Accelerating the international flow of goods by road, rail and sea is the objective of a string of partnerships agreed by UNCTAD with international transport organizations at Lyon during the "Partners for Development" summit meeting (9-12 November, 1998). The agreements have been concluded with the leading organizations in their respective fields.
The International Association of Ports and Harbors (IAPH) and UNCTAD will work together to develop and implement information systems that respond to the particular requirements of ports in developing countries, thus reducing the technology gap with more advanced countries and providing these ports with adapted systems at acceptable cost.
Information technology has become an indispensable tool for ports to increase efficiency and to speed up the movement of goods. But, information must precede the goods -- rather than follow them.
UNCTAD brings to the partnership its expertise in improving port performance and developing low-cost software for transport systems; IAPH and its international network of members bring the experience in implementing technology-based trade facilitation measures. IAPH is a worldwide association of port authorities with over 400 members in 85 countries.
The International Federation of Freight Forwarders´ Associations (FIATA), meanwhile, is joining with UNCTAD to promote the development of international multimodal door-to-door transport and logistics operations. The freight forwarding industry is playing a crucial role in these efforts, which could be strengthened through gaining widespread recognition of freight forwarders as carriers.
FIATA will make its network of national associations available to work with UNCTAD on national or regional technical assistance projects in areas of common interest. The two organizations will also collaborate in analysing current transport issues and proposing solutions to remove operational or administrative transport bottlenecks.
The International Multimodal Transport Association (IMTA), within the framework of a partnership with UNCTAD, will support UNCTAD´s initiatives in the fields of door-to-door transport. IMTA, through its network of focal points and its worldwide membership, will act to channel UNCTAD information on multimodal transport and trade facilitation, particularly to SMEs and local administrations.
IMTA will also make available to interested UNCTAD member countries its members to undertake short-term assignments as subject matter specialists in international trade and transport.
In yet another measure to improve the operational efficiency of ports and other transport systems working in difficult conditions, UNCTAD´s Advanced Cargo Information System (ACIS) has developed tailor-made software packages for developing countries. South African Railways (SPOORNET) has agreed to cooperate with UNCTAD to link its SPRINT tracking system to the ACIS RailTracker, thus providing an integrated information system on the movement of cargo and rail equipment for the whole of Southern Africa.
This initiative will be carried out under a project funded by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and will provide customers and railways of the subregion with the opportunity to track goods and equipment on 15 railways, from Cape Town in the South to Kampala in the North.
Finally, another initiative to promote international rail traffic brings together UNCTAD and the International Union of Railways (UIC), an international organization that represents 143 railway systems in 82 countries. The ACIS programme will become part of the work of the UIC on developing an Electronic Data Interchange System, aimed at creating a global standard railway messaging system.
