MSG Secretariat participates in OCO Secretariat workshop

01 August 2019

The MSG Secretariat was invited to participate as an observer in the OCO Secretariat workshop on PACER Plus Transparency Provisions & ASYCUDA World Study Visit held from 22 to 26 July, 2019. Mrs. Sovaia Marawa, Trade Policy and Investment Advisor, represented the MSG Secretariat during the OCO workshop held in Port Vila, Vanuatu.

Discussions at the workshop were centred on improving transparency provisions under the PACER Plus, World Trade Facilitation Agreements, transparency and predictability of tariff classification, rules of origin and customs valuation. The customs officials also conducted a gap analysis and discussed strategies to improve transparency of the national laws, regulations and procedures on imports and exports.

A study visit was made to Vanuatu Customs where participants were briefed on Vanuatu’s Single Window Portal. The first in the Pacific, the trade portal is an electronic system that enables businesses and traders to submit regulatory documents to facilitate exports and imports of goods. Vanuatu adopted best practices from around the world and developed the trade portal to be user friendly for businesses and enable customs officers to work smarter. Through the trade portal and supported by national laws, the Vanuatu Department of Customs is able to share relevant information and data to selected government agencies such as Department of Immigration and Police.

The MSG Secretariat Director General Ambassador Amena Yauvoli stated that MSG countries are required to provide high quality information and abide by the transparency provisions of the Melanesian Free Trade Agreement (MFTA). The transparency provisions provide a degree of certainty and predictability of regulations, policies and procedures relating to exports and imports of products and services to benefit businesses and exporters. MSG countries are required to submit notifications, enquiry points, publication of commitments and mechanism for review of MFTA.

Ambassador Yauvoli added that the learnings from this workshop would enhance knowledge and skills of participants with the transparency requirements inscribed in various trade agreements in the Pacific. In addition, he congratulated Vanuatu Single Window Project for taking a clear lead in the Pacific by providing useful insights on the trade portal innovation, with a click of a button contribute to paperless trade, and achieve efficiency gains by reducing processing time and costs to benefit businesses.

The re-engineering of work processes through automation would require deployment of human resources to other functional areas of government departments such as compliance and enforcement. The MFTA deals with terms and conditions governing trade in goods, services, cross border investment and labour mobility for MSG. The Secretariat is hopeful that the MFTA will become operational as soon as it is ratified by at least two members of the MSG.