Managing risk and facilitating trade during COVID-19

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00:09 Maintaining trade flows as much as possible

00:11 during the COVID-19 pandemic is crucial.

00:14 Continued access to essential food and medical items

00:18 will limit negative impacts on jobs and poverty.

00:21 Trade facilitation measures can contribute to

00:23 the response by expediting the movement,

00:26 release,

00:27 and clearance of goods.

00:34 During times of crisis,

00:36 it is critical

00:37 to ensure trade flows smoothly and safely across borders.

00:41 The WTO

00:43 Trade Facilitation Agreement

00:44 is a sound and robust framework

00:47 to assist countries to reform their trade practices.

00:50 Here you will see

00:51 some examples of how countries have responded

00:54 to COVID-19.

01:02 Cooperation and communication

01:04 between government and industry

01:06 through platforms such as the National Trade Facilitation Committee

01:10 can ensure that traders and regulated parties

01:13 are aware of changes in information.

01:17 In Canada,

01:18 the government established an industry government COVID-19 working group

01:23 made up of national industry associations.

01:26 The group meets by phone 3 times a week

01:29 to share information

01:31 and discuss issues facing the industry,

01:34 including potential impacts on trade.

01:43 Increasing the availability of trade-related information.

01:47 And enabling the submission of documents electronically

01:51 through platforms such as trade information portals and single windows can

01:55 facilitate trade and reduce contact between traders and government officials.

02:00 In India,

02:01 the national customs gateway is being used to avoid trade disruptions.

02:05 It is available for use 24/7.

02:08 The help desk facilities have been wrapped up and an online form has been launched

02:12 to allow traders to identify and report any issues.

02:17 The staff are now working on a staggered schedule to ensure

02:21 that the business of cargo clearance

02:23 is not disrupted.

02:30 During the pandemic,

02:32 cooperation and coordination of border agencies are extremely important.

02:37 It helps reduce the interveniences required for

02:40 clearance of imported and exported goods.

02:43 Many governments have already adopted the practical solutions

02:46 to substantially reduce the interactions between officials and traders

02:51 or their representatives at the borders.

03:00 Sanitary and phytosanitary agencies,

03:02 standards agencies,

03:03 and customs should work together to

03:05 expedite the clearance of critical commodities.

03:07 One way to do this is to reduce or

03:09 eliminate inspections of low risk or highly compliant items.

03:14 Another

03:15 is to establish priority lanes for the clearance of critical commodities.

03:19 The EU,

03:19 for example,

03:20 has established priority lanes that expedite the clearance of medical products,

03:24 food items,

03:25 and livestock.

03:33 Women entrepreneurs,

03:34 particularly in developing countries,

03:35 already face a number of challenges to do trade.

03:38 According to a World Bank Group study in the Pacific,

03:40 women need more flexibility than men as they struggle to

03:43 balance caring for their families and managing their businesses.

03:47 During a pandemic,

03:48 the need for such flexibility is even greater.

03:51 Increased working hours at ports and border agencies,

03:55 while maintaining safety precautions can provide traders

03:57 the additional flexibility needed to do business.

04:07 Ensuring that trade continues to flow during the

04:09 pandemic will require an array of actions.

04:12 The World Bank Group stands with its partner countries and works hand in

04:16 hand with other multilateral organizations and international

04:19 financial institutions to support these efforts.

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Maintaining trade flows as much as possible during the COVID-19 pandemic is crucial. Continued access to essential food and medical items will limit negative impacts on jobs and poverty. Trade facilitation measures can contribute to the response by expediting the movement, release, and clearance of goods. During times of crisis, it is critical to ensure trade flows smoothly and safely across borders. The WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement is a sound and robust framework to assist countries to reform their trade practices. Here you will see some examples of how countries have responded to COVID-19. Cooperation and communication between government and industry through platforms such as the National Trade Facilitation Committee can ensure that traders and regulated parties are aware of changes in information. In Canada, the government established an industry government COVID-19 working group made up of national industry associations. The group meets by phone 3 times a week to share information and discuss issues facing the industry, including potential impacts on trade. Increasing the availability of trade-related information. And enabling the submission of documents electronically through platforms such as trade information portals and single windows can facilitate trade and reduce contact between traders and government officials. In India, the national customs gateway is being used to avoid trade disruptions. It is available for use 24/7. The help desk facilities have been wrapped up and an online form has been launched to allow traders to identify and report any issues. The staff are now working on a staggered schedule to ensure that the business of cargo clearance is not disrupted. During the pandemic, cooperation and coordination of border agencies are extremely important. It helps reduce the interveniences required for clearance of imported and exported goods. Many governments have already adopted the practical solutions to substantially reduce the interactions between officials and traders or their representatives at the borders. Sanitary and phytosanitary agencies, standards agencies, and customs should work together to expedite the clearance of critical commodities. One way to do this is to reduce or eliminate inspections of low risk or highly compliant items. Another is to establish priority lanes for the clearance of critical commodities. The EU, for example, has established priority lanes that expedite the clearance of medical products, food items, and livestock. Women entrepreneurs, particularly in developing countries, already face a number of challenges to do trade. According to a World Bank Group study in the Pacific, women need more flexibility than men as they struggle to balance caring for their families and managing their businesses. During a pandemic, the need for such flexibility is even greater. Increased working hours at ports and border agencies, while maintaining safety precautions can provide traders the additional flexibility needed to do business. Ensuring that trade continues to flow during the pandemic will require an array of actions. The World Bank Group stands with its partner countries and works hand in hand with other multilateral organizations and international financial institutions to support these efforts.

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Managing Risk and Facilitating Trade in the COVID-19 Pandemic

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Managing Risk and Facilitating Trade in the COVID-19 Pandemic

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