step approach to resilience building in the maritime supply chain. It sets out risk identification, assessment and management tools and techniques, and describes a resilience-building process for ports.

The guidebook emphasizes lessons learned and good practices and highlights relevant measures that can be implemented to prepare, respond and recover from disruptions.

The UNTTC Training course on UN/CEFACT Standards was developed as part of the United Nations response to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic under the United Nations multiagency project “Transport and Trade Connectivity in the Age of Pandemics: UN solutions for contactless, seamless and collaborative transport and trade”.

The “Training Manual on Logistics Information System” was developed as part of the activities of the UNDA project “Transport and trade connectivity in the age of pandemics: Contactless, seamless and collaborative UN solutions”. 

Acknowledging the importance of multimodality in enhancing the seamlessness of supply chain and logistics network for ESCAP member countries, including landlocked developing countries (LLDCs), the “Training Manual on Operational Aspects of Multimodal Transport” was developed as part of ESCAP Transport Division initiatives to improve technical knowledge of the transport and logistics sector and to support human resource development and capacity-building of ESCAP member countries. 

The Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Member States will have new tools to help them address issues related to road freight transport caused by the COVID-19 pandemic as part of the initiatives under the ASEAN Comprehensive Recovery Framework. ASEAN has approved guidelines to support the response and recovery of road freight transport among its Member States in the context of the pandemic. 

Developed with the assistance of the International Transport Forum (ITF) and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), the COVID-19 Recovery Guidelines for Resilient and Sustainable International Road Freight Transport Connectivity in ASEAN were approved ad-referendum by the ASEAN Senior Transport Officials Meeting (STOM) on 11 January 2021.

Пандемия коронавирусного заболевания COVID-19 существенно нарушила цепи поставок и дестабилизировала глобальные торговые потоки, а также оказала воздействие на предоставление государственных услуг. В качестве мер экстренного реагирования на чрезвычайные ситуации, правительствами стран были введены упрощенные процедуры как для импорта товаров первой необходимости и предметов медицинского назначения, так и для предоставления государственных услуг, при одновременном сохранении ограничений на контакты между людьми и принятии изменений в процедурах назначения сотрудников. Административные органы по всему миру также ввели временные меры по цифровизации информационного обмена, либо же в целях обеспечения возможности принятия отсканированных или сфотографированных копий документов, проведения проверок соответствия информации электронным образом, а также для снижения частоты проведения физических инспекций грузов и транспортных средств.

Ознакомиться с английской версией Руководства можно здесь.

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly disrupted supply chains and global trade flows and affected delivery of public services. As part of the emergency response, governments worldwide adopted measures to fast-track imports of essential goods and medical supplies, and to provide public services while maintaining contact restrictions and changes in staff assignments. They also adopted provisional measures to digitalize information exchange or just receive scanned or photographed copies of documents, to verify content through electronic means and to reduce the frequency of physical inspections of goods and means of transport.

Russian version of the Guide can be consulted here.

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.