The first ever African Forum for National Trade Facilitation Committees: Empowering Public-Private partnership for trade facilitation will be held at UNECA's Conference Center, Addis Ababa from 27 to 29 November 2018.
More than 300 participants from the public sector, business community, donors, and regional and international organizations are expected to attend.
In its continued effort to support African Countries in their national and regional Trade Facilitation reforms, UNCTAD will organize the First African Forum for National Trade Facilitation Committees (NTFCs) in cooperation with the International Trade Centre, United Nations Centre for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business (UN/CEFACT), United Nations Commission for Africa, World Bank Group, World Customs Organization, World Trade Organization, among other organizations.
The Forum aims to be the reference event in Africa where stakeholders from the public and private sector, can boost together their capacities towards the implementation of the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA).
The Forum’s objectives are three-fold:
The meeting is open to members of the NTFCs from all countries that have been nominated to attend the meeting. Donors, international agencies and regional organisations are also invited to attend.
Tuesday– 27 November 2018 | |
08:30 – 09:00 | Welcome networking coffee and registration |
09:00 - 11:00 | Opening remarks |
11: 00 – 11:10 | Presentation of programme, agenda, team of experts, objectives of the week |
11:10– 12:30 | Trade Facilitation efforts and prospective in Africa |
12:30 - 13:30 | Lunch break |
13:30-14:00 | Free time slot for a side event |
14:00 - 14:30 | The WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement - Status of ratification, categorisation and notifications in Africa |
14:30 - 15:45 | The role of the African regional organisations in implementing Trade Facilitation reforms |
15:45 – 17:00 | The role of NTFCs in the implementation of trade facilitation provisions in the African Continental Free Trade Area |
17:00 – 18:30 | Trade Fair: Donors and international organizations will share information on Technical Assistance and Capacity Building programmes with participants in a trade-fair style |
Wednesday– 28 November 2018 | |
08:00 – 09:00 | Free time slot for a side event |
09:00 - 10:30 | How to make an NTFC sustainable and ensure political will: best practices, challenges and lessons learned |
10:30 – 12:00 | Mainstreaming gender equality in trade facilitation |
12:00 - 13:00 | Lunch break |
13:00 – 14:00 | UNCTAD side event: Sharing best practices in the establishment of Trade Portals (country-cases) |
14:00 - 15:00 | The role of the NTFCs in the establishment and operation of Electronic Single Window and other paperless initiatives |
15:00 - 16:00 | Involvement and Role of the Private Sector in NTFCs |
16:00 – 17:00 | How to engage effectively with other border agencies in a coordinated border management context |
17:00 – 18:00 | Side-event organized by the UNCTAD African Office (tentative time slot) |
Thursday – 29 November 2018 |
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08:00 – 09:00 | Free time slot for a side event | |
09:00 – 10:00 | Donors’ support for the implementation of trade facilitation reforms and South-South Cooperation |
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10:00 – 11:00 | Available Technical assistance and Capacity Building in Africa for the implementation of Trade Facilitation reforms |
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11:00 – 12:00 | Best practices, challenges and lessons learned in seeking TF technical assistance |
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12:00 - 13:00 | Lunch break |
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13:00 – 14:00 | Global Alliance side event: Launch of the Zambia project |
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14:00 – 15:00 | New challenges: Transit coordination at the heart of the NTFC |
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15:00-16:30 | Trade Facilitation 3.0: the role of NTFCs in a digitalized trade facilitation world |
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16:30-17:00 | Closing remarks and the way forward |
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17:00 17:30 | Short evaluation and distribution of attendance certificates | |
