SCSIT 2015: Understanding Agreement on Trade Facilitation WTO

Background
Agreement on Trade Facilitation (ATF) is an agreement that adopted in the 9th WTO Ministerial Conference in Bali December 2013. ATF contains provisions for expediting the movement, release and clearance of goods, including goods in transit. It also sets out measures for effective cooperation between customs and other appropriate authorities on trade facilitation and customs compliance issues.
Although trade facilitation is not an unfamiliar issue, collective understanding amongst stakeholders both in national and local level still needs to be addressed. Since trade facilitation issue has turned into a formal regulation in WTO, collective understanding will enable stakeholders to achieve better collaboration both in ratifying ATF to national regulations and implement it in each authorities.
As part of the effort to enhance the collective understanding among Indonesia’s relevant stakeholders in trade-related matters, the Center for World Trade Studies (CWTS) Universitas Gadjah Mada will be organizing Short Course Series in International Trade (SCSIT) in collaboration with the WTO under Trade-Related Technical Assistance (TRTA) scheme. The theme of this event is “Understanding WTO Agreement on Trade Facilitation (ATF): Advantages, Disadvantages and Implementations.” Therefore, this event will focus on discussing the agreement, its implication and its implementations particularly in developing countries like Indonesia.

Goals
Participants are expected to have a firm understanding of:

  1. ATF’s historical aspects and its relevance with the General Agreements on Tarriffs and Trade (GATT);
  2. ATF’s advantages and disadvantages, both for government and business actors (importer/exporter); and
  3. The necessary technical assistances and capacity bulding in implementing ATF.

Course Topics

  1. ATF’s Background and goals
  2. Trade Facilitation’s (TF) Measures
  3. Categorization in each TF Measures
  4. ATF’s assessment and implementation
  5. Special and Differential Treatment (SDTT)
  6. Technical assistance in ATF

Speakers
Main speaker:
Mr. Xiaobing Tang (Councellor, Market Access Divison World Trade Organization)

Co-Speakers:
Dr. Poppy S. Winanti (Director, CWTS UGM)
Drs. Riza Noer Arfani, M.A., Ph.D. Cand. (Chair, WCP UGM Indonesia)*
Daniar R. Natakusumah, S.H., LL.M. (Lecturer of Faculty of Law UGM, Legal Advisor for Trade in Services TCF [EU Indonesia Trade Cooperation Facility])*
*to be confirmed

Time and location
September 22nd to 23rd 2015
Jl. K.H. Wahid Hasyim No.114, Menteng, Jakarta Pusat, Jakarta 10340

Event Schedule
Day I, September 22nd 2015
Time                       Activities
08.00 – 09.00   Registration
09.00 – 09.15     Opening
09.15 – 10.30      Subject I: ATF’s background and goals
10.30 – 10.45      Coffee break
10.45 – 12.00      Subject II: Trade Facilitation’s (TF) Measures
12.00 – 13.30      Lunch break
13.30 – 15.00       Subject III: Categorization in each TF Measures
15.00 – 15.15        Coffee break
15.15 – 15.30        Closing

Day II, September 23rd 2015
Time                       Activities
08.00 – 09.00  Registration
09.00 – 09.15    Opening
09.15 – 10.30     Subject IV: ATF’s assessment and implementation
10.30 – 10.45     Coffee break
10.45 – 12.00     Subject V: Special and Differential Treatment (SDT)
12.00 – 13.30     Lunch break
13.30 – 15.00     Subject VI: Technical Assistance in ATF
15.00 – 15.15      Coffee break
15.15 – 15.30       Closing

Participants
SCSIT expects participants from stakeholders in both central and local level, business association, also academics to enrich the perspectives. Participants will be limited to 20 persons. Here is the following institutions which are expected to participate in SCSIT:

  1. Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs
  2. Ministry of Finance
  3. Ministry of Trade
  4. Ministry of Transportation
  5. Ministry of Agriculture
  6. Ministry of Foreign Affairs
  7. Ministry of Industry
  8. Ministry of Manpower
  9. Ministry of Cooperatives and Small Medium Enterprises
  10. Ministry of Forestry and Environment
  11. National Development Planning Agency
  12. Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS)
  13. Members of People’s Representative Council
  14. Members of Regional Representative Council (from related region)
  15. Local Government (from related region)
  16. Employers’ Association of Indonesia
  17. Indonesian Handicraft Businessman Association
  18. Indonesia Port II (PT. Pelabuhan Indonesia)
  19. Supply Chain Indonesia
  20. Indonesia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KADIN)
  21.  Academics (researchers, scholars, lecturers, students interested in trade studies)
  22. General public

Registration Fee and Facilities

Registration fee: Rp 2.000.000/participant
Facilities:
– Seminar kit and certificate
– Course material
– Lunch and coffee break

Other Information

  • Please be advised to send your confirmation before September 11th, 2015 as this event is limited to only 20 participants (FCFS, first come first served).
  • The course will be conducted in English.
  • Please send your completed confirmation form to cwts@ugm.ac.id or fax: 0274-580273 up. Dimas.
  • Please complete your payment by transfer to:
  • Bank Mandiri UGM an. UGM-PS-PSPD-krjsama
    Account number 137-00-1403-2078
    Message for beneficiary: SCSIT Registration Fee
  • Further inquiries please contact our contact person.

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