Single+Window+for+Trade

//For many countries, Single Window (SW) has become a core instrument to facilitate trade, simplify procedures and implement electronic business. SW facilities are being established at an increasing rate in all five continents, mostly in developing and transition economies. Today, out of 150 economies surveyed, 49 have introduced a Single Window, of which 20 have an SW system that links all relevant government agencies (*). And it is estimated that in such countries SWs can reduce trade transaction costs annually in excess of 1.5 billion USD (*).// =Definition= The most commonly accepted definition of an SW is the one provided by __ UNECE Recommendation No. 33 __. It describes the SW as "a facility that allows parties involved in trade and transport to lodge standardized information and documents with a single entry point to fulfil all import, export, and transit-related regulatory requirements." "If information is electronic, then individual data elements should only be submitted once". Independent of its description as a platform, environment or facility, an SW can best be understood by the service that it provides to traders and government authorities alike. It facilitates the exchange of trade-relevant information between traders and government agencies, and between those government agencies, for permits and licences, certificates and necessary approvals. This is because it allows traders, or their agents, to submit trade documents and data, in electronic or paper form, through a single entry point.

// Source: UNECE –UN/CEFACT (UNECE Recommendation 33) // The most advanced Single Window systems also connect private sector actors such as commercial banks, Customs brokers and freight forwarders. An example is the __ Mozambican SW __, launched in 2011. // Source: TFIG Case Stories - Mozambique // =Relevance for trade facilitation= An SW for trade is an important facilitation tool. If implemented effectively, it can simplify procedures and formalities for document submission and data collection and can save precious time and money. The main benefits that key stakeholders of a SW project can achieve are: The Korea customs service estimates that the introduction of its SW brought some 18 million USD in benefits in 2010, part of the overall economic benefit that year of up to 3.47 billion USD from the agency trade facilitation efforts. In Singapore, the national Single Window for trade, called TradeNet, has brought together more than 35 border agencies since 1989 and has led to huge gains in government productivity. Singapore Customs claims that for every 1 USD earned in Customs, it spends 1 cent – a profit margin of 9,900%*. Next Single Window Concept
 * governments: increase in government revenue, enhanced compliance with rules, improved efficiency in resource allocation, better trade statistics;
 * traders: faster clearance times, a more transparent and predictable process and less bureaucracy;
 * Customs: improved staff productivity through the upgraded infrastructure, increase in Customs revenue, a more structured and controlled working environment, and enhanced professionalism;
 * economy as a whole: improved transparency and governance, and reduced corruption due to fewer opportunities for physical interaction.

(*) World Bank, "Trading Across Borders", in //Doing Business report 2012// (World Bank 2012)//.// Available from http://www.doingbusiness.org/reports/global-reports/~/media/FPDKM/Doing%20Business/Documents/Annual-Reports/English/DB12-Chapters/Trading-Across-Borders.pdf. Accessed May 2012 (*) (UNNeXT 2012).