connect asia newsletter, no. 01

7/30/2019 Connect Asia Newsletter, No. 01

1/5

Contact |Recommend this newsletter

Information on economic cooperation and integration in Asia

From the GIZ programme Regional Economic Cooperation and Integration in Asia

Issue No. 1

March 2013

Editorial

Dear readers,

we are delighted to

welcome you to the

first issue of ConnectAsia! This newsletter

aims to provide you

with quick and regular

information on

programme activities

and events of the

Regional Economic

Cooperation and

Integration in Asia

(RCI) Programme.

I would like to invite you to find out more about our work and ongoing projects

through regular updates. Additionally we will present insights on recentpublications, activities and news related to regionalisation in Asia. We put

particular emphasis on trade, FDI, maritime cooperation and cross-border

economic cooperation.

The first issue of Connect Asiahighlights two activities within the framework of

South-South Cooperation: RCI's recent activities in the focus area of trade

facilitation with reports on two study tours to Senegal and Central Asia. A

summary of our expert hearing in Bangkok provides insight into the

programme's acitivities in the area of exchange of knowledge and best practices

among regional initiatives in Asia.

We hope you enjoy reading this newsletter and we appreciate any

feedback and comments.

With the best wishes

for the GIZ RCI Programme,

Magnus C. M. Brod

Editor

Contents

Study Tour to Senegalese Single Electronic Window (SEW) Unit

Expert Hearing: Cross-Border Cooperation and Trade Facilitation in Asia

Mongolian Study tour to Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan

Recent Trends in Asian Regionalism

Dates and Events

1112 March

Future of the World Trading

System: Asian Perspectives

Conference

Geneva, Switzerland

Asian Development Bank Institute

(ADBI)

World Trade Organisation (WTO)

www.adbi.org/...

2426 April

Trade Facilitation Implementation

Guide (TFIG) Workshop

Kigali, Rwanda

United Nations Economic

Commission for Europe (UNECE)

www.unece.org/...

More on GIZ RCI Programme

Regional economic cooperation

and integration play an increasingly

important role in Asias economic

landscape. They help countries to

overcome the limitations of

domestic markets and foster

inclusive development, both by

boosting economic growth and by

providing the resources for pro-

poor policies. The GIZ RCI

Programme supports regional

stakeholders with the aim to

strengthen selected core

processes of regional economic

cooperation and integration and to

contribute to sustainable and

inclusive economic development in

the region.

Stay up to date with GIZ RCI

If you would like to continue

receiving regular updates on our

programme activities and further

insights on regionalisation

processes in Asia, please refer to

the GIZ Newsletter main a e and
http://login.mailingwork.de/email/Email/getPreview/1012/html/[email protected]://login.mailingwork.de/email/testPreview/simulateMailingFunction/1012?sid=bdm3e43opcpru1dvr7aiajqtq5https://login.mailingwork.de/email/testPreview/simulateMailingFunction/1012?sid=bdm3e43opcpru1dvr7aiajqtq5http://www.adbi.org/event/5518.world.trading.system.asian.perspectives/http://www.unece.org/index.php?id=31917http://www.unece.org/index.php?id=31917http://www.adbi.org/event/5518.world.trading.system.asian.perspectives/https://login.mailingwork.de/email/testPreview/simulateMailingFunction/1012?sid=bdm3e43opcpru1dvr7aiajqtq5http://login.mailingwork.de/email/Email/getPreview/1012/html/[email protected]


2/5

Programme News

Trade Facilitation

Study tour to Senegalese Single Electronic Window Unit

During 1 to 9

December 2012, the

RCI Programme

organised a tour to

study the Senegalese

approach to Single

Electronic Window

(SEW) to enhance

practical knowledge

in terms of

implementation,

realisation, payment

system, and

challenges for Mongolian trade facilitation stakeholders.

The Senegalese SEW system was piloted in 1986 and has evolved into a

paperless system in 2012. Due to the steady success, the system has served

as example for implementation processes in Central Asia since 2006. The recent

study tour included visits to GAINDE 2000 the company dealing with SEWconsultancy, management, and employment , the Senegalese Customs Office

and its Port Facilitation Centre.

Most participants where delegated from operational level members of Mongolias

SEW Working Group. Furthermore, in line with the RCI approach towards

transfer of best practices within Asia and beyond, the organisers reached out to

partners from Central Asia. Accompanied by staff from the GIZ RCI partner

programme Regional Economic Cooperation in Central Asia office in Uzbekistan,

delegates from Kyrgyzs tan and Uzbekistan joined the tour.

An article about the study tour has been published in the Senegalese daily

newspaper Le Soleil. You can access the article here:www.lesoleil.sn/... (in

French) Contact: [email protected]

Regional Integration

Expert Hearing on Cross-Border Cooperation and TradeFacilitation in Asia

From 15 to 16 November GIZ RCI

Programme convened an

international expert hearing on

Cross-border Cooperation and

Trade Facilitation in Asia in

Bangkok, Thailand. It brought

together over 30 experts from

member countries of the sub-

regional initiatives Pan-Beibu Gulf

Economic Cooperation (PBG),

Central Asia Regional Economic

Cooperation (CAREC), Greater

Tumen Initiative (GTI), and

Greater Mekong Sub-region

Economic Cooperation (GMS).

The event provided an initial

platform for mutual learning and transfer of professional experience.

Participants exchanged practical solutions to trade barriers such as Single

Window or One-Stop-Shop, as well as the flexible issuance of visa for c itizens

in border regions. Experts from Europe reported on experiences of the

European integration process and the establishment of a common market, while

GIZ illustrated case studies of regional cooperation initiatives world-wide. For the

first time representatives from four different sub-regional initiatives in Asia sat

down together to discuss their approaches to cross-border cooperation and

trade facilitation. Not only did the expert hearing lead to a vivid exchange of

existing knowledge, it also laid the foundation for a future network for peer

suscribe here.

Follow and Connect

Follow @rci_asia

FollowFollow
http://www.lesoleil.sn/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=23298:dedouanement-de-marchandises-trois-pays-dasie-veulent-sinspirer-du-modele-de-guichet-unique-senegalais&catid=51:economy&Itemid=63http://www.lesoleil.sn/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=23298:dedouanement-de-marchandises-trois-pays-dasie-veulent-sinspirer-du-modele-de-guichet-unique-senegalais&catid=51:economy&Itemid=63mailto:[email protected]://login.mailingwork.de/-link2/1593/1012/5/0/75334/pwsKv/YmXFYqwjC0/0http://www.twitter.com/rci-asahttp://www.linkedin.com/company/1664949?trk=prof-exp-company-namehttp://www.linkedin.com/company/1664949?trk=prof-exp-company-namehttp://www.linkedin.com/company/1664949?trk=prof-exp-company-namehttp://www.slideshare.net/RCI-Asiahttp://www.twitter.com/rci-asahttps://login.mailingwork.de/-link2/1593/1012/5/0/75334/pwsKv/YmXFYqwjC0/0mailto:[email protected]://www.lesoleil.sn/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=23298:dedouanement-de-marchandises-trois-pays-dasie-veulent-sinspirer-du-modele-de-guichet-unique-senegalais&catid=51:economy&Itemid=63


3/5

learning expanding from Mongolia over Kazakhstan to Viet Nam and Cambodia.

A comprehensive documentation of the expert hearing is available which

contains the event's main findings and inputs; please contact

[email protected]

top

Trade Facilitation

Exchanging practical solutions to trade barriers

From 25 September

to 10 October, theRCI Mongolia office

conducted a study

tour / internship

programme for

Mongolian trade

facilitation

stakeholders.

Assisted by the GIZ

Programme on

Support of Regional

Economic

Cooperation, based

in Central Asia, the delegation visited Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to gain practicalknowledge and experience regarding the topics single electronic window (SEW)

implementation, SEW realization in Central Asia, best practices and

implementation challenges.

The participating Mongolian stakeholders were delegated from operational level

members of Mongolias SEW Working Group such as Mongolian Customs

General Administration (MCGA), General Authority for Special Inspection of

Mongolia (GASI), Information, Communications Technology and Post Authority

(ICTPA), and Mongolian National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MNCCI).

The study tour created the opportunity for regional peer-to-peer exchange on

important SEW issues with Kyrgyz and Tajik stakeholders. Finally, participants

met relevant international experts by attending the regional conferenceSimplification of foreign trade procedures in Central Asia in Dushanbe,

Tajikistan.

Contact: [email protected]

top

Recent Trends in Asian Regionalism

World Bank

Competitiveness and Connectivity: Integrating Lagging

Regions in Global MarketsTrade and productive integration into global markets is seen as fundamental foremerging economies and development in general. Nonetheless this process has

not been spatially uniform, as integration and growth have particularly

concentrated in well-located, metropolitan regions, while more peripheral regions

lagged behind as argued by a recent World Bank paper.

Download the paper here: www.worldbank.org/... (PDF; 1.3 MB)

top

United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)

New forum on trade and the green economy

UNCTAD Trade and Development Board announce the setting up of a new

forum on trade and green economy. The goal is to harmonise trade and

environmental regulations. The first of the bi-annually held forum is scheduled for

June 2013.

Read the news here: www.unctad.org/...

Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI)

The World Bank and the Asian Development Bank: ShouldAsia Have Both?
http://unctad.org/en/pages/PressRelease.aspx?OriginalVersionID=99&Sitemap_x0020_Taxonomy=UNCTAD%20Home&Product_x0020_Taxonomy=Press%20Releasehttp://siteresources.worldbank.org/EXTPREMNET/Resources/EP93.pdfmailto:[email protected]:[email protected]


4/5

In a recent ADBI working paper, Virkam Nehru highlights the role of ADB for

regional development. He also warns of a str ict division of labour between both

the World Bank and the ADB, as regional and global agreements need their

expertise alike.

Download the working paper here: www.adbi.org/...

World Customs Journal

Regional FTAs and policy modernisation in Southeast AsiancountriesA new paper, published in World Customs Journal, investigates the impact of

trade agreements on domestic revenue policy. With regard to furtherenhancement of regional integration in the run up of the ASEAN Economic

Community (AEC) in 2015, Leigh Obradovic discusses the integration of

international best practices into regional trade agreements to ensure a

sustainable outcome for developing countries. Utilizing the cases of Thailand and

Viet Nam he assesses that regional trade agreements offer an avenue to

assist emerging economies modernize their tax and revenue system.

Download the full article: www.worldcustomsjournal.org/...(PDF; 552 KB)

China Briefing

China vows support to Cross-Border Economic CooperationZonesChinas Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) and five other departments jointly

release set of measures for the further development of border economiccooperation zones. According to a document released in December 2012, the

annual GDP growth of the cross-border economic zones should reach 20 %

until 2015.

Access the full article at: www.china-briefing.com/...

China Daily

Connectivity as new buzzword for regional integration withinthe SCO frameworkDuring the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) prime ministers' meeting

on December 5th 2012 in Beijing, the 12 heads of member states and observer

countries highlighted the idea of connectivity in the region. Connectivity on an

infrastructural level shall provide effective channels for more economic

exchange and trade between the neighbouring countries.

Access the full article here: www.chinadaily.com.cn/...

Registration information

Deutsche Gesellschaft fr

Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH

Registered offices

Bonn and Eschborn, Germany

Friedrich-Ebert-Allee 4053113 Bonn, Germany

Phone: +49 228 44 60-0

Fax: +49 228 44 60-17 66

Dag-Hammarskjld-Weg 1-5

65760 Eschborn, Germany

Phone: +49 61 96 79-0

Fax: +49 61 96 79-11 15

Email: [email protected]

Internet: www.giz.de

Registered at

Local court (Amtsgericht) Bonn, Germany: HRB 18384Local cou rt (Amtsgericht) Frankfurt am Main, Germany: HRB 12394

VAT no. DE 113891176

Tax no. 040 250 56973

Chairman of the Supervisory Board
http://www.giz.de/mailto:[email protected]://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2012wensco/2012-12/06/content_15992863.htmhttp://www.china-briefing.com/news/2012/12/10/china-to-support-development-of-border-economic-cooperation-zones.htmlhttp://www.worldcustomsjournal.org/media/wcj/-2012/2/Obradovic.pdfhttp://www.adbi.org/working-paper/2012/10/02/5243.world.bank.adb.should.asia.have.both/%20http://www.adbi.org/files/2012.10.02.wp385.world.bank.adb.should.asia.have.both.pdfuld.asia.have.both.pdfy=Press%20Release


5/5

Hans-Jrgen Beerfeltz, State Secretary

Management Board

Tanja Gnner (Chair)

Dr Christoph Beier (Vice-Chair)

Tom Ptz

Dr Hans-Joachim Preu

Cornelia Richter

If you no longer wish to receive this newsletter, please click here.

In charge of this newsletter:

Dr. Jrgen Steiger,[email protected]

Editor(s):

Magnus C. M. Brod, [email protected]

Contributors:

Magnus C. M. Brod, [email protected]

Julia Langendorf, [email protected]

Khulan Lkhagvasuren, [email protected]

Unsubscribe | Disclaimer | Contact | Recommend this newsletter | www.giz.de
https://login.mailingwork.de/-link2/1593/1012/6/0/75334/pwsKv/YmXFYqwjC0/0https://login.mailingwork.de/email/testPreview/simulateMailingFunction/1012?sid=bdm3e43opcpru1dvr7aiajqtq5http://login.mailingwork.de/email/Email/getPreview/1012/html/mailto:[email protected]://login.mailingwork.de/email/Email/getPreview/1012/html/http://www.giz.de/static/newsletter/giz-newsletter-en-disclaimer.htmhttps://login.mailingwork.de/optout/Optout/test/1593/1012/1/1?sid=bdm3e43opcpru1dvr7aiajqtq5mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://login.mailingwork.de/optout/Optout/test/1593/1012/1/1?sid=bdm3e43opcpru1dvr7aiajqtq5

connect asia newsletter, no. 01

Documents