Page 12 - DIVA_2_2018

Interview with

Mr Mario

Apostolov

Regional Advisor in

Economic Commission
of Europe

Mario Apostolov is a busy man, being the Eco-
nomic Commission for Europe's regional advisor on
Trade Facilitation. Also known as an expert from

the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable
Development, he has written many articles, reports
and books, most recently Modernization of the

Central Asian Countries: the Role of Regional Trade
Integration and Trade Facilitation. For the last two
years he has also worked on the coordination of the
United Nations' Special Programme for the Econo-
mies of Central Asia. Being of the curious sort, we

made a point of meeting up with him in the United
Nations before he set out to travel yet again.

Q: Could you tell us about your work? for trade facilitation. And we have experience in providing
I'm the Regional Advisor on trade facilitation in the capacity-building, which is my area of responsibility as the
United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, and I Regional Advisor. This includes framework capacity-build-
work on assistance to the transition economies in Eastern ing in support of the implementation of these instruments
Europe, East Central Asia, Central Asia and the Cauca- and standards, such as the very first UNECE trade facilita-
sus, helping them implement trade facilitation measures. tion standard - the UN Layout Key for trade and transport
This is done primarily through instruments developed documents. This is our recommendation number one, and
by the United Nations Centre for Trade Facilitation and a widely accepted international voluntary standard.
Electronic Business (UN/CEFACT), a subsidiary body of
the UNECE. Trade facilitation is one of the key topics in Several of the most recent recommendations that UN!
international trade diplomacy these days. CEFACT developed and adopted involved the concept
A year ago, on 22 February 2017, the WTO's Trade Fa- called Single Window for import, export and transit
cilitation Agreement entered into force, containing both clearance. Trade facilitation is about reducing bureauc-
binding measures and a series of optional measures. racy in international trade. Historically, traders have had
This Agreement forms a framework in which the countries to provide as many as forty different documents to some
can work on facilitating trade. The UNECE has more than forty different agencies, but with trade facilitation this
60 years of experience in developing such instruments, information needs to be provided only once. This is the
meaning standards and best practice recommendations idea of the Single Window, which is the most developed

10 DIVA - INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMAT