Joint World Bank – Global Express Association Project to Demonstrate the Benefits of

1. Joint World Bank – Global Express Association Project to Demonstrate the Benefits of Expedited Customs Clearance Istanbul 04 October 2009

2. Express Delivery and the Global Economy • Express operators provide guaranteed, fast, reliable, on-demand, world-wide, integrated, door-to-door movement of shipments which are tracked and controlled throughout the journey. • The global express delivery industry did not exist as at the end of the Uruguay Round but last year it carried over US$ 2 trillion in trade across border. • This is trade that is time-sensitive and highly-valuable, and that generally would not occur if the speed and reliability of express delivery were not available.

3. Joint World Bank – GEA Project on Expedited Customs Clearance Objective: to accelerate release of shipments through application of risk assessment prior to arrival of shipments. • Capture time now wasted while shipments are in-transit; • Replace less effective risk assessment techniques with automated risk assessment; • Provide customs administrations with statistically valid compliance measurement systems to enable them to validate their effectiveness; • Promote compliance with the World Customs Organizations’ best practices; • Improve national economic performance

5. Why expedited customs clearance matters • For developing countries, faster customs clearance reduces the competitive disadvantages of distance from key suppliers or major markets; • Opens new opportunities in commercial areas that depend on speed • Reduces costs of inventories in transit • Improves ability of manufacturers to provide product support to distant customers • Accelerates capital turnover • Increases customs revenues as a result of expanded trade flows

6. Key deliverables • an automated system that applies risk assessment criteria supplied by host customs administrations to carriers’ electronic manifest information; the system should accept existing electronic messages and need not require modification of customs’ existing IT systems • capability for customs to separate physical control of goods from fiscal procedures and final accounting • compliance measurement based on statistically valid random sampling • draft guidelines for amending national legislation to accommodate recommended changes

7. Country/Regional Focus • Looking for partners in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Latin America, Southeast Asia, and Africa. • World Bank and WCO reviews show that in these regions Customs’ techniques commonly do not follow best practices with the result that performance is less than optimal. • A successful demonstration of best practices in each of these regions should stimulate similar reforms among other Customs administrations in the region.

8. What is needed? from private parties: • software to apply customs-supplied risk assessment factors to electronic air manifest data • programming of EDI links to the risk assessment system • collaboration with governments in establishing guaranties needed to enable separation of physical from fiscal controls from intergovernmental organizations: • technical assistance, training, and some financial support from governments: • interest in and commitment to customs modernization • qualified customs personnel to work with WCO and private operator personnel in implementing expedited release procedures, and training other customs personnel in their use