The Australian delegation achieved high visibility during the Sustainable and Digital Trade Facilitation Week held in Geneva from 8 to 12 July, taking the stage for nine separate presentations.
The event, hosted by the United Nations Centre for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business (UN/CEFACT), involved in-person delegates from over 50 countries.
Australia sent five experts and officials to this event, including NATA’s Brett Hyland.
The week was dedicated to the exploration of how to leverage UN/CEFACT standards to support sustainable trade, with the ultimate purpose of helping achieve defined UN Sustainable Development Goals. Australia’s Steve Capell (UN/CEFACT Vice Chair) provided numerous talks on the emerging United Nations Transparency Protocol (UNTP) program, for which he is Project Lead. Australia’s Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry presented on the digital traceability efforts underway in Australia. Brett Hyland presented a new Business Requirements Specification (available here) which models the digital exchange of product conformity data.
Other event highlights:
- A joint session with UNCEFACT and ICC Digital Standards Initiative (DSI), launching a ‘Call to Action’ for the adoption of digital standards in global trade, drawing on the DSI’s recent Key Trade Documents and Data Elements report (for which NATA was a contributor)
- Coverage of the role of conformity assessment in trade featuring Martin Michelot of TIC Council who unpacked the mechanics of testing, certification and inspection
- A meeting of the UNECE Team of Specialists on Environmental, Social and Governance Traceability of Sustainable Value Chains in the Circular Economy, where Steve Capell explained how the future of sustainable trade is becoming a reality based on implementations of UNTP, as articulated in the draft UNECE Recommendation 49 Transparency at Scale.
- Appointment of Nancy Norris (Canada) as the new UN/CEFACT Chair
