ITC to host third public-private consultations on operational model for National Single Window

The Geneva-based International Trade Centre (ITC), in close collaboration with the Sri Lanka National Trade Facilitation Committee (NTFC), is organising the third of four public-private consultations on the establishment of a National Single Window (NSW) in Sri Lanka. The objective of these public-private consultations is to stimulate discussions and seek recommendations from border regulatory representatives and the business community on the implementation modalities of the NSW.

Forty high-level representatives will attend the event from business associations, Government agencies, and trade operators. Dignitaries gracing the opening ceremony will include ITC Senior Trade Facilitation Adviser Dr. Mohammad Saeed, Industry and Commerce Ministry Secretary Neil Ranjith Asoka, and Federation of Chambers of Commerce & Industry of Sri Lanka Secretary General/CEO Ajith D. Perera. A special address will be delivered by Sri Lanka Ports Authority Managing Director H. D. A. S. Premachandra.

Organised within the mandate of the EU-Sri Lanka Trade-Related Assistance project funded by the European Union (EU), this event will be held on 24 July at the Cinnamon Lakeside Hotel, Colombo.

As one of the fastest growing economies in the Asia-Pacific region, Sri Lanka has risen steadily to become a regional trade and logistics hub, and is striving to make its economy more interconnected with regional and global markets. In this context, the Government of Sri Lanka has committed to create a NSW as a national priority, to reduce time and costs currently spent by traders in preparing and submitting information and documents to multiple border regulatory agencies. The NSW will allow parties involved in trade and transportation to lodge information and documents with a single-entry point to fulfil all import, export, and transit-related regulatory requirements.

The third public-private consultation follows two other consultations that took place recently. The objective of this third round of consultations is to facilitate the exchange of views between trade stakeholders on the operations of the NSW, discussing different operational patterns and touching upon a number of available ownership and fee structure models to run the operations of the NSW.

The recommendations from this consultation will be shared with the NTFC as well as the World Bank Group who are currently involved in the development of a Single Window Blueprint that will formulate recommendations for the consideration of the Government of Sri Lanka as the country proceeds towards implementation.