Partnership to Strengthen Reform: How Do They Work?

1. Symposium on WTO Trade Facilitation for African Countries Nairobi, November 13-15, 2012 Partnership to Strengthen Reform: How Do They Work? Dominique Njinkeu, Lead Trade Facilitation Specialist, TFF Program coordinator

2. Outline I. Introduction II. Trade Facilitation in the World Bank: Focus on the TFF III. Partnership approaches to Trade Facilitation

3. Trade Facilitation Facility Fighting Poverty Through the Engine of Trade

4. What is the TFF Multi-donor: UK, Sida, CIDA, Holland Managed by the World Bank TRADE FACILITATION FACILITY Support concrete improvements in TF systems Help reduce developing countries’ trade costs Emphasis on Africa/low-income countries

5. TFF Guiding principles Country/beneficiary ownership Rapid response Focus on implementation TFF funds activities that lead to concrete reforms and investments. • Bridge between upstream research /diagnostics, and implementation of policy recommendations • Preparation of large scale projects. The TFF receives requests on a rolling basis Proposals are reviewed and processed through a fast-track process. Requests for TFF assistance • Must come from the beneficiaries (countries and RECs) • Demonstrate alignment with development priorities.

6. III Partnerships approach to Trade Facilitation

7. Partnership because various dimensions

8. Partnership to mainstream trade facilitation in trade policy. • DTIS and Action Matrix (TTFA) • Trade and trade facilitation nexus (agriculture, manufacturing)

9. Partnership to Balance “Soft” and “Hard” infrastructure • Addressing both hard and soft infrastructure issues is important • Near consensus on challenges • Different views about prioritization • Against widely held view hard infrastructure cost represents a small part of total logistics costs

10. Partnership to work on the corridor • The Transport corridors link a gateway to an inland terminal: • Physical infrastructure (ports, roads, railways, dry ports) • Logistics services • Procedures (notably transit) • Institutional environment: • Articulation of regional, corridor and national levels • stakeholders engagement • policies • M&E: • corridor performances • identification of non tariff barriers to address through policies / operational measures

11. Partnership to enhance efficiency of gateway • Two main issues for gateway operations: • Efficiency of the agencies and operators • Port authority and port operators • Border agencies (Customs, SPS, Ministry of Commerce, etc.) • Logistics operators • Coordination of the role of the various agencies and operators

12. Partnership for simplification prior to automation • Audit of trade procedures of various agencies : inter-ministerial coordination • Change in legal and regulatory texts • Payment regime

13. Partnership to enhance efficiency of the transit regime • Current status : • Several layers of control (bond, guarantees, GPS tracking) • Revised Transit Regime: • Regulatory issues (mutual acceptance of guarantees and interoperability of bonds, release conditions) • ICT infrastructure (Connection of Customs) • Within country • HQ to borders • Between countries • Border to adjacent border • HQ to HQ

14. Strategic Partnerships: Mainstreaming trade facilitation in trade policymaking : links to the EIF Supporting WTO negotiations: Annex D needs assessment Trade Facilitation to boost trade. working across sectors, ministries (e.g. agriculture) Related Institutions : WCO, STDF RECs and JSSO (ADB, UNECA, AUC)

15. Concluding remarks No Sector in the Bank, no agency at the national or regional level, no donor, working in isolation can make a difference Partner, Partner, Partner or no Result.