Addis Ababa — The African Regional Review Meeting on the implementation of the Almaty Programme of Action kicked off this morning at the UN Conference Centre in Addis Ababa.
The objectives of the 16-18 July 2013, among other things, are to assess progress in establishing efficient transit transport systems in Africa and formulate appropriate policy measures to overcome the special problems of landlocked developing countries.
In his opening remarks, Mr. Carlos Lopes, Executive Secretary of the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) noted that it was befitting for the meeting to be taking place in Ethiopia, a country that he said "was transforming itself and has proven that it was possible for a landlocked country to extricate itself from poverty."
"Ethiopia's growth is propelled by factors such as significant public and private investment, improved macroeconomic management and the increasing share of the manufacturing and services sectors in the economy," he said.
He stressed that the current growth experienced by many African landlocked countries symbolised the essence of the Almaty Programme of Action, (APoA), which was about overcoming the special challenges of landlocked countries.
"This performance puts these countries in league with the fastest growing countries in the world, and speaks to the growth potential of landlocked countries, if the right conditions are in place," he said.
Mr. Lopes highlighted progress made in facilitating trade and infrastructure, such as the single window concept that is based on common electronic platforms.
These, he said, have significantly reduced paper work and transaction delays. In addition, customs guarantee schemes and one-stop-border posts have been introduced to reduce transport delays whilst securing customs revenues.
"The one-stop border post at Chirundu between Zambia and Zimbabwe demonstrates how the cost of trading in Southern Africa can be substantially reduced by streamlining border procedures," he said,
He called on the participants to examine existing trade and transport facilitation initiatives in Africa and to clearly articulate the value that APoA adds to these initiatives.
He urged delegates to bear in mind the progress in World Trade Organisation (WTO) negotiations on trade facilitation and stressed that interventions made in the context of APoA could facilitate implementation of the envisaged WTO provisions.
He also urged them to examine linkages between APoA and the ongoing Post-2015 Development Agenda.
He also assured the participants of ECA's continued support to efforts to address the special needs of Africa's landlocked and transit countries, with the view to strengthening their ability to engage in international trade.
Meanwhile, an Expert Group Meeting to review the report of an ECA study on the Status of implementation of trade and transport facilitation instruments in Africa was held prior to the start of the African Review Meeting.
The study reveals that Africa does not lack legal instruments to govern trade and transport facilitation.
The study examines existing conventions and protocols cover a wide range of topics, such as the free movement of persons and goods, customs and trade facilitation, maritime and port facilities, inter-state road transport, and insurance, among others.
The study concludes that the main challenge appears to be the lack of implementation and enforcement of these instruments.
Consequently, transit transport and trade in Africa continues to be characterized by long delays, numerous road blocks, illegal payments to corrupt officials, insecurity, and cumbersome transport and customs procedures.
All of this leads to high transport costs on transit routes, as well as uncertainties in transport operations.
The opening session was also addressed by Mr. Ahmed Shide, State Minister of Finance and Economic Development of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia; Mr. Saleumxay Kommasith, Permanent Representative of the Lao People's Democratic Republic to the UN and Chairman of the Group of Landlocked Developing Countries; Mr. Gyan Chandra Acharya, UN Under-Secretary-General, and High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States.
Issued by:
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