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27th Session - UN/CEFACT Plenary

19 April (10:00) - 20 April (18:00) 2021
Salle TPS 2, Palais des Nations Geneva Switzerland
26th Session - UN/CEFACT Plenary (Hybrid Meeting)

Held virtually and physically in Salle TPS 2,  Palais des Nations, Geneva, Switzerland, starting at 10 a.m. on Monday, 19 April 2021.

Documents

Document Title / Symbol ENG FRE RUS
Item 1: Adoption of the Agenda      
Revised Provisional Agenda
ECE/TRADE/C/CEFACT/2021/1/Rev.1
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Provisional Agenda
ECE/TRADE/C/CEFACT/2021/1
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Item 2: Elections      
Consolidated UN/CEFACT Mandate and Terms of Reference
ECE/TRADE/C/CEFACT/2017/15
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Item 3: Matters arising since the twenty-sixth session      
Matters Arising Since the Twenty-Sixth Session
ECE/TRADE/C/CEFACT/2021/3
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Report from UNECE Regional Advisor
ECE/TRADE/C/CEFACT/2021/INF.1
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UNECE Nexus: Sustainable Mobility and Smart Connectivity Executive Summary
ECE/TRADE/C/CEFACT/2021/INF.2
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Item 4: Bureau overview of developments      
UN/CEFACT Bureau Report of Developments
ECE/TRADE/C/CEFACT/2021/4
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UN/CEFACT Bureau Report of Developments
ECE/TRADE/C/CEFACT/2021/4/Add.1
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Item 5: Reports of rapporteurs      
UN/CEFACT Regional Rapporteur Reports
ECE/TRADE/C/CEFACT/2021/5
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Item 6:  Recommendations and standards      
a) Recommendations for approval      
Recommendation No. 38: Trade Information Portals
ECE/TRADE/C/CEFACT/2021/6
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Recommendation No. 44: Cross-Border Facilitation Measures for Disaster Relief
ECE/TRADE/C/CEFACT/2021/7
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Recommendation No. 45: Minimum Standards for Ship Agents and Ship Brokers
ECE/TRADE/C/CEFACT/2021/8
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Recommendation No. 47: Pandemic Crisis Trade-Related Response
ECE/TRADE/C/CEFACT/2021/9
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b) Deliverables in support of the circular economy      
Recommendation No. 46: Enhancing Transparency and Traceability of Sustainable Value Chains in the Garment and Footwear Sector
ECE/TRADE/C/CEFACT/2021/10
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Call to Action for Recommendation No. 46: Enhancing Transparency and Traceability of Sustainable Value Chains in the Garment and Footwear Sector
ECE/TRADE/C/CEFACT/2020/6/Rev.1
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Executive Summary for Policymakers: Enhancing Transparency and Traceability of Sustainable Value Chains in the Garment and Footwear Sector
ECE/TRADE/C/CEFACT/2021/11
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Policy Brief – Harnessing the Potential of Blockchain Technology for Due Diligence and Sustainability in Cotton Value Chains
ECE/TRADE/C/CEFACT/2021/12
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Report – Enhancing Sustainability and Circularity in the Garment and Footwear Sector: Policy Developments and Industry Perspectives on Traceability and Transparency
ECE/TRADE/C/CEFACT/2021/INF.3
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Business Process Analysis for Sustainability and Circularity in Textile Value Chains      
Business Process Analysis for Sustainability and Circularity in the Leather Value Chain      
c) Standards for noting      
UN/EDIFACT Directory (versions D.20A and D.20B)      
UN/LOCODE Directory (versions 2020-1 and 2020-2)      
UN/CEFACT Core Component Library (versions D.20A and D.20B)      
UN/CEFACT XML Schema Library (versions D.20A and D.20B)      
International Forwarding and Transport e-business standard      
Cross-Industry Export Packing List e-business standard      
Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) e-business standard      
Traceability and Transparency in Textile and Leather, Part 1: High-Level Process and Data Model      
Traceability and Transparency in Textile and Leather, Part 2: Use Cases and CCBDA Data Structures      
Transport and logistics modal specific (rail, maritime, inland waterway) e-business standard      
Exchange Header Envelope (XHE) technical specification      
Cross-Domain Application Error and Acknowledgment e-business standard      
Message Construction Guideline for Core Component Business Document Assembly      
Implementation Guide for UN/CEFACT eCERT Standard for Sanitary and Phyto Sanitary Measures v1.0      
Annex II (Code elements listed by units of measure name) and Annex III (Code elements listed by common code) of UNECE Recommendation No. 20: Codes for Units of Measure Used in International Trade      
The Annex of UNECE Recommendation No. 23: Freight Cost Code – FCC Harmonization of the Description of Freight Costs and Other Charges      
d) Implementation support material      
Call to Action for Improved Digitalization Through the Use of UN/CEFACT Standards
ECE/TRADE/C/CEFACT/2021/13
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White Paper on Integrated Track and Trace for Multi-Modal Transportation
ECE/TRADE/C/CEFACT/2021/INF.4
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Executive Guides in Support of UN/CEFACT Deliverables
ECE/TRADE/C/CEFACT/2021/14
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e) Support to capacity building and technical cooperation      
Training Material on the Implementation of Single Window
ECE/TRADE/C/CEFACT/2021/INF.5
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Training Material on the Use of International Standards
ECE/TRADE/C/CEFACT/2021/INF.6
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Training Material on National Trade Facilitation Bodies
ECE/TRADE/C/CEFACT/2021/INF.7
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Guide for National Trade Facilitation Bodies on How to Use UN/CEFACT Standards and Tools
ECE/TRADE/C/CEFACT/2021/INF.8
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Regional Report on Post-Pandemic COVID-19 Economic Recovery: E-Commerce and Trade Facilitation
ECE/TRADE/C/CEFACT/2021/15
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Trade Facilitation Roadmap of the Kyrgyz Republic 2021-2025
ECE/TRADE/C/CEFACT/2021/16
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Meeting Report of the Forty-Second Session of the Electronic Business Memorandum of Understanding Management Group Meeting of 9-10 December 2020
ECE/TRADE/C/CEFACT/2021/INF.9
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Export of Textile Products from the Kyrgyz Republic to the Russian Federation      
Import of Pharmaceutical Products to the Kyrgyz Republic from the Russian Federation      
Item 7: UN/CEFACT structure, mandate, terms of reference and procedures      
UN/CEFACT Programme of Work 2021-2022
ECE/TRADE/C/CEFACT/2021/17
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Item 8: Advisory Group on Advanced Technologies      
Report of the Advisory Group on Advanced Technologies at its Second Session
ECE/TRADE/C/CEFACT/2021/18
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Overview of Activities Related to the Advisory Group on Advanced Technologies in 2020
ECE/TRADE/C/CEFACT/2021/INF.10
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Artificial Intelligence Demystified
ECE/TRADE/C/CEFACT/2021/19
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Item 9: Advisory Group on the United Nations Code for Trade and Transport Locations (UN/LOCODE)      
Report of the Advisory Group on the UN/LOCODE at its Fourth Session
ECE/TRADE/C/CEFACT/2021/20
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Use of UN/LOCODE for the Agreement on Port State Measures
ECE/TRADE/C/CEFACT/2021/21
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Item 10: Team of Specialists on Sustainable Fisheries / Sustainable Value Chains      
Overview of Activities Related to the Team of Specialists on Sustainable Fisheries in 2020
ECE/TRADE/C/CEFACT/2021/22
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Revised Mandate and Terms of Reference of the Team of Specialists on Environmental, Social and Governance Traceability of Sustainable Value Chains in the Circular Economy
ECE/TRADE/C/CEFACT/2021/23/Rev.1
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Mandate and Terms of Reference of the Team of Specialist on Sustainable Value Chains in the Circular Economy
ECE/TRADE/C/CEFACT/2021/23
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Item 11: Activities of other United Nations Economic Commission for Europe bodies and international organizations of interest to UN/CEFACT      
Item 12: Future challenges in trade facilitation and electronic business      
Item 13: Other business      
Item 14: Adoption of decisions and draft report of the twenty-seventh session      
Report of the UN/CEFACT on its Twenty-Seventh Session
ECE/TRADE/C/CEFACT/2021/2
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Election of the UN/CEFACT Chair (for the period 2021-2024)

Candidate
The UNECE secretariat has received the following official candidate for UN/CEFACT Bureau Chair:
               United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland nominates Sue Probert

Announce the opening of candidatures
The mandate of the current Chair of the United Nations Centre for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business (UN/CEFACT) ends at the 27th Plenary on 19 April 2021 at which time the UN Member States who are physically present at the Plenary meeting will elect the Chair for the period 2021-2024.

Who to nominate
Each UN Member State may nominate one candidate of its choice to run as Chair. It is at the country’s discretion if they nominate a person from the government or from the private sector. The candidate must be a member of the country’s delegation and each country may only nominate one candidate using its own criteria for selection, taking into account: expertise, leadership, ability, willingness to work, geographical balance and gender balance.

Necessary forms
The following documents should be submitted for the candidate. This information must be sent directly from the Permanent Mission in Geneva to the UNECE Secretariat.

Requirements of the UN/CEFACT Chair
The Candidate will be expected to actively participate in at least four physical meetings per year:

  • UN/CEFACT Forum (one-week meeting usually in April, usually in Geneva);
  • UN/CEFACT Plenary (two-day meeting usually in April, always in Geneva);
  • One F2F Bureau meeting (two- or three-day meeting usually in the summer, location is jointly agreed);
  • UN/CEFACT Forum (one-week meeting usually in October, location depends on host).

Candidates will also be expected to participate in all official UN/CEFACT Bureau conference calls (there are currently calls every two or three weeks for around two hours each).

The Chair is responsible for the organization and leading the Bureau calls, the Plenary meetings, the Forums and all UN/CEFACT meetings.

Additionally, the UN/CEFACT Chair is responsible to ensure that procedures are being applied correctly, to supervise all UN/CEFACT projects and prepare strategic documentation such as the Programme of Work. It is appreciated if the Chair assists the UNECE Secretariat in representing UN/CEFACT at official meetings and events as well as assist with communication.
For more details, please consult the Consolidated UN/CEFACT Mandate and Terms of Reference (ECE/TRADE/C/CEFACT/2017/15)

Election of the UN/CEFACT Rapporteur (for the period 2021-2023)

Candidates
The UNECE secretariat has received the following official candidatures:
               Mor Tall Diop proposes his candidature for the Rapporteur for the African Region
               Hisanao Sugamata proposes his candidature for the Rapporteur for the Asia-Pacific Region

Announce the opening of candidatures
The mandate of the current Regional Rapporteurs the United Nations Centre for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business (UN/CEFACT) ends at the 27th Plenary on 19 April 2021 at which time the UN Member States who are physically present at the Plenary meeting may elect Regional Rapporteurs for the period 2021-2023.

Who can propose their candidature
Experts who would like to put forward their candidature must be an active expert within UN/CEFACT. They should have a strong knowledge of the work and deliverables of UN/CEFACT as well as confirmed links to related activities in the region.

Necessary forms
The following documents should be submitted for the candidate directly to the UNECE Secretariat.

  • Candidate’s Candidacy Form 
  • Candidate’s Curriculum Vitae
  • Candidate’s list of activities in other relevant organizations and/or associations

Requirements of the UN/CEFACT Regional Rapporteur
The Candidate will be expected to actively participate in at least three physical meetings per year:

  • UN/CEFACT Forum (one-week meeting usually in April, usually in Geneva);
  • UN/CEFACT Plenary (two-day meeting usually in April, always in Geneva);
  • UN/CEFACT Forum (one-week meeting usually in October, location depends on host).

The Consolidated United Nations Centre for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business (UN/CEFACT) mandate and terms of reference (ECE/TRADE/C/CEFACT/2017/15) outlines the responsibilities of the Regional Rapporteurs in section G:

  • 82. The mandate of Regional Rapporteurs shall be carried out, wherever possible, in coordination with the UN/CEFACT Bureau, Heads of Delegation to UN/CEFACT from the region, the UNECE secretariat and other Regional Commissions of the United Nations.
  • 83. Within their defined region, the Rapporteur shall:
    • (a) Promote UN/CEFACT’s interests and activities among governments, intergovernmental organizations, relevant trade associations and business and trade facilitation organizations, with the assistance of the UNECE secretariat, which is responsible for official communications;  
    • (b) Encourage the participation of experts in UN/CEFACT’s work programme and stimulate the implementation of UN/CEFACT’s standards, recommendations and other deliverables; and
    • (c) Coordinate UN/CEFACT’s activities in the region.
  • 84. All regional Rapporteurs shall present a report at each UN/CEFACT Plenary. They may raise issues directly with the UN/CEFACT Bureau and have an open invitation to attend the Bureau meetings in a consultative capacity.

For more details, please contact the UNECE Secretariat.