EC and UNECE Discuss Trade Facilitation in Ashgabat

Ashgabat, 21 April 2008 – Today the Regional trade facilitation seminar gathered Government officials and donor agencies’ representatives to discuss trade and transport facilitation, trade information exchange standards, border crossing facilitation and other related issues.

Some practical tools useful for Turkmenistan such as the European Union’s Integrated Border Management (IBM) were discussed.

The main purpose is to raise awareness among Government counterparts and donor community on UNECE/EC trade corridor initiatives and train involved agencies (Customs, Border Guards, Migration office and others) on specific issues of trade procedures and sharing experience of the EU member states.

Organizers hope that the practical value of the seminar will be implementation of UN conventions and standards for the inclusion of Turkmenistan in the global economy.

UNECE has nearly 50 years of experience in setting standards for trade facilitation and implementation of European standards particularly in transition economies.

The seminar is a part of the new phase of the BOMCA programme tailored to demonstrate to Central Asian Governments the benefits of the European Union’s IBM approach for the facilitation of trade and transit, through model projects at BCPs on major Central Asian trade corridors.

The European Union will foster Institutional Reform in border management, strengthen training capacities in Central Asia and continue strengthening infrastructure capacities along trade and transit corridors in Central Asia.

The BOMCA programme is funded by the European Union and implemented by UNDP. [Write up courtesy UNDP Turkmenistan]