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| Friday, 4 June 2004 |
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More attention to trade facilitation vital - CACCI The Confederation of Asia-Pacific Chambers of Commerce and Industry (CACCI), the biggest grouping of businessmen from 22 countries in the Asia-Pacific region, called on the APEC economies, the World Trade Organisation, and other regional and bilateral trade arrangements to give greater attention to trade facilitation in their respective programs of work. In a statement issued at the end of its 68th CACCI Council Meeting recently in Phnom Penh, CACCI stressed that key elements of any meaningful trade facilitation reform agenda must include: * Simplifying and reducing the costs of international trade transactions; * Ensuring relevant activities occur in an efficient, transparent, and predictable manner, based on recognised international standards and best practices; and * Ensuring the dividends of reform are distributed to traders and consumers. CACCI emphasized that while priorities would differ between countries and regions, several areas are of general importance to expanding international trade relations. These include port logistics; customs procedures; domestic regulatory arrangements; standards harmonisation; business mobility; electronic business activity; and administrative transparency. CACCI encouraged the WTO to usefully consider the negotiation of a discrete multilateral Agreement on Trade Facilitation, as part of its broader work on developing consistent rules for international trade. CACCI also called on governments that have adopted model trade facilitation measures to allow officials from other countries to study their systems and if necessary, extend training. CACCI is a regional organisation of apex chambers of commerce and industry and business associations, representing the interest of more than three million business enterprises in Asia. It serves as a forum for promoting the vital role of businessmen in the region, increasing regional business interaction, and enhancing regional economic growth. Towards this end, CACCI has been holding annual meetings and biennial conferences to enable its members to exchange views on current developments and issues of concern to the business sector. The Cambodia Chamber of Commerce, which hosted this year's event, designed a program aimed at making this year's Council Meeting an occasion for members to raise regional partnership to a higher level. An Asian Business Forum was organised under the theme "Strategic Alliances for Better Economies" to provide an opportunity for delegates to discuss business issues of mutual interest and explore possible areas of cooperation and joint business ventures. Simultaneous break-out sessions on Textiles and Garments, Tourism, Information and Communication Technology (ICT), and SME Development were conducted. Some 120 representatives from the national chambers of commerce and industry of Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, Papua New Guinea, Pakistan, the Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam attended the two-day meeting. The CACCI Council, which is the organisation's governing body, also discussed internal policy matters and reviewed the status of its various projects and activities as outlined in its 2004 Work Program. Among others CACCI agreed to create three new Product and Service Councils, namely, the Asian Tourism Council, the Asian Council on Information and Communication Technology (ICT), and the Asian Textiles and Garments Council (ATGC). The Product and Service Councils are CACCI's grassroots vehicles for promoting regional cooperation among businessmen in the same sector. In addition, CACCI agreed to implement training programs for SMEs in the area of management, marketing and finance. CACCI also admitted six new members. These included the Malaysian International Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Nepal Chamber of Commerce as Affiliate Members, and the Mongolrostsvetmet Corporation from Mongolia, and Tariq Sayeed, Burque Corporation, and International Chemplast (Pvt) Ltd. from Pakistan, as Lifetime Special Members. |
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