E-Flash No. 164 – 08 November 2017_CIRCULAR R.EMP.-F- 56/17

9 noviembre, 2017 Ateia

ASSOCIATIONS’ AFFAIRS

FIATA Foundation Council Updates

The FFVT Council held elections during its meeting within the framework of the FIATA World Congress 2017 in Kuala Lumpur. The FFVT Council has now a new President, Mr Jean-Claude Delen and the new composition of its members includes: Mr Chris Gillespie, Mr Aldo da Ros, Mr Marco Sorgetti and Mr Francesco Parisi. The FFVT has new projects in the pipeline including a digital train-the-trainer course.

For more details please visit: www.fiatafoundation.com<FIATA>

Participate in the 2017/2018 Logistics Performance Index (LPI) Survey

The World Bank is asking for FIATA members’ input 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.

INTERNATIONAL TRADE

4th International Conference on Single Window

The UNECE Secretariat with the support of the UN Centre for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business (UN/CEFACT) organized the 4th International Conference on Single Window on 30 and 31 October 2017 in Geneva, Switzerland. The event was attended by nearly 100 delegates from around 35 countries, 2 regional unions and over 10 international organizations, among them also FIATA. It resulted in a number of recommendations on the way forward concerning the Single Window guidance provided by the UNECE Trade Facilitation Section and UN/CEFACT.

According to UNECE Recommendation No.33<http://tfig.unece.org/contents/recommendation-33.htm> a Single Window is 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, individual data elements should only be submitted once.
A Single Window facilitates the exchange of trade relevant information between traders and government agencies, and amongst government agencies, for obtaining permits and licences, certificates and necessary approvals. It does so by allowing traders, or their agents, to submit trade documents and data, in electronic or paper form, through a single entry point.

For further information please visit: http://www.unece.org/index.php?id=46572

The Elephant in the Room – A Cautionary Tale for Freight Forwarders

The District Court of New South Wales has ruled that a freight forwarder engaged in misleading or deceptive conduct by issuing house bills of lading with all the hallmarks of negotiable bills of lading where the ocean carriers had issued negotiable bills of lading for the same shipments.

The freight forwarder issued house bills of lading at the request of his client, a shipper involved in the export of sheep skins from Australia to China. The shipper gave the house bills of lading to a financier to secure the advancement of funds under a loan facility.

For more details please visit: http<http://www.millsoakley.com.au/the-elephant-in-the-room-a-cautionary-tale-for-freight-forwarders/>://www.millsoakley.com.au/the-elephant-in-the-room-a-cautionary-tale-for-freight-forwarders/<http://www.millsoakley.com.au/the-elephant-in-the-room-a-cautionary-tale-for-freight-forwarders/> <http://www.millsoakley.com.au/the-elephant-in-the-room-a-cautionary-tale-for-freight-forwarders/>

The Baku-Tbilisi-Kars (BTK) railway

On 30 October 2017, the 850 km long Baku-Tbilisi-Kars (BTK) railway line became operational that extends from the bank of the Caspian Sea in Azerbaijan, to the capital city of Georgia and then turns south to eastern Turkey before entering the broader Turkish rail system and then Europe.

The BTK is designed to become a key part of the southern route of the new Silk Road that will link China and Europe. The railway will carry Chinese goods to Europe in just twelve to 15 days. Source: ITJ

UNCTAD – Shipping Industry Still Weighed Down by Overcapacity

Global demand for maritime shipping picked up last year, but the pace was still below the historical 3 per cent average and continued to lag behind supply, keeping freight rates and earnings low in most segments, a new UNCTAD report says. The Review of Maritime Transport 2017<http://unctad.org/en/pages/PublicationWebflyer.aspx?publicationid=1890> says that seaborne trade grew by 2.6 per cent in 2016, reaching 10.3 billion tons. Although this was a welcome improvement to the 2.1 per cent growth recorded in 2015, the boost in demand was offset by a 3.2 per cent increase in the industry’s carrying capacity, which reached 1.86 billion dead-weight tons earlier this year.

For more details please visit: http://unctad.org/en/pages/newsdetails.aspx?OriginalVersionID=1587&Sitemap_x0020_Taxonomy=UNCTAD%20Home;#2170;#Transport, Climate Change and Maritime Transport;#1788;#Transport Policy and Legislation;#1921;#Transport Infrastructure and Services<http://unctad.org/en/pages/newsdetails.aspx?OriginalVersionID=1587&Sitemap_x0020_Taxonomy=UNCTAD%20Home;#2170;>

UNCTAD – Making Trade Work Better for Women — A Step in the Right Direction

Some recent free trade agreements are raising the profile of women’s empowerment, a new UNCTAD policy brief says, but while chapters on trade and gender are a step in the right direction they remain a light component in such deals.

The prevailing thought for decades has been that free trade would bring equal opportunity to all. But with women still accounting for 70% of those living in extreme poverty, that stance has come under increased scrutiny.

For moredetails please visit: http://unctad.org/en/pages/newsdetails.aspx?OriginalVersionID=1588&Sitemap_x0020_Taxonomy=UNCTAD%20Home;#1562<http://unctad.org/en/pages/newsdetails.aspx?OriginalVersionID=1588&Sitemap_x0020_Taxonomy=UNCTAD%20Home;#1562;>;#Trade and Development;#1569;#Trade, Gender and Development<http://unctad.org/en/pages/newsdetails.aspx?OriginalVersionID=1588&Sitemap_x0020_Taxonomy=UNCTAD%20Home;#1562;>

WCO – The Private Sector Consultative Group meets at the WCO Headquarters

The PSCG had a fruitful and meaningful dialogue with Mr. Kunio Mikuriya, WCO Secretary General followed by discussions with Mr Ping Liu, Mr. Ernani Checcucci and Mrs. Ana Hinojosa, WCO directors of Tariff and Trade Affairs, Capacity Building, and Compliance and Facilitation respectively.

The group amongst others reviewed and discussed several WCO SAFE Working Group (SWG) issues, the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) implementation and the Performance Measurement priorities. The PSCG recognised the extensive inter-sessional work undertaken by the SAFE review subgroup and appreciated the updated list of benefits to trade and the proposal to include it in the SAFE Framework of Standard as Annex IV.

WCO – Future of Disruptive Technologies in Customs

The 217th/218th Sessions of the Permanent Technical Committee (PTC) concluded its proceedings on Friday 20 October with a list of important outputs and actions to be followed up on during the intersession.

The PTC held extensive discussions on disruptive technologies, exploring how Customs and border management can benefit from them. During the intersession the Virtual Working Group on the Future of Customs carried out exploratory work which was then presented to the PTC and further discussed in a break-out session.

WCO – The nCEN Application is Making its Mark on Asia Pacific

This month the WCO completed the implementation of its National Customs Enforcement Network (nCEN) application in the fifth country of the Asia-Pacific region, in Sri Lanka. Following the successful implementation of the nCEN in 18 African countries, Asia is becoming the next continent where the nCEN application is making its mark.
Asia Pacific is one of the biggest regions within the WCO regional structure. With five countries currently using the nCEN application (Maldives, Fiji, Vanuatu, the Philippines, and Sri Lanka), the foundations of a regional network are beginning to take shape.
To read more please visit: http://www.wcoomd.org/en/media/newsroom/2017/october/the-ncen-application-is-making-its-mark-on-asia-pacific.aspx

The WCO Welcomes the Chairperson of the WTO Trade Facilitation Committee

The WCO Secretariat hosted a working lunch at its Headquarters for H.E. Ambassador Daniel Blockert during his visit on 17 October 2017. He is the Swedish Ambassador to the WTO in Geneva and the current Chairperson of the WTO Trade Facilitation Committee, and was also the keynote speaker during the 8th Meeting of the WCO Trade Facilitation Agreement Working Group (TFAWG).

For more details please visit: http://www.wcoomd.org/en/media/newsroom/2017/october/the-wco-welcomes-the-chairperson-of-the-wto-trade-facilitation-committee.aspx

8th meeting of the WCO Trade Facilitation Agreement Working Group

The World Customs Organization Trade Facilitation Agreement Working Group (TFAWG) met for the eighth time from 16 to 18 October 2017 in Brussels at the WCO’s Head Quarters. The meeting included a Joint Session with the WCO Permanent Technical Committee.

The Working Group endorsed a Survey Tool that was developed as part of the WCO Trade Facilitation Agreement Implementation Guidance. It enables Members to submit national practices that can be included in the Guidance in a simple fashion.

UNECA – Infrastructure Deficit Remains a Major Challenge to Trade Facilitation

Speaking at the official opening of the 23rd Session of the Intergovernmental Committee of Experts (ICE) under the theme; «Trade Facilitation in Southern Africa: Bridging the Infrastructure Gap» Deputy Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), Giovanie Biha, said that infrastructure deficit remains a major challenge to trade facilitation, intra-regional trade and economic develompent and transformation in Africa.

She observed that regional approaches and strategic partnerships to address problems of trade facilitation are increasingly being recognized since international trade involves the use of infrastructure and services of at least two countries.

To read more please visit: https://www<https://www.uneca.org/stories/infrastructure-deficit-remains-major-challenge-trade-facilitation>.uneca.org/stories/infrastructure-deficit-remains-major-challenge-trade-facilitation<https://www.uneca.org/stories/infrastructure-deficit-remains-major-challenge-trade-facilitation>

UNECA – ECA’s Muhwava Urges Africa to Speed-Up Implementation Visa Free Regimes

With Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA) negotiations nearing completion, Mr. Muhwava said ratification and implementation of agreed mechanisms on regional economic integration, free movement of persons and sustainable inclusive development was essential.

«The continent now needs to concentrate its efforts on working towards an operational roadmap,» said Mr. Muhwava, adding there’s no reason why Africans should continue to need visas to travel to 55 percent of countries on the continent.At least 25 percent of Africans can get visas on arrival in other African countries while they do not need visas to just 20 percent of other countries on the continent.

AIR CARGO

IATA – Asia Pacific Priorities – Infrastructure, Regulations, Sustainability

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) would like to remind air transport industry participants to be on the alert for fraudulent activities. As you may know, the air transport industry is a target for fraud. Fraudsters have been known to impersonate IATA staff members or to misuse the IATA logo and name. As such, IATA would like to share valuable information to help you detect attempts to commit fraud.

The link below will lead you to our revised guidance document, «Fraudulent Emails Warning», in which you will find examples of the different techniques used by fraudsters and suggestions to better protect your organization from fraud.

For more details please visit: http://www.iata.org/Documents/Fraud-Prevention/Fraudulent-emails-warning<http://cl.s6.exct.net/?qs=1291c6a065a85d53946f7c940782daf331c7a27edf6be759ecbf751547cb08302b481f1e44dabb2767f74c3332f979f6>.pdf<http://cl.s6.exct.net/?qs=1291c6a065a85d53946f7c940782daf331c7a27edf6be759ecbf751547cb08302b481f1e44dabb2767f74c3332f979f6>

IATA – Asia Pacific Priorities – Infrastructure, Regulations, Sustainability

«The 34 million jobs and $700 billion of economic activity supported by aviation across the Asia-Pacific region are expected to more than double in the next 20 years. But the realization of these economic benefits is at risk if the region does not address the big long-term challenges of sustainability, infrastructure and regulatory harmonization,» said Alexandre de Juniac, IATA’s Director General and CEO in an address to delegates attending the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) Assembly of Presidents in Chinese Taipei.

For more details please visit: http://www.iata.org/pressroom/pr/Pages/2017-10-25-01.aspx

ICAO – Middle East Directors General of Civil Aviation Reach Significant Agreements

Pointing to the 2.4 million jobs and 157 billion dollars in GDP that aviation has created in the region, ICAO Secretary General Dr. Fang Liu welcomed the endorsement of the ICAO Middle East (MID) No Country Left Behind (NCLB) Strategy by delegates at the Fourth Meeting of Directors General of Civil Aviation for the ICAO Middle East Region (DGCA-MID/4), which concluded in Muscat, Oman.

Their endorsement was formalized through their signing of the Muscat Declaration on the NCLB Strategy. The effective implementation of ICAO’s Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) is key to accessing the international civil aviation network and accessing the tremendous socio-economic benefits it offers.

To read more please visit: https://www.icao.int/Newsroom/Pages/Middle-East-Directors-General-of-Civil-Aviation-reach-significant-agreements-on-aviation-safety<https://www.icao.int/Newsroom/Pages/Middle-East-Directors-General-of-Civil-Aviation-reach-significant-agreements-on-aviation-safety-security-and-cooperation.aspx>-security-and-cooperation.aspx<https://www.icao.int/Newsroom/Pages/Middle-East-Directors-General-of-Civil-Aviation-reach-significant-agreements-on-aviation-safety-security-and-cooperation.aspx>

SUSTAINABLE LOGISTICS & CONNECTIVITY

UNCTAD – The 2030 Agenda for SDG Raised the Bar – Business as Usual is Not an Option

Two years into the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, legitimate concerns remain as to whether trade will play its meaningful role in delivering prosperity for all. The global economy may well be picking up, but it is not yet taking off. Export performance remains unprecedentedly weak, global demand limited, and job creation insufficient.

In a call to ‘Make Trade Work for Development’, UNCTAD will host a series of high-level events on the margins of the Eleventh WTO Ministerial Conference (MC11), urging world leaders to seize the opportunity to place development at the heart of global trade discussions in Buenos Aires.

Read more at: http://unctad.org/en/pages/newsdetails.aspx?OriginalVersionID=1593&Sitemap_x0020_Taxonomy=UNCTAD%20Home;#2186;#UNCTAD <http://unctad.org/en/pages/newsdetails.aspx?OriginalVersionID=1593&Sitemap_x0020_Taxonomy=UNCTAD%20Home;#2186;> at MC11<http://unctad.org/en/pages/newsdetails.aspx?OriginalVersionID=1593&Sitemap_x0020_Taxonomy=UNCTAD%20Home;#2186;>

UNFCCC – Ethanol and Transport – It’s Role in Climate Action

Transport is the second biggest source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the world, accounting for more than one fifth of all emissions. Progress in reducing these emissions is among the slowest of all sectors. Road transport is over 90% reliant on fossil oil and transport CO2 emissions are still growing. They grew by 2.5% annually between 2010 and 2015 globally and are on track to become the largest GHG emitting sector, especially in developed countries.

Transport needs to do a lot more in combating climate change. However, transport decarbonisation measures laid out in the national climate action plans (known as Nationally Determined Contributions, or «NDCs») under the Paris Agreement are not sufficiently ambitious to reach the well below 2 degree C target, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).

UNFCCC – World Is at Tipping Point in Transition to Low-Carbon

A new report by CDP, formerly the Carbon Disclosure Project, shows that a growing number of companies are stepping up their response to climate change by embedding low-carbon goals into their long-term business plans, with many companies intending to ramp up ambition over the next couple of years. Launched just days ahead of the upcoming climate change conference in Bonn (COP23, 6-17 November), the report puts the spotlight on the role of the private sector in achieving national climate action goals under the Paris Climate Change Agreement<http://unfccc.int/paris_agreement/items/9485.php>.

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