Invited Talk 3 - International Perspective

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Title

Good Governance and the Concept of Electronic Single Window for International Trade

Date/Time

Thursday 04 December 2008, 09:00 - 10:00

Speaker

Abstract

If by governance we mean the relationship between those who govern a country, institution, society or other social entity and those who are governed, then “good governance” is the exercise of power that is efficient, free of abuse, incompetence and corruption, transparent, accountable, and equitable, and provides for broad public participation. In this sense, e-governance is seen just as a tool of governance, which should, ideally, be “good”. The use of ICT in the process of governance provides, on the one hand, public access to information on laws, rules and procedures, and, on the other hand, instruments for the participation of the broad public in decisions and the monitoring of the exercise of power. In the fight against corruption, electronic tools are expected to create more transparency and eliminate the environment conducive to unfair governance practices. UNECE provides a number of such e-tools in the areas of environment, trade, statistics, etc.

Single Window for export and import clearance, a concept supported by the UNECE recommendations and standards, generally contributes to improving governance. A Single Window system allows traders to file all required information for executing a foreign trade transaction only once, in one place, in a standard format. It also provides an easy and comprehensive access to laws, regulations, procedures and document forms. The system creates transparency and increases the efficiency of trade and control operations. It eliminates the risk of control officers subjectively checking documents and abusing the power to control information in dealings with business operators.

Another set of tools for e-governance offered by UNECE relate to environmental protection and the Information Society. Thus the Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-Making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters (“Aarhus Convention” of 1998) exemplifies the employment of ICT to promote transparency and good governance. It contains both legally-binding obligations and soft law recommendations, which address information policy and content, intended to meet the objectives of the Convention’s provisions on information access. The Convention has 42 Parties from across Europe and Asia. UNECE maintains the Aarhus Clearinghouse Mechanism: a portal where ECE collects and shares information on good governance practices and experience of the implementation of the Convention and its Protocol on Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers (not yet in force).

As governance itself, e-governance is exercised on – basically – the levels of a company, national government and international. Each level has its raison d’être, with its dynamics and efficiency. UNECE is making contributions to e-governance in its region, with a link to the three levels mentioned above. One of the examples is the joint initiative on developing a Code of good practice on public participation, access to information and transparency in Internet governance being presented at the 3rd Internet Governance Forum (3-6 December 2008, Hyderabad, India) of the Council of Europe, UNECE and the Association of Progressive Communications (a global civil society network working closely with the UN agencies), which aims at applying systematically the principles of transparency and participation of the public in the field of Internet Governance.

Biography

Mario Apostolov currently works at the UN Economic Commission for Europe as Regional Adviser, assisting economies in transition in their transition to a market economy and integration in the world and EU economy. More specifically, he manages technical assistance projects in trade facilitation and e-business, notably in Central Asia, the Caucasus, South-eastern Europe, Russia, and Ukraine. He organizes international conferences on trade facilitation, Single Window, data harmonization and the information society, and advises governments on these issues. He has worked as Coordinator of UN ministerial trade forums; he has many publications and experience in journalism.

Mr. Apostolov has a PhD from the Graduate Institute of International Studies in Geneva, he has carried out a post-doctoral project in international security in the Balkans and the Middle East, and has been visiting scholar at Columbia University. He has publications in the areas of (1) international trade and (2) cultural and religious issues in international security.

Some publications:

• Regional Trade Integration in Central Asia: The way to modernize and attract investment and new technologies in Reforma (ISSN 1694-5158), Bishkek, April-June 2007, pp. 5-9
• The Frontier between Christianity and Islam: A Zone of Contact, Conflict or Cooperation, London, Routledge, 2004
• (ed.) Упрощение процедур торговли: Распределение выгод от процесса глобализации в новых условиях безопасности (in Russian) (Trade Facilitation: Sharing the Gains of Globalization in the New Security Environment), New York and Geneva, UN, 2004; xiv-443 p
• (ed.) Sharing the Gains of Globalization in the New Security Environment: The Challenges to Trade Facilitation, New York and Geneva, UN, 2004
• (ed.) Trade Facilitation: The Challenges for Growth and Development, New York and Geneva, UN, 2003
• Religious Minorities, Nation States and Security: Five Cases from the Balkans and the Eastern Mediterranean, Aldershot, Ashgate, 2001, x-206 p.
• Contemporary Dimensions of the Frontier between Christianity and Islam, Geneva, PSIS Occasional Paper no. 3, 1998; 63 p
• Les droits des minorités et la sécurité des États dans l'histoire de l'Europe du sud-est, Relations Internationales, Paris, no. 89, printemps 1997; pp. 37­51
• Bulgaria and the GATT” in RFE/RL Research Report, vol. 3, no. 31, 12 August 1994.

Presentation