Trade is an important engine
of economic growth and the globalisation
of trade is a dominant feature of today's
economy. The development of an open and
equitable trade environment is a key United
Nations goal, particularly in relation to
economic development and poverty reduction.
Millennium Development Goal 8 is focused
on the development of a global partnership
for development. Specifically, the goal
is to "develop further an open trading and
financial system that is rule-based, predictable
and non-discriminatory and includes a commitment
to good governance, development and poverty
reduction - both nationally and internationally".1
The Monterey Consensus further states that
"globalisation should be fully inclusive
and equitable"2 and the recent
report by the UN Secretary-General (Strengthening
the United Nations, September 2002) states
that the development and implementation
of a proper framework of rules, norms and
standards for international trade is necessary
to help the international community respond
effectively to the challenges posed by globalisation.3
I mention these references
to emphasize that the UN views international
trade development not as an end in itself
but rather as a vehicle through which economic
development and poverty alleviation can
be achieved. Our focus, therefore is on
the full, equitable and open participation
of all countries in trade, for the benefit
of all. This is particularly important for
UNECE. The UNECE region accounts for approximately
two-thirds of world trade and our role in
facilitating this trade, both within member
states and between member states and the
rest of the world, is one of our core activities.
However, we are faced today
with a real challenge to international trade
and this threat potentially comes from within
trade itself, through the shipment of consignments
containing weapons and other dangerous substances
that could do immense damage to people and
property. We have already seen the destruction
that terrorists can create using our own
technologies and structures against us.
We must be under no illusion as to the devastation
that a new terrorist incident carried out
through our trade system would have on the
flow of trade as we know it today. Clearly,
and we must do everything possible to secure
our economies against such events.
However, we must also ensure
that our efforts to secure our economy are
implemented in such a way as to minimise
the potential negative side effects on our
economy. As otherwise, we are handing a
real and perhaps intended benefit to the
very groups we are working to defeat. New
measures to support security must not add
undue costs to international trade transactions.
We must also ensure that no specific country
or group is excluded through these measures,
as exclusion undermines the basic foundation
of security which is a fair and just society,
free of poverty and degradation.
Many are of the opinion
that this need to strengthen the security
of our international trading system is a
unique opportunity to enhance our overall
processes in trade in such a way as to increase
both security and trade facilitation. We
fully subscribe to this concept and believe
that the availability of advance information
and risk analysis techniques will facilitate
the freer movement of legitimate trade while
at the same time effectively targeting the
small percentage of goods that may pose
a threat to security.
In this regard, I strongly
endorse and support the direction taken
by the World Customs Organisation in the
Task Force on Security and Facilitation
of the International Supply Chain, and I
commit the UNECE to work closely with the
WCO on these developments. We certainly
do not want in any way to duplicate this
excellent work and the work of other organisations
such as the IMO and ICC, etc.
However, I strongly believe
that there is a need and opportunity for
all of us to work more closely together,
to be clear on where UNECE and other organisations
can add value to the process, and also to
be clear that the solutions we are developing
are practical, stable and easily implementable
by the business community which is, after
all, the engine of economic growth and development.
We must also make sure
that our solutions are for the many and
not the few. We should not have unrealistic
expectations regarding the potential of
(and availability of funding for) Capacity
Building project to bridge the gaps for
implementing advanced technology solutions.
Let us build long-term solutions that enhance
the processes of trade in a secure, open
and inclusive manner.
In this regard, we recommend
the use of the business process analysis
approach to determine who does what and
who provides what information in order to
secure and facilitate the international
supply chain. I will ask the Chairman of
our UN/CEFACT Business Process Analysis
Working Group Reference Model of the International
Supply Chain, to offer the services of the
Group in this area. The Reference Model
has just been updated and copies are available
at the back of the room. We also believe
that this model could be very helpful in
determining exactly where each organisation,
and their respective tools and instruments,
can fit in and play a part in securing and
facilitating the international supply chain
in a harmonised way.
The Director of the Trade
and Timber Division, Mrs. Carol Cosgrove-Sacks,
will update you on some of the other tools
and instruments that we are developing that
can assist in the trade security area. I
only mention these as examples of the rich
resources that are available to tackle the
issues at hand. I know that many of the
other organisations present here this morning
also have specific instruments and tools
that can contribute to the establishment
of a more secure trade environment in a
broadly accessible manner and I would encourage
you to bring these to our attention today.
We at UNECE have over 40 years experience
in the trade facilitation area and I believe
that many of you present here also have
long experience in the field. Let us pool
together our resources to ensure a more
secure and better facilitated trade environment
for everyone.
We called this meeting
an initial brainstorming session. In this
context, I propose that you undertake the
initial steps to:
- Develop a set of core UN principles,
enshrining basic UN values that will
act as a guide to the overall development
of trade facilitation security initiatives.
- Explore possible mechanisms to work
together to incorporate all of the existing
excellent tools and instruments in a
harmonious way to enhance the process
of international trade to increase security
and facilitate trade.
- Consider how we can best complement
the existing work of WCO and other agencies,
perhaps through the joint development
of practical tools and standards that
will assist in the implementation of
a more secure and better facilitated
trade environment.
I would ask you to be open
and constructive in your discussions today
to see where we can best support the current
initiatives and where we can add value to
the process, based on our expertise and
experience in trade facilitation and e-business.
I would like to thank you
all again for coming to this meeting and
I wish you every success in your deliberations.
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1UN
Millennium Development Goals, http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/,
October 2002.
2
Monterrey Consensus: Draft Outcome of the
International Conference on Financing for
Development, 1 March 2002. (A/CONF/198/3).
3
Strengthening of the United Nations: an
agenda for further change, Report of the
Secretary General (A/57/387), September
2002, page 10.