The Palestinian Authority General Directorate of Customs and Excises and UNCTAD are today convening a workshop to mark the official handover of the Automated System for Customs Data (ASYCUDA++) site at Customs Headquarters in Ramallah. Under the patronage of the Palestinian Authority´s Minister of Finance, Dr. Salam Fayyad, the workshop will take place at the PA Ministry of National Economy, with the participation of staff from PA Customs, PA Ministries and institutions that will be using the system. Representatives from the European Commission Delegation, UNDP and UNCTAD will also attend. The workshop will include a live videolink with the Customs Headquarters in the Gaza Strip.
With the opening of this central ASYCUDA data processing site, Palestinian Customs will benefit from a suite of integrated software modules that will fully automate the processing of customs declarations and help create a national database on trade and revenue information. The system also enables the PA to create an autonomous customs administration and includes flexible arrangements that will allow that administration to adapt to different trade policy options.
The ASYCUDA system is part of the PA´s comprehensive programme for modernizing and strengthening its institutional capacity in the area of customs management. Implementation began in July 2001 within the context of a three-phased plan aimed at equipping the Authority with the capacity needed to maintain and upgrade the system. Phase I, funded by the World Bank, was completed with the development of the ASYCUDA++ Palestinian prototype and the establishment of a core team of Palestinian Customs IT and functional experts.
With funding from the European Union, the ASYCUDA national team is in the process of implementing Phase II, which focuses on the enhancement and installation of the prototype at Customs HQ and the establishment of two pilot sites (planned for Jericho and Bethlehem) by early 2005. The existing system for manual data entry of customs declarations will be completely automated and the ASYCUDA++ prototype further developed to capture all 2004 PA customs declarations. This will allow PA Customs to generate accurate reports on revenues collected by Israeli Customs on their behalf and ensure full and proper payment of the revenue due. Meanwhile, preparations are under way for implementing Phase III, which will see full system roll-out as of 2005. This will involve linking all international entry points electronically, centralizing the monitoring of the different customs activities under a single roof and going live at all Customs offices.
The ASYCUDA system is a computerized customs management system developed by UNCTAD. It covers most foreign trade procedures and handles manifests and customs declarations, accounting procedures, risk management, warehousing and suspense procedures. It generates detailed information about foreign trade transactions that can be used for economic analysis and planning. The ASYCUDA programme is UNCTAD´s single largest technical cooperation programme. It has been introduced by more than 80 countries worldwide, more than 30 of them using ASYCUDA++, the latest release.
