DUSHANBE, July 7, 2007, 2008, Asia-Plus — The Ministry of Economic Development and Trade (MoEDT) has hosted a meeting to discuss issues related to creation of a Single Window for export/import procedures.
The meeting participants included representatives of interested ministries and organizations as well as private sector and public associations.
During the meeting, representatives of a MoEDT acquainted those presented with information about a progress of preparation and structure of the national Single Window concept. They, in particular, noted that the concept specifies the procedure of development of a system enabling international traders to submit regulatory documents to relevant bodies of the country through the use of a single admission channel for the purpose of using all regulating requirements concerning export/import and transit procedures, the MoEDT source said.
According to specialists, comparative analysis of submitted documents and time for going through export/import and transit procedures in Tajikistan has shown that some 10-14 documents are needed in the country for these dealings, while in Russia 8 such documents are need and in Latvia only 5-6. Therefore, international traders spend from 44 to 70 days in Tajikistan for preparing necessary documents. In Russia, this procedure takes 39 days and in Latvia only 11 days.
Experts also note that logical expenses on exports from Tajikistan that also include execution of papers by intentional traders make 20%-23% of the volume of trade. This index is the worst in the world.
The Single Window System is a trade facilitation idea. As such, the implementation of a single window system enables international (cross-border) traders to submit regulatory documents at a single location and/or single entity. Such documents are typically customs declarations, applications for import/export permits, and other supporting documents such as certificates of origin and trading invoices.
The main value proposition for having a Single Window for a country or economy is to increase the efficiency through time and cost savings for traders in their dealings with various government authorities for obtaining the relevant clearance and permit(s) for moving cargoes across national or economic borders. In a traditional pre-Single Window environment, traders may have had to contend with visits and dealings with multiple government agencies in multiple locations in order to obtain the necessary papers, permits and clearance in order to complete their import or export processes.
The concept is recognized and promoted by several world organizations that are concerned with trade facilitation. Among these are the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and its Center for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business (UN CEFACT), World Customs Organization (WCO), SITPRO Limited of the United Kingdom and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
