TRADE POINT REVIEW

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TRADE POINT REVIEW

• MILESTONE EVENTS
• (EVENEMENTS MARQUANTS)
• By Tony Roberto NSANGANIRA
• Trade Point Manager - RIEPA

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• 1992 Designed to establish, operate and
  interconnect Trade Points in all regions of the
  world, the Trade Point programme was a key
  component of the UNCTAD Trade efficiency
  initiative.
• (Designé pour établir, opérer et interconnecter
  les Trade Points dans toutes les régions du
  Monde, le Programme de Trade Point était une
  constituante clé de linitiative Efficience
  commerciale dUNCTAD).

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• 1994 The pilot phase of the Global Trade Point
  Network (GTPNet) culminated in the United Nations
  International Symposium on Trade Efficiency held
  from 17-21 October 1994 in Columbus, Ohio, USA,
  during which the United Nations Secretary
  General Boutros Boutros-Ghali officially launched
  the Global Trade Point Network.
• (La phase pilote du Réseau Global de Trade Point
  a culminé dans le Symposium International des
  Nations Unies sur lefficience des échanges
  commerciaux tenu du 17-21 Octobre 1994 à
  Colombus, Ohio, USA, durant lequel le Secrétaire
  Général des Nations Unies Boutros Boutros-Ghali a
  officiellement lancé le Réseau Global de Trade
  Point).

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• 1995 Third World meeting of Trade Points held
  in Tampere, Finland, September 1995. Two
  important messages - First, quality should be
  given preference over quantity as far as
  information circulating in the GTPNet and
  services provided by Trade Points were concerned
  and Second, all efforts made to improve the
  operation of the GTPNet should keep in mind the
  Trade Points main target groupSMEs.
• (Troisième rencontre internationale des Trade
  Points. Deux importants messages Premier
  préférence de la qualité de linformation et des
  services par rapport à la quantité Deuxième
  groupe principal à cibler PMEs).

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• 1996 Trade Points become the means by which
  SMEs could participate electronically in world
  markets through Electronic Trade Opportunities
  (ETOs).
• (Les Trade Points devinrent le moyen par lequel
  les PMEs pouvaient participer électroniquement
  aux marchés mondiaux à travers les Opportunités
  Electroniques des Echanges commerciaux)

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• 1996 Fourth World Meeting of Trade Points
  (Midland, South Africa, May 1996). Important
  recommendations for the Trade Point Programmeto
  consolidate the Trade Point Network, to enhance
  the capacity of Trade Points to function as
  information and training centres for SMEs and
  ways to make them financially sustainable.
• (Quatrième rencontre internationale des Trade
  Points Recommandations importantes Consolider
  le Réseau de Trade Point, renforcer la capacité
  des Trade Points à fonctionner comme centres pour
  information et formation au profit des PMEs ainsi
  que trouver les moyens de rendre ces Trade Points
  financièrement autonomes).

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• 1998 At the Fifth World Trade Point Meeting
  (Lyon, France, November 1998) extensive
  discussions took place with regard to future
  orientation of the Programme. In 1998, the Trade
  Point Programme was selected for evaluation by an
  independent team led by PriceWaterhouseCoopers.
  The evaluators concluded that the programme
  appeared to be valued highly by Governments.
• (Cinquième rencontre des Trade Points
  Discussions sur lorientation future du
  programme. Durant la même année, ce même
  programme avait été selectionné pour être evalué
  par une équipe indépendante dexperts. Daprès
  ces experts, une importante valeur est accordée
  au programme par les Gouvernements).

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• 1999 Expert meeting on the Trade point
  Programme (Geneva, May 1999). It was suggested
  that value-added services, including those in the
  area of trade facilitation should further be
  developed, as well as capacity building. Focus
  was also placed on the need to share best
  practices among Trade Points and on the further
  development of the ETOs system.
• (Suggestions durant une rencontre dexperts
  sur le Trade Point Développement des services à
  valeur ajoutée, dont ceux dans le domaine de
  facilitation des échanges commerciaux
  formations. Aussi échanges des meilleures
  pratiques parmi les Trade Points ainsi que le
  développement du système ETO.)

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• 2000 At the Sixth Trade Point Meeting held in
  Geneva from 6-10 November, attended by 160
  participants from 66 countries, the historic
  decision was taken to create the World Trade
  Point Federation. The newly created WTPF
  immediately held its first General Assembly
  meeting and expressed its willingness to take
  over the ETO system.
• (Sixième rencontre des Trade Points 160
  participants venant de 66 pays. La décision
  historique de créer la Fédération Mondiale des
  Pôles Commerciaux (FMPC) est prise. La première
  Assemblée Générale de la Fédération a lieu
  immédiatement. La volonté de prendre en main le
  système ETO est exprimée.)

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• 2001 May - the ETO system was officially
  transferred from UNCTAD to the WTPF and was
  temporarily operated by Trade Points Madrid and
  Castilla La Mancha in Spain.
• November - UNCTAD officially transferred the
  Trade Point registered trademark and logos to the
  WTPF.
• (Le système ETO est officiellement transféré à la
  FMPC et opère temporairement au niveau des Trade
  Points Madrid et Castilla La mancha en Espagne.
  Durant la meme année en Novembre, CNUCED
  transfère officiellement la Marque ainsi que les
  Logos de Trade Point à la FMPC.)

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• 2002 At the Third General Assembly Meeting of
  the WTPF held in Beirut, Lebanon, from 4-6
  November, the contract was formally signed
  whereby UNCTAD handed over the entire property
  rights of the Trade Point Programme to the WTPF,
  thus finalizing the externalization process begun
  two years earlier.
• (Troisième Assemblée Générale de la FMPC à Beirut
  Liban le contrat de remise par CNUCED des
  droits de propriété de Trade Point à la FMPC est
  formellement signé, ceci finalisa le processus
  dexternalisation débuté deux ans plutôt.)

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2002 Launching of enhanced ETO system
(Lancement du système ETO amélioré)

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• 2003 Forth General Assembly Meeting of the
  WTPF, held in Ocho Rios, Jamaica, from 3-5
  December, the relevant user manuals for the
  integrated website, the Federation branding
  guidelines and marketing material were presented
  to Trade Points. One of the highlights of the
  meeting in Jamaica was presentation of the
  on-going work to complete the Global Trade
  Directory System (GTDS), the first centralized
  income generating service to be placed at the
  disposal of individual Trade Points after being
  developed jointly by the WTPF and Siemens
  Business Services Turkey.
• (Quatrième Assemblée Générale de la FMPC
  Ocho Rios, Jamaique. Les manuels appropriés
  dutilisation du le site-web intégré, les
  directives liées à la Marque ainsi que les objets
  de marketing sont présentés aux Trade Points.
  Presentation également du travail en cours qui
  est de finaliser le Système Global dAnnuaire
  Commercial (SGAC), le premier service centralisé,
  générateur de revenus, à placer a la disposition
  de chaque Trade Point. Ce système était développé
  par la FMPC conjointement avec Siemens Business
  Services Turkey.

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• 2003 On the basis of an initiative begun in
  year 2000, the African Trade Point Forum was
  formalized at a meeting in Pretoria, South
  Africa, from 26-28 August 2003.
• (Sur base dune initiative débuté en 2000, le
  Forum Africain de Trade Point est officialisé au
  cours dune rencontre à Pretoria, Afrique du Sud,
  du 26 au 28 Aout 2003.

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• 2004 The fifth General Assembly Meeting of the
  WTPF took place in Murcia, Spain, from 22-25
  November, at which significant advances were made
  in the discussion of issues such as protecting
  the intellectual property rights of the WTPF.
• (Cinquième Assemblée Générale de la FMPC a
  lieu à Murcia, Espagne, du 22 au 25 Novembre. Les
  avancées significatives sur les discussions
  concernant la protection des droits de propriété
  intellectuelle de la FMPC sont enregistrées.

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• 2004 WTPF placed on UN Roster of NGOs with
  consultative status. At its 2004 annual meeting,
  the Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations
  (NGOs) of the United Nations Economic and Social
  Council (UN/ECOSOC) decided in favour of
  including the WTPF in the list of bodies eligible
  to offer their opinion and to be consulted on
  those matters falling within its competence in
  relation to issues dealt with by ECOSOC.
• (La FMPC est placée sous lautorité de lONU
  entant quONG avec un statut consultatif. Durant
  sa réunion annuelle de 2004, le comité sur les
  ONGs du Conseil Economique et Social des Nations
  Unies décide dajouter la FMPC sur la liste des
  entités éligibles pour lexpression de leurs
  opinions et être consulté sur des sujets entrant
  dans ses competences par rapport aux questions
  devant être traitées par ECOSOC.)

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• The new integrated website launched by the WTPF
  in 2004 included improvements making navigation
  more intuitive and the overall design more
  eye-catching and dynamic.
• (Le nouveau site web intégré est lancé par la
  FMPC en 2004, avec des ameliorations
  significatives dont une navigation plus intuitive
  et une conception globale plus attirante et
  dynamique.)

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2004 Launching of the enhanced integrated WTPF
website (Lancement du nouveau site web intégré
de la FMPC)
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• By integrating the central website with each
  individual Trade Point site, all the information
  and services provided by the WTPF and its
  partners can be accessed from within the
  environment of the local web space. Each Trade
  Point is responsible for uploading as much timely
  and high quality information as possible in the
  trade-related sites, documents and events
  sections in the Knowledge Point menu. Those Trade
  Points that have provided detailed information
  about their local set-up and services have a
  greater chance of increasing the number of visits
  to their site and thus a greater opportunity to
  attract customers.
• (En intégrant le site web central, on a
  facilement accès (à travers lenvironnement de
  lespace web local) à linformation ainsi quaux
  services offerts par la FMPC et ses partenaires).

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• 2005 Sixth General Assembly Meeting of the WTPF
  held in Bangkok, Thailand, 7-9 November in
  conjunction with a World SMEs Forum. Dr Supachai
  Panitchpakdi referred to the positive
  developments of the Trade Point programme outside
  of UNCTAD and areas where UNCTAD and the WTPF can
  join forces in their efforts to provide support
  to SMEs.
• (Sixième Assemblée Générale de la FMPC
  Bangkok, Thailand, du 07 au 09 Novembre
  conjointement avec le Forum Mondial des PMEs. Dr
  Supachai a fait remarquer quune évolution
  significative du programme de Trade Point en
  dehors de CNUCED a été enregistrée mais aussi
  dans les domaines où les deux institutions
  peuvent joindre leurs forces afin daccorder
  assistance aux PMEs.)

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2005 Public launching of the Global Trade
Directory System (GTDS) (Lancement public du
Système Global dAnnuaire Commercial)
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• The GTDS is a tool fully owned by the WTPF, its
  objective being to increase the visibility of
  companies engaged in international trade, and
  create a trustworthy trade environment. Company
  directories are an essential feature of any trade
  organization hoping to be able to influence the
  volume and value of its members trade
  transactions, and in this sense the GTDS is a
  fundamental tool giving Trade Points and their
  customers global reach.
• The content of the GTDS comes from local Trade
  Point company Databases. Trade Points are
  expected to create awareness of the existence of
  the GTDS and to promote it to local companies,
  trade associations and trade-support service
  providers. The success of the GTDS fully depends
  on an active participation of Trade Points.
• (Le contenu du GTDS provient de la base de
  données des entreprises, membres du Trade Point
  local. Le succès du GTDS dépend totalement de
  la participation active des Trade Points).

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...

• Registered companies gain increased worldwide
  visibility at a fraction of the cost of other
  directories. Trust factor - they know they are
  dealing with potential trade partners that have
  been validated by a Trade Point and whose
  reliability is therefore guaranteed. From the
  Trade Point angle, the GTDS is one of the core
  services and constitutes a daily tool by means of
  which a Trade Point can promote its local
  business community. It also offers linkages to
  additional services developed by the local Trade
  Point, the opportunity to generate income, and
  enhances the Trade Points credibility and
  reputation.
• (Les entreprises enregistrées gagnent une
  visibilité mondiale croissante à une fraction du
  prix des autres annuaires).

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• TRADE POINT ACTIVITIES AND ACHIEVEMENTS 2005-2006

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SOME BASIC TRADE POINT STATISTICS Geographical
distribution of Trade Points
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With annual activity Report
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• Financial aspects of Trade Point operations

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ETOs uploaded into the system and ETOs
disseminated locally
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Success Stories
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ICT and the ever-present digital Divide
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Stepping Stones towards Trade Facilitation
-A comprehensive and integrated
approach to reducing the complexity and cost of
the trade transactions process, and ensuring that
all these activities can take place in an
efficient, transparent and predictable manner,
based on the internationally accepted norms,
standards and best practices. (UN/ECE) -
Simplification and standardization of procedures
and associated information flows required to move
goods internationally from seller to buyer and to
pass payment in the other direction. (OECD)
- The use of technologies and techniques
which will help members to build up expertise
reduce costs and lead to better movement of goods
and services. (APEC)

• Some definitions of Trade Facilitation

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• One of the recurring topics within the World
  Trade Organization (WTO) in recent years has been
  the concept of Enquiry Points in relation to
  trade facilitation measures ACQUIRING ALL THE
  ANSWERS FROM THE SAME SOURCE. The idea is to
  establish such Enquiry Points in each WTO member
  country to help gradually mitigate impediments to
  the international transit of goods. Enquiry
  Points would constitute a sustainable
  institutional and managerial international
  trading capacity to replace partial, short-term
  solutions restricted to particular aspects or
  sectors of trade transactions.

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• Enquiry Points would be the officially designated
  medium in each WTO member country entrusted with
  the task of providing trade-related information
  on issues and measures such as trade-related
  laws, regulations, administrative other
  border-related agency processes (including port,
  airport and other entry-point procedures and
  relevant forms and documents) customs treatment
  and appeal procedures fees and charges
  applicable to import, export and transit
  procedures and requirements etc. Enquiry Points
  would be in a position to assume the dual
  responsibility of replying to border-out enquires
  and retrieving information from abroad in
  response to border-in enquiries. Both the WTO
  and UNCTAD recognize that the existence of more
  efficient, streamlined and transparent
  information is not enough to expedite the
  movement of goods in transit and thus increase
  trade flows it is just as essential to create
  equal and easy access to this information,
  especially for small companies engaged in foreign
  trade, and more especially still in developing
  and least developed countries.

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• Trade facilitation brings benefits through the
  reduction of transaction costs including business
  opportunity costs, time lost in completing
  procedures (particularly acute for micro and
  SMEs) compliance costs of producing and
  delivering the required documentation /
  certifications service charges covering all
  these aspects and often unforeseen costs arising
  from a multitude of possible sources largely
  because of lack of knowledge of precisely what is
  required. The same concern about product quality
  specifications becoming technical barriers to
  trade can be applied to regulations governing all
  facets of trade differing regulations can hinder
  the trade opportunities of companies unable to
  ascertain precisely what it is that is required
  in order for their goods to be able to transit
  without impediment. It is this sort of
  impediment that can be vastly mitigated by the
  envisaged Enquiry Points.

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Emerging Trade issues and the future work of
Trade Point
One of the primary tasks of Trade Points is to
help their customers do more international
business, i.e. increase their ability to trade in
world markets. But the world market environment
is governed by a complicated matrix of national,
regional and international forces trying to pull
trade policy in different directions. It is a
growing reality, reflected each successive trade
round of the WTO, that discussing and formulating
trade policy has ceased to be the prerogative of
economists and governments. What has come to be
known as Trade Democracy is a process in which
a wider spectrum of people and institutions takes
part in the trade debate, businesses being prime
stakeholders in this context since trade is about
business.

• 1) The voice of business (La voix du Business)

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• Trade Points can encourage their customer
  companies, in their own interest, to make their
  voice heard through the appropriate channels to
  contribute to awareness of business views on the
  drafting of new trade rules and shaping the way
  trade is conducted. Companies need to know and
  understand how new proposals for trade agreements
  and trade-related legislation will impact their
  operations, so that they can add their grain of
  sand to the final form of any impending changes.

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• 2) South-South trade (Promotion des échanges
  commerciaux Sud-Sud)
• It should not be taken for granted that
  the road to the most successful export strategies
  for SMEs in developing economies lies in gaining
  access to developed country markets. In a very
  recent study published by the United Nations, the
  growing advantages of South-South trade are made
  very apparent. The results of the study indicate
  that opening up Northern markets would provide
  annual welfare gains to developing countries of
  US 22 billion. But removing barriers to
  South-South trade could potentially generate
  gains 60 higher than this. In 2004 South-South
  trade accounted for just over a tenth of total
  world trade. But the rate has been growing at
  over 10 percent a year. The overall implication
  is that the removal of barriers within continents
  rather that just between countries could bring
  hitherto untapped benefits and the lesson for
  Trade Point and their customers is to look
  further within their own region for trade
  opportunities instead of concentrating most of
  their efforts on making it in developed economy
  markets. This could be an issue to be taken up
  by the Regional Forums, which are in position to
  develop the competence to promote trade within
  their area of influence as well as among
  themselves. So that no region is left behind.

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• 3) Promoting origin guaranteed products
  (Promotion des produits dorigine)
• Trade Points could usefully exert
  influence on local businesses to encourage trade
  in origin-guaranteed products, or even to work
  towards creating this type of brand if it does
  not exist. Local, regional or national branding,
  giving geographical indications and knowledge
  structures related to a given location, adds
  value to products and provides an inimitable
  differentiation tool. Potential customers are
  more likely to pay attention to an unknown
  product if it comes with a guaranteed
  geographical brand, and the extra premium a brand
  commands can make all the difference to small
  businesses especially in developing countries,
  who are attempting against the odds (seemingly or
  actually) to compete in increasingly liberalized
  markets.

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.

• 4) The development/environment tradeoff
  (Développement/Environnement)
• This area is of concern to the Trade Point
  community because it comes back again to the
  relationship between development and trade. As
  attempts are made to integrate environmental
  factors into poverty reduction and development
  issues, so these affect trade. Trade Points can
  do their part by trying to ensure that the type
  of trade they are promoting in the interests of
  development is sensitive to policies to safeguard
  the environment.
• (Ici il est question de mettre en relation le
  commerce, lenvironnement et le développement.
  Pas mal de mesures sont adoptées afin dintégrer
  les facteurs de lenvironnement dans la réduction
  de la pauvreté ce qui, authomatiquement affecte
  le commerce. Le rôle du Trade Point ici consiste
  à sassurer que les types de commerce quil
  promouvoit poursuivent lintérêt du développement
  et sont donc sensibles aux politiques de
  sauvegarde de lenvironnement.)

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To look out for
The global system for commodity
classification known as the Harmonized System
(HS) uses a four-digit number as a general
classification, with an additional two digits
added as a sub-classification. On January 1
2007, the changes resulting from the World
Customs Organizations latest periodic revision
of the HS will come into effect, aiming at a
uniform classification to no more than six
digits. Some commodities have been grouped
together under the same four-digit heading to
make it easier for customs administrations to
monitor and track them. Further changes involve
clearer classification for instance of
multi-functional machinery, merging some
commodities into new tariff headings, and
deleting other tariff headings. Trade Point
should be aware of these changes when assisting
their customers in the import-export business.

• Imminent changes in the HS
  (changements imminents dans le SH)

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.
In the near future it is vital for the
Trade Point community to fuel its capabilities
and realize its full potential as an engine of
trade facilitation. All partners such as The
World Trade Point Federation (WTPF), The
International Trade Centre (ITC), continue to
summon strength for developing new tools, but in
the last analysis it is up to us as individual
Trade Point to work on local solutions and make
practical everyday progress. Inevitably we come
back to the networking mentality concept.
Lasting support to SME competitiveness in
international trade can be achieved over a wider
spectrum and to better effect if there is a will
to function as a closely meshed network with a
constant traffic of value-added information.
Once such a network is fully in place, the
remaining challenges come more easily into focus.
(Le plus important est le travail individuel du
Trade Point sur les solutions locales ainsi que
les progrès pratiques quotidiens.)

• Final considerations (Considérations finales)

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• Thank you!
• (Merci!)