Background
The “United Nations Code for Trade and Transport Locations” (UN/LOCODE) is an international standard and one of the UNECE’s flag-ship products. Although managed and maintained by the UNECE, it is the product of a wide collaboration in the framework of joint trade facilitation efforts undertaken within the United Nations.
Aiming at a better service to the UN/LOCODE user community and a sustainable development of UN/LOCODE, the UNECE Secretariat strives to meet growing demands with limited resources. In 2015, the UN/LOCODE Focal Point Network was set up in order to improve data quality with support from governmental authorities. This was supplemented by the UN/LOCODE Advisory Group which was set up in 2017 to provide a platform for all interested stakeholders to be able to play a more important and active role in UN/LOCODE maintenance and development. According to its ToRs of the UN/LOCODE Advisory Group, a face-to-face meeting should be scheduled at least once per year to discuss and decide all important issues related to UN/LOCODE. This year’s meeting will be held during the UN/CEFACT Forum in Hangzhou on 19 October 2018.Because resources required by UN/LOCODE maintenance are beyond the capacity of the Secretariat to reach the data quality expected from the UN/LOCODE user community , the current workflow of Data Maintenance Requests (DMRs) validation needs to be revisited in order to be optimised with a good use of the knowledge and experience of the UN/LOCODE Advisory Group.
Objective
One of the key concerns of the maintenance of UN/LOCODE is the Data Maintenance Request (DMR) process which can be very time consuming due to needs of rich geographical knowledge, relevant international trade background, coordination and communication among stakeholders, including the Secretariat, requestors, UN/LOCODE Focal Points, etc. The stakeholders are faced with the following difficulties, challenges and concerns:
- How can we optimize the current resources in order to satisfy growing demands?
- What are the obligations of the requestor of DMRs in this process?
- What could be the role of the UN/LOCODE Advisory Group?
- Should one-off DMR requests be treated the same way as requestors who submit dozens of requests?
- How to encourage UN/LOCODE Focal Points to play an active role in UN/LOCODE maintenance?
- Should we revisit the current maintenance policy and process?
- What should be proposed as a new policy and process? This meeting will aim to explore these questions and also provide an update on the current UN/CEFACT project to revise the UNECE Recommendation No. 16 on UN/LOCODE.
Target Audience
The UN/LOCODE user community; UN/LOCODE Focal Points; the relevant International Organizations.
AGENDA / BROCHURE as .pdf
18 OCTOBER 2018
15:30-16:00 COFFEE BREAK
16:00-16:20 - Welcome Address
Ms. Ivonne Higuero, Director, Economic Cooperation and Trade, UNECE BIO
Ms. Sue Probert, Chair, UN/CEFACT BIO
16:20–17:00 – New Developments
Presentation of use UN/LOCODE on Dry Ports
Mr. Fedor Kormilitsyn, Economic Affairs Officer, UNESCAP BIO
IMO FAL
Ms. Sue Probert, Chair, UN/CEFACT
Project of UNECE Recommendation No. 16 Revision
Mr. Alper Kecili, Project Leader & Turkey UN/LOCODE Focal Point BIO
FLUX
Ms. Alicia Mosteiro Cabanelas, FAO BIO
Big change announcement
Mr. Olivier Laporte, France Focal Point
UN/LOCODE and Timezones
Mr. Ronald Tse, CalConnect
QUESTION AND ANSWER
17:00-17:30 - Analysis on Current UN/LOCODE Maintenance
Analysis on Data Maintenance Requests (DMRs)
Sample of high-volume requesters
Mr. Michael Schroder, Hapag-Lloyd AG
Sample of punctual requesters
Mr. Gangcan Rao, IMO BIO
Thoughts of National Focal Points
Mr. Tiago Spendler, Brazil Focal Point BIO
Thoughts of Advisory Group Members
Mr. Bertrand Geoffray, BIC BIO
QUESTION AND ANSWER
19 OCTOBER 2018
10:30 - 11:00 COFFEE BREAK
11:30-12:30 – New Proposals on UN/LOCODE Maintenance
Reference Practice - UN/EDIFACT DMRs
Ms. Sue Probert
Presentation from the Secretariat
Ms. Yan Zhang, UNECE BIO
Open Discussion (Moderator: Ms. Sue Probert)
- Revisit Maintenance Policy:
- DMRs reviews by the UN/LOCODE Maintenance Committee with presence of relevant Focal Points and user community (with bi-weekly meetings for example)
- ‘Real-time’ validation
- Possibility of rejection or postponing of DMR with absence of a requester or the relevant Focal Point
- Rejection of submissions that are not compliant and that are sent from high-volume requesters (define high-volume)
LUNCH BREAK
14:00-15:00 - New UN/LOCODE Maintenance Policy and Procedures
Based on summary of discussion on 18 October 2018, new maintenance policy and procedures for approval
15:00–15:30 - Child Coding System
Open discussion (Moderator: Ms. Sue Probert, Chair, UN/CEFACT)
COFFEE BREAK
16:00–17:00 - New needs to be supported by the UN/LOCODE system
Open discussion (Moderator: Ms. Sue Probert, Chair, UN/CEFACT)
17:00–17:30 - Conclusions & Wrap-up (Ms. Sue Probert)
Agreed new proposals to contribute as an Annex to the Project of Rec. 16 Revision
Next meeting(s)