ASSOCIATIONS’ AFFAIRS
1. 56th FIATA World Congress, Kuala Lumpur Malaysia
The 56th session of the FIATA World Congress, with co-hosts Ministry of Transport and the Federation of Malaysian Freight Forwarders (FMFF) received accolades from Zurich-based FIATA for the successful organisation of the event in Kuala Lumpur. FIATA is the influential non-governmental organisation (NGO) which represents the freight forwarding industry worldwide.
One of the largest and most important events in the global logistics industry calendar, the Congress was attended by more than one thousand delegates, from 77 countries. Over 300 official B2B meetings were conducted, with 20% involving Malaysian businesses.
For more details please visit: http://www.payloadasia.com/2017/10/56th-fiata-world-congress/
2. FIATA Elects New President, Presidency and Extended Board
On the day after the FIATA World Congress the FIATA General Meeting took place. It elected the new team of Presidency and Extended Board, the geographic diversity of which once again shows the global representation of FIATA.The newly elected President is Mr Babar Badat from Pakistan, Chairman of TRANSHOLD (Pvt) Ltd, a leading logistics group in Pakistan.
Mr Badat succeeds Mr Zhao Huxiang, from China, who will now serve as Immediate Past President for the following two years. Mr Robert Voltmann, from United States, has been re-elected Secretary General and Mr Francesco Parisi, from Italy, also the previous Immediate Past President, was elected Treasurer. The three positions of Senior Vice President went to Mr Ivan Petrov of Bulgaria and Mr Basil Pietersen of South Africa, both were re-elected, and Mr Turgut Erkeskin of Turkey, who joined the Presidency as a new member and who has been working with FIATA for a long time. Again, this new Presidency represents all the four regions of the FIATA global constituency.
For more details please visit: http://fiata.com/media/press-releases/2017/11-october.html
3. Participate in the 2017/2018 Logistics Performance Index (LPI) Survey
The World Bank wants to hear from FIATA’s members as part of the ongoing LPI 2017/8 survey. The LPI is based on a survey among international freight forwarders who share their experience in moving goods and organizing international supply chains for their customers. FIATA is the World Bank’s most important partner in the LPI survey and it is thanks to the participation of FIATA’s members that the LPI can be published every two years.
If you are working at a freight forwarding company dealing with international shipments, we cordially invite you to take the survey at https://lpisurvey2018.worldbank.org/?comp=FEF.
Completing the survey should only take around 20 minutes. The survey does not seek any confidential company-specific information. Responses are anonymous. All responses are kept confidential and anonymous.
4. Forwarders are the Real Integrators of Logistics in the Supply Chain
Sea freight forwarders are in a strong position to survive industry disruption from digitisation, but they must make better use of supply chain data or risk losing out to shipping lines and IT-driven logistics startups.
In a defiant speech at the FIATA World Congress, FIATA sea working group chairman Jens Roemer laid out a positive vision for the sector’s future. For more details please visit: https://theloadstar.co.uk/forwarders-real-integrators-logistics-supply-chain/
INTERNATIONAL TRADE
5. UNCEFACT – International Conference on Future Directions for Single Window
Global trade facilitation experts will gather in Geneva, Switzerland, October 30 and 31 for the International Single Window Conference, the United Nations Centre for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business (UN/CEFACT) announced. The two-day event will look at national Single Window developments as one the main technological solutions in a world-wide effort to stimulate international trade.
This Conference will aim to take stock of some variations of Single Window implementations and how they align to the UNECE Recommendation 33<http://www.unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/cefact/recommendations/rec33/rec33_trd352e.pdf> definition. This will especially entail underlining that Single Window is a vehicle for trade facilitation measures and not simply a computer system.
For more details please visit: http://www.unece.org/thirdsws_2017.html
6. ICC and WTO announce Successful Proposal under ‘Small Business Champion Initiative’
The project, named ‘WORLD NET for Small Businesses’, will identify 100 small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs) from the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, and integrate them into the network. This digital platform will incorporate company profiles, as well as products and services of all identified SMEs.
It will assist them in accessing relevant information and understanding complex procedures and documentation. The selected SMEs will benefit from capacity building and training courses.
For more details please visit: https://www.wto.org/english/news_e/news17_e/sbc_17oct17_e.htm
7. UNCTAD – Luxembourg, Switzerland and Norway Ready to Benefit from E-commerce
For the third straight year, Luxembourg has held on to its position atop UNCTAD’s ranking of 143 countries’ capacity to support online shopping and other business-to-consumer e-commerce. Among the top 10 economies in the 2017 UNCTAD B2C E-commerce Index<http://unctad.org/en/PublicationsLibrary/tn_unctad_ict4d09_en.pdf>, seven are European while three are from the Asia-Pacific region.
Among developing countries, three high-income economies – the Republic of Korea, Hong Kong (China) and Singapore – have the best ranking. They are followed by the United Arab Emirates and Malaysia. Trinidad and Tobago is the top performer in Latin America and the Caribbean, and Serbia is ahead of other transition economies. Mauritius, South Africa and Nigeria top the African regional chart.
For more details please visit: http://unctad.org/en/pages/newsdetails.aspx?OriginalVersionID=1572&Sitemap_x0020_Taxonomy=UNCTAD%20Home;#2140;#e-Trade for All;#1713;#Information and Communication Technologies<http://unctad.org/en/pages/newsdetails.aspx?OriginalVersionID=1572&Sitemap_x0020_Taxonomy=UNCTAD%20Home;#2140;>
8. UNCTAD – New Digital Era Must Ensure Prosperity for All
Digitalisation is impacting every aspect of production and trade, from the largest corporations to the smallest traders, but there is a risk that it will lead to widening income inequalities, UNCTAD said in its Information Economy Report 2017: Digitalisation, Trade and Development.
The digital economy is expanding fast in the global South. Developing economies, led by China and India, accounted for nearly 90 per cent of the 750 million people that went online for the first time between 2012 and 2015 according to data from the International Telecommunication Union. Read more: http://unctad.org/en/pages/newsdetails.aspx?OriginalVersionID=1570&Sitemap_x0020_Taxonomy=UNCTAD%20Home;#1713;#Information and Communication Technologies<http://unctad.org/en/pages/newsdetails.aspx?OriginalVersionID=1570&Sitemap_x0020_Taxonomy=UNCTAD%20Home;#1713;>
9. WCO – Assists Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) Prepare for the TFA
On request of the URA and in support of its effective implementation of the TFA, the WCO undertook a scoping mission from 18 to 23 September, 2017 to assess Uganda Customs’ current practice specifically on the trade facilitation measures. The mission included technical conversations with senior Customs officials on strategic planning, AEO, risk management, human resources management and training, Post-clearance-audit and IT application.
The mission also consulted Uganda’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives and key development partners in the trade facilitation space, and paid a visit to the Mutukula one-stop border post on the Tanzanian – Ugandan frontier.
Read more at: http://www.wcoomd.org/en/media/newsroom/2017/october/the-wco-assists-ura-to-enhance-its-capacity-to-implement-the-wto-tfa.aspx
10. WCO Receives Endorsement to Implement Projects Funded by EU
The European Commission has informed the Secretariat of the World Customs Organisation (WCO) that the results of the assessment conducted to evaluate whether the WCO fulfils the necessary requirements pertaining to the European Union (EU) Financial Regulation are positive. This means that the WCO can now be entrusted with budget implementation of projects funded by the European Commission Directorate General for International Cooperation and Development (DG DEVCO).
This assessment follows contact made by the WCO Secretariat with the European Commission on the question of assisting in the global implementation of an EU-driven project on Trade Facilitation, which is one of the outcomes of the entry into force of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA), based on the «Bali Package» stemming from the Ninth WTO Ministerial Conference.
To read more please visit: http://www.wcoomd.org/en/media/newsroom/2017/october/wco-endorsed-to-implement-projects-funded-by-european-union.aspx
11. WCO Supports Single Window Implementation in Bangladesh
Pursuant to the World Customs Organisation Mercator Implementation Plan for Bangladesh, designed to provide sustainable, tailor-made and results-based capacity building support to enable effective implementation of trade facilitation measures, the WCO conducted a 4-day National Single Window (NSW) workshop at Srimongal, Bangladesh from 02nd to 05th October 2017, with the support of the National Board of Revenue (NBR), Bangladesh and the WCO-HMRC-UNCTAD project.
The main objective of the Workshop was to provide the cross-border regulatory agencies (CBRAs) concerned with import-export in Bangladesh with the WCO perspective and domain knowledge on the Single Window implementation, taking into account the experiences and best practices from other countries that have successfully implemented similar solutions.
For more details please visit: http://www.wcoomd.org/en/media/newsroom/2017/october/wco-supports-single-window-implementation-in-bangladesh.aspx
12. UNECE – Celebrating 30 years of successful data exchange through UN/EDIFACT
UN/EDIFACT is a cornerstone international standard for the electronic exchange of data that is widely used in international supply chains, transport and logistics. It is used by 100,000 traders in the retail sector alone.
Celebrating the 30th anniversary of the creation of UN/EDIFACT at the 30th UN/CEFACT Forum in Rome, speakers from around the globe gathered to discuss the use of this reliable electronic data exchange in fields ranging from transport and logistics, to supply chain management, retail, insurance and health.
To read more please visit: https://www.unece.org/info/media/news/trade/2017/celebrating-30-years-of-successful-data-exchange-for-trade-and-logistics-using-the-unedifact-standard/doc.html
13. UNECA – 2017 Breakthrough Year towards Implementation of CFTA
The year 2017 is the breakthrough year towards the speedy implementation of the Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA), says Stephen Karingi, Acting Director of the Regional Integration and Trade Division (RITD) at the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA).
The CFTA will bring together all African countries with a combined population of more than one billion people and a combined gross domestic product of more than US $3.4 trillion once it takes effect.
To read more please visit: https://www.uneca.org/stories/2017-breakthrough-year-towards-implementation-cfta-says-eca%E2%80%99s-karingi
14. UNECA – Designing the Right Policies for Private Sector Engagement is Important
The ECA Executive Secretary, Vera Songwe has stressed the need for countries to create favourable policy environments and transparent investment frameworks to allow the private sector to participate and contribute meaningfully to the achievement of the Sustainable development goals the African Agenda 2063.
Participating in a panel discussion at the Annual Meetings of the World Bank and IMF, Ms. Songwe indicated that designing the right policies and relaxing restrictions to encourage innovation would go a long way towards enabling the private sector to increase its contribution to Africa’s economic transformation agenda.
To read more please visit: https://www.uneca.org/stories/designing-right-policies-private-sector-engagement-good-inclusive-growth-%E2%80%93-says-eca-chief
15. UNECA – Stakeholders Discuss Model Law for Transboundary Development in Africa
The proposed model law on transboundary infrastructure development in Africa was under the spotlight in New York with Economic Commission for Africa’s Adeyinka Adeyemi saying the law will facilitate private sector investment and financing in transboundary infrastructure enterprises on the continent.
The proposed Programme for Infrastructure Development (PIDA) Model Law for Transboundary Infrastructure Projects in Africa provides a means of mitigating and managing perceived risks associated transboundary infrastructure development and bridges the gap between social and private benefits of such huge investments.
To read more please visit: https://www.uneca.org/stories/stakeholders-discuss-model-law-transboundary-infrastructure-development-africa
AIR CARGO
16. IATA-WCO Collaboration to Improve Air Cargo Efficiency and Security
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) and the World Customs Organisation (WCO) announced that IATA’s Cargo-XML messaging standard has been fully integrated into WCO’s Cargo Targeting System (WCO CTS), a risk assessment tool available to WCO member countries worldwide.
The integration of Cargo-XML in the WCO CTS enables electronic communication between airlines and customs authorities using the IATA Cargo-XML standards format. This will make communication simpler and more effective, and facilitate more accurate risk assessments by customs authorities using the WCO CTS application to capture advance electronic cargo manifest information.
For more details please visit: http://www.iata.org/pressroom/pr/Pages/2017-10-10-01.aspx
17. IATA – Double Digit Demand Growth for Freight Continued in August
IATA released data for global air freight markets showing that demand, measured in freight tonne kilometres (FTKs), increased by 12.1% in August 2017, compared to the same period a year ago. This was the fifth time in six months of double-digit gains on the previous year’s performance. Demand is growing at exceptional speed when compared to the five-year average growth rate of 4.4%.
Freight capacity, measured in available freight tonne kilometres (AFTKs), grew by 4.7% year-on-year in August 2017. Demand growth continues to significantly outstrip capacity growth, which is positive for industry load factors, yields, and financial performance.
To read more please visit: http://www.iata.org/pressroom/pr/Pages/2017-10-04-02.aspx
18. IATA – Greater Urgency Required to Tackle Emissions Challenge
IATA called for greater urgency in the partnership between governments and airlines to keep aviation at the leading edge of industries in managing their climate change impact. The call came on the eve of the first anniversary of the historic global agreement on a Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) at the 39th Assembly of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).
To read more please visit: http://www.iata.org/pressroom/pr/Pages/2017-10-04-01.aspx
19. ICAO Conference on Alternative Fuels Agrees on New 2050 Vision
ICAO Member States have agreed on a new 2050 Vision for Sustainable Aviation Fuels which will now help to ensure that conventional jet fuels are substituted with sustainable alternatives to a significant percentage by 2050.The decision was formalised last Friday at the Second ICAO Conference on Aviation and Alternative Fuels, held in Mexico City, Mexico. States’ delegates to the event also confirmed that any related alternative fuel deployment must adhere to the sustainability criteria currently being developed by a Task Force at ICAO, which includes States, international organisations and environmental groups.
To read the please visit: https://www.icao.int/Newsroom/Pages/ICAO-Conference-on-sustainable-alternative-fuels-agrees-on-new-2050-Vision-to-guide-future-development-and-deployment.aspx
SUSTAINABLE LOGISTICS & CONNECTIVITY
20. UNECE – Strengthening Connection Between Trade Policies and SDGs
How can countries best harness transport and trade to drive progress in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)? How can enhancing countries’ statistics on trade and transport support this process? This was the focus of discussions at a workshop organised by UNECE in collaboration with the Ministry of Transport and Maritime Affairs and Ministry of Economy of Montenegro, bringing together government representatives working on transport and trade policies in Western Balkan countries and the Republic of Moldova.
21. UNECE – Exploring the Potential of Blockchain for Sustainable Development
Blockchain offers the advantage of a shared «end to end» record of information related to transaction history, which because it exists across a network rather than as single or multiple copies, cannot be altered or corrupted.
What are the possible implications of this new technology for trade and government services? How could it be used to advance the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)? Could existing United Nations’ standards for data and processes be used for its implementation? These are just a few of the questions addressed at a conference hosted by the Italian Trade Agency in Rome as part of the 30th UN/CEFACT Forum, which gathered around 150 experts from all over the world.
22. UNECA – Ad-hoc Expert Group Meeting to Review Innovative Approaches SDGs
The Macroeconomic Policy Division of the ECA is convening an Expert’s Meeting to review the draft Report on «Innovative Approaches to Financing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Africa».
Mobilisation of sufficient financial resources to finance Africa’s development agenda has become a challenge in a very dynamic global environment. Domestic resource mobilisation in Africa will be critical to meet the continent’s development financing needs.
To read more please visit: https://www.uneca.org/stories/ad-hoc-expert-group-meeting-review-study-innovative-approaches-financing-sdgs-africa
23. UNFCCC – Ethanol Producers Work with UN to Accelerate Shift to Low Carbon
Ahead of the UN Climate Conference in Bonn (COP 23, 6-17 November), Ethanol Europe Renewables Ltd (EERL) and UN Climate Change have partnered to boost the deployment of biofuels in the transport sector.
Transport is the second biggest source of energy-related greenhouse gas emissions world-wide, and the sector is rapidly growing. Biofuels such as ethanol have a much lower carbon footprint than fossil fuels, and can be added to gasoline to reduce emissions.
Read more at: http://newsroom.unfccc.int/climate-action/ethanol-producers-work-with-un-to-accelerate-shift-to-low-carbon/
Topics
56th FIATA World Congress, Kuala Lumpur Malaysia
FIATA Elects New President, Presidency and Extended Board
Participate in the 2017/2018 Logistics Performance Index (LPI) Survey
Forwarders are the Real Integrators of Logistics in the Supply Chain
Forwarders are the Real Integrators of Logistics in the Supply Chain
ICC and WTO announce Successful Proposal under ‘Small Business Champion Initiative’
UNCTAD – Luxembourg, Switzerland and Norway Ready to Benefit from E-commerce
UNCTAD – New Digital Era Must Ensure Prosperity for All
WCO – Assists Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) Prepare for the TFA
WCO Receives Endorsement to Implement Projects Funded by EU
WCO Supports Single Window Implementation in Bangladesh
UNECE – Celebrating 30 years of successful data exchange through UN/EDIFACT
UNECA – 2017 Breakthrough Year towards Implementation of CFTA
UNECA – Designing the Right Policies for Private Sector Engagement is Important
UNECA – Stakeholders Discuss Model Law for Transboundary Development in Africa
IATA-WCO Collaboration to Improve Air Cargo Efficiency and Security
IATA – Double Digit Demand Growth for Freight Continued in August
IATA – Greater Urgency Required to Tackle Emissions Challenge
ICAO Conference on Alternative Fuels Agrees on New 2050 Vision
UNECE – Strengthening Connection Between Trade Policies and SDGs
UNECE – Exploring the Potential of Blockchain for Sustainable Development
UNECA – Ad-hoc Expert Group Meeting to Review Innovative Approaches SDGs
UNFCCC – Ethanol Producers Work with UN to Accelerate Shift to Low Carbon
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