Framework A Major Leap Towards Trade Facilitation

Framework A Major Leap Towards Trade Facilitation

The Solomon Islands government Integrated Framework (IF) on trade is a major leap towards the effective implementation of Trade facilitation within the country, says a trade official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, External Trade and Immigration.

George Tuti, Assistant Project Officer in the IF National Implementation Unit, after returning from a recent Trade Facilitation (TF) Meeting in Taiwan said Solomon Islands require wider participation from local stakeholders in order to make trade become visible in the country.

He said wider participation is a necessary feature to strengthen local production in goods and services which formed the basis for external trade with other countries.

"If all stake holders (Private/Public) own the process and play their roles we will be able to actively participate in facilitating trade and reap our potential opportunities," Mr Tuti said.

He said the workshop in Taiwan gave him - as a government trade officer, new knowledge and experience that will be useful for the government's trade division.

"The general idea behind the TF meeting is to make trade procedures as efficient as possible through the rationalization of procedures, documentation and information flows.

"The key objective is to allow legitimate commerce pass through borders without hesitation, while still maintaining border security," Mr Tuti said.

He said participating countries including hosts; Taiwan shared their experiences and views which included trade opportunities and challenges facing countries.

Representatives from 27 countries around the world including Solomon Islands, Fiji and Palau from the pacific Region attended the meeting.

Mr Tuti said the challenge for Solomon Islands now is to learn from other countries to facilitate trade in the best possible way, taking into account both national and international environmental situations.

ENDS

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