THE EXECUTIVE SYMPOSIUM ON TRADE EFFICIENCY
29 30 APRIL 1996
DRAFT PROGRAMME
"Ministers concluded that priority attention should be given to trade efficiency, especially to information technology and adequate telecommunications infrastructures, to allow full benefit of the Uruguay Round to be generated and shared by all countries." Trevor A. Manuel, Minister for Trade and Industry of South Africa, in his conclusions as Chairman of the closing meeting of the United Nations International Symposium on Trade Efficiency (UNISTE), 1994.
Based on the experience and outcome of the 1994 United Nations International Symposium on Trade Efficiency (UNISTE), South Africa's Department of Trade & Industry is organising the First National Executive Symposium on Trade Efficiency at Midrand on 29 and 30 April 1996, in parallel with the Ninth United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD IX).
The symposium will bring together government officials and business leaders mainly from Southern Africa to discuss recent developments in the process towards global trade efficiency. The Midrand Executive Symposium will be made of five interactive, action-oriented panels. Panellists will include prominent representatives of international organisations at the forefront of trade efficiency and speakers from Southern Africa. They will address new developments in five key trade-supporting services, i.e. Customs, transport, banking and insurance, business information and business practices. Trade Points managers from all regions of the world will share their experience on electronic commerce, trade facilitation, and intersectoral and intraregional cooperation in the area of trade efficiency. A model Trade Point will be displayed at the premises of the Gallagher Estate.
A session on least developed countries will discuss the special difficulties encountered by traders in these countries in accessing modern technologies for trade, and will propose innovative solutions particularly through the Global Trade Point Network and the Trade Point Incubator. Live demonstrations of the GTPNet Internet products will be carried out during the event.
The Symposium will also be opened to the contribution of delegates to UNCTAD IX.
On 8 and 9 May, the satellite conference will address the specific concerns of African small- and medium-sized enterprises. Its programme is included in the attached brochure.
DAY ONE: 29 APRIL 1996
08H30 Opening Address:
Mr Jean-Pascal Delamuraz, President of the Swiss Confederation*
PROSPECTS FOR TRULY GLOBAL TRADE (Keynote Addresses)
08H40 Mr Trevor Manuel, South African Minister for Trade Industry and President of UNCTAD IX
08H50 Mr Rubens Ricupero, Secretary General, UNCTAD
Globalisation is an uneven process. It creates new opportunities, while raising new threats of exclusion. How can trade efficiency contribute to the emergence of truly global trade for Southern Africa? South Africa mainly because of sanctions, and many other African countries for various reasons, have not been able to capitalise on opportunities provided by the internationalisation of trade. Technology and information are the central engines of globalisation, which constitutes both a great opportunity and a tremendous challenge for developing countries. As information highways start spanning the globe, new trade currents emerge around them. Technology poor and capitalscarce economies appear, once again, as candidates for further marginalisation from the new reality of international trade.
SESSION ONE: OVERVIEW OF THE IMPORTANCE OF TRADE EFFICIENCY
09H00 The Role of Governments in Implementing Trade Efficiency
Dr Zavareh Rustomjee, Director General, South African Department of Trade and Industry
Governments have an essential, twofold role to play in trade efficiency. They must create an environment conducive to increased competitiveness. They must also help enterprises avoid the risk of being excluded from international business because of lack of modern information technologies to access the appropriate market information. This is particularly true for SMEs, to which Governments have to provide special assistance. Governments also have a unique role to play in determining the degree to which their respective economies should internationalise.
* To be confirmed.
09H15 Trade Efficiency as an Engine for Growth and Development
Mr Bruno Lanvin, Head, Strategic Planning Unit, Special Programme on Trade Efficiency, UNCTAD and Deputy Executive Secretary, UNISTE
Savings resulting from the implementation of the trade efficiency measures can reach up to $100 billion dollars a year. The poor quality of available trade related services is a serious impediment to international trade. These difficulties are particularly severe for small and mediumsized enterprises, both in developed and in developing countries. UNCTAD has identified six key areas - Customs, transport, telecommunications, financial services, business information and business practices - in which efficiency must be improved by governments, service providers and traders in order to increase participation in international trade along the lines established by the Columbus Ministerial Declaration of 1994.
09H30 SESSION TWO: BUSINESS INFORMATION
Chairman Mr J. Denis Bélisle, Executive Director, International Trade Centre UNCTAD/WTO
Panellists: Mr R. Naidoo, Business Development Services (BUDS), South Africa
Mr B. Ancel, Chief, Trade Information and Market News Service, ITC
IBM Technical expert
Business information plays a key role in international marketing and competitiveness. The capacity to obtain the right business information at the right place, time and price and knowing how to use it, is a major factor influencing international trade efficiency. Trade information services in Ministries, Trade Promotion Organizations, Chambers of Commerce, Trade Points and other trade institutions of the public and private sectors have to ensure that data transmitted through traditional media or advanced technologies respond to the information needs of the business communities. Additional advisory and training services are often required, particularly for SMEs, in order to use business information as a tool for undertaking successful marketing activities.
11H00 Tea break
11H15 SESSION THREE: FINANCIAL SERVICES
Chairman Mr Graham Bell, Senior General Manager, Africa Banking Group, Standard Bank of South Africa
Moderator: Mr Peter Bruce, Editor, Business Report
Panellists: Mr John Postmus, General Manager, Exchange Control, South African Reserve Bank
Ms Nozipho Mabe, Acting Deputy Governor, Bank of Botswana
Mr Seorus Simpson, Senior Manager, Africa Emerging Markets, Standard Bank of South Africa
The availability of modern trade related finance, payment and risk management products is a critical element in the expansion of international trade. Also the harmonising of finance related trade laws and regulations to facilitate cross border financial services is decisive. Poorly designed or administered foreign exchange controls limit the utilisation of modern financing and risk management techniques. How do governments involved in promoting trade efficiency and Trade Points promote the use of modern trade finance, payment and risk management instruments? P> 12H45 Lunch break
13H45 SESSION FOUR: TRANSPORT
Chairman Mr Ketso Gordhan, Director General, Department of Transport
Panellists: Mr Anton Moolman, CEO, Transnet
Mr A. Namitete, Acting Director, Southern African Transport Coordiating Committee, SADC
Mr Hans Carl, Chief, Multimodal Transport and Technological Development Section, UNCTAD
In many countries, the success of strategies of economic growth through export expansion is due to a large extent to considerable investment in transport infrastructure and equipment and the development of transport management skills.
In developing countries, traders are faced with a number of very serious logistical and other problems when trying to obtain transport services. In Africa, it is often more expensive to move a container inland to the importer's premises than to ship it from the port of export in Europe. It is estimated that if African road transport costs could be reduced by 10%, up to US$12 billion could be saved each year. In terms of transport, small- and medium-sized enterprises worldwide are more disadvantaged than large companies: SMEs have no in-house expertise, their distribution channels are usually long and indirect, involving middlemen on both ends.
Three parties are involved in the transport process, namely public authorities, transport operators. and traders. Careful risk management, appropriate insurance contract, accurate documentation and transport management is vital. Tracking systems such as the UNCTAD Advance Cargo Information System (ACIS) provide forwarders and shippers with accurate data on the whereabouts of their cargo. Door-to-door transport services are rapidly expanding throughout the world using the latest technological developments.
If transport operators from developing countries and countries in transition participate more in multimodal transport, this will not only enhance local transport capabilities, but will also result in foreign exchange earnings/savings and help the transfer of modern export technologies to those countries.
Availability of transport facilities, infrastructure and policy framework also have a direct impact on trade efficiency and traders need to be aware of developments in this regard.
15H15 Tea break
15H30 SESSION FIVE: BUSINESS PRACTICES
Chairman: Mr Yves Berthelot, Executive Secretary, UN Economic Commission for Europe
Panellists: Mr Albert Van Ardt, EDI Consultant and former Chief Executive, SITPROSA
Mr Pat Corbin, Former President of the Johannesburg Chamber of Commerce and co-author of the JCCI Import Manual
Dr Hans Hansell, Chief, Trade Facilitation Section, Working Party on Facilitation of International Trade Procedures, UN Economic Commission for Europe
International trade transactions generate a massive transfer of information along the trade, transport and payment chain. To move one consignment, up to 50 parties in two or more countries may be involved, with an average of 50 documents in over 360 copies per shipment. Better business practices encompass the simplification and possible elimination of procedures and paperwork and the use of modern information processing in the international trade process like EDI (Electronic Data Interchange). Trade facilitation provides the necessary techniques and tools to create information flows that enable the communicating partners to perform their transactions. Substantial cost savings can be achieved by using these techniques. In addition, new markets can be made accessible by reducing cumbersome trade procedures.
END OF DAY ONE
DAY TWO: 30 APRIL 1996
08h30 VISIT THE TRADE EFFICIENCY CYBER CAFE
The Trade Efficiency Cyber Café will be opened during the whole duration of the UNCTAD IX. Trade Points will present their products and services. Live demonstrations will be carried out on a daily basis. In the morning of 30 April, the following presentations will be made:
A) Multimedia presentation of the GTPNet
Mr Carlos Moreira, Director, UNCTAD Trade Point Development Centre
The core component of the UNCTAD Trade Efficiency Initiative is the Trade Point Programme. A Trade Point is a trade facilitation centre, where participants in foreign trade transactions (e.g. Customs, foreign trade institutes, banks, Chambers of Commerce, freight forwarders, transport and insurance companies) are grouped together under a single physical or virtual roof to provide all required services for trade transactions. It is also a source of trade-related information and a gateway to global networking. All Trade Points are, or will be, interconnected to the Global Trade Point Network (GTPNet) which was launched by the Ministers gathered at UNISTE. The GTPNet relies on the most advanced available technologies for networking and multimedia communication. Thanks to Trade Points, all connected countries and enterprises can exchange 'ETOs' (Electronic Trading Opportunities), as well as other types of information regarding existing trade regulations, banking practices or market intelligence. Today, there are 98 countries participating in the programme with 49 Trade Points operational and 81 being set up.
B) Presentation of the first South-African Trade Point
Mr Gert Vorster, Directorate, System design and Integration, Department of Trade and Industry, South Africa
The Department of Trade and Industry has just established South Africa's first Trade Point, opening the way to new opportunities in international trade, particularly for SMEs.
C) Presentations from Trade Points from all over the world
D) Presentations of (a) Multimodal transport concepts and solutions and (b) Advance Cargo Information System (ACIS), Mr Hans Carl, Chief, Multimodal Transport and Technological Development Section, UNCTAD and Mr Coll Hunter, ACIS Coordinator, UNCTAD
E) Presentation of the achievements of ASYCUDA
Mr Peter Fröhler, Coordinator, ASYCUDA Programme, UNCTAD
10H45 Tea break
11H00 SESSION SIX: CUSTOMS
Chairman: Mr James Shaver, Secretary-General, World Customs Organization
Panellists: Mr Daan Colesky, Commissioner, South African Customs
Mr Alan Cowell, Executive Director, Southern African Association of Freight Forwarders
Mr Peter Fröhler, Coordinator, ASYCUDA Programme, UNCTAD
Customs authorities throughout the world need to examine their existing practices to make maximum use of information technology, apply modern risk management techniques and coordinate official interventions with the aim to minimising inefficiencies, consider the Customs evaluation method prescribed by the GATT and find ways to cooperate with traders.
12H30 Lunch break
13H30 SESSION SEVEN: PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS WITH SPECIAL EMPHASIS ON LDCs
Chairman: Prof João De Deus Pinheiro*, Commissioner, Directorate General for Development, European Commission together with the Head of the Ministerial Delegation*, People's Republic of Bangladesh
Panellists: Trade Point managers from LDCs
Representatives of the public and private sectors
Least Developed Countries run the risk of being increasingly marginalised as a result of globalisation of the world economy. What can be done to make available to traders in LDCs the same trade opportunities and services available to their competitors in other countries? This session will discuss their special difficulties, particularly in having access to modern technologies for trade, and propose innovative solutions particularly through the GTPNet products, such as the Trade Point Incubator.
Live demonstration of the Trade Point Incubator
Mr Carlos Moreira, Director, UNCTAD Trade Point Development Centre
* To be confirmed.
15H00 Tea break
15H15 SESSION EIGHT: THE ROAD AHEAD
What needs to be done to continue progressing towards global trade efficiency
Chairman: Mr Jean Gurunlian, Head, Special Programme for Trade Efficiency, UNCTAD, and Executive Secretary, UNISTE
Panellists: Prof João De Deus Pinheiro, Commissioner, Directorate General for Development, European Commission*
Dr Zavareh Rustomjee, Director General, South African Department of Trade and Industry
Mr James Shaver, Secretary-General, World Customs Organization*
Mr Yves Berthelot, Executive Secretary, UN Economic Commission for Europe
Mr J. Denis Bélisle, Executive Director, International Trade Centre UNCTAD/WTO
Mr Graham Bell, Senior General Manager, Africa Banking Group, Standard Bank of South Africa
Mr Ketso Gordhan, Director General, Department of Transport, South Africa
END OF SYMPOSIUM
COCKTAIL
* To be confirmed.