Introduction
A Workshop on CITES electronic Permit Information eXchange (EPIX) for Parties from the UNECE and ESCAP region will be organised by the UNECE, ESCAP and CITES with the support of the United Nations Network of Experts for Paperless Trade and Transport in Asia and the Pacific (UNNExT).
UNECE has developed the standards for eCITES, in inter alia the eCERT standard for electronic SPS and CITES permits (CITES toolkit) and UNECE Recommendation 14 which is used for electronic signatures in CITES permits.
Objective and target audience
The overall objective is to provide information on the latest state of electronic cross border exchange of CITES permits (EPIX) and its implementation, and to kick-off electronic CITES permit exchange pilots between interested CITES Parties of the UNECE and ESCAP region. The purpose of the workshop is to:
- share experiences and lessons learned of Parties which implement EPIX
- explain the workflow in an electronic permit information exchange between two Parties
- learn about EPIX message exchange standards
- use of electronic equivalent of physical signatures and seals in CITES permits
- discuss managerial task in setting up EPIX exchanges with another Party
- learn about the readiness of other Parties from the Europe and the Asia-Pacific region to start new EPIX pilots
- network with other management authorities in view to launch an EPIX pilot
The workshop is addressed to decision makers from Management Authorities and their service providers which have already implemented electronic permit systems, and which evaluate the possibility to exchange electronic CITES permits with other Parties.
Agenda
- Presentation of the eCITES concept
- UN/CEFACT standards for electronic permit exchange: eCERT and UNECE Rec 14 for electronic signatures in CITES permits
- EPIX: what it is and how it supports the implementation of the CITES convention
- Current state of EPIX pilots and lessons learned
- EPIX implementation in the eCITES BaseSolution of UNCTAD
- Country presentations: current state of the national eCITES system and readiness to engage in EPIX piloting
- How to start an EPIX pilot (managerial)
- EPIX technical specifications (technical)
- Discussion
Download
- Briefing Note on how UNECE Standards Protect Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna - ECE/TRADE/C/CEFACT/2020/25