Enhancing Public Availability of Customs Information
In the Islamic Countries
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Finally, stakeholders emphasized that having two initiatives, a Customs portal and the
Bangladesh Trade Portal, leads to problems of readability for users. A clearer demarcation of
purpose and responsibility would help users make appropriate choices in terms of which
framework to use for which purpose. There could also be scope to integrate efforts in the future,
as has happened in other countries, like Singapore, where a single platform effectively provides
the entry point for all trade-related information and procedures.
Lessons
In terms of an overall assessment, Bangladesh performs well in terms of the availability of
Customs and trade-related information, taking account of the fact that it is an LDC. However,
some important systems are still under development, which explains why its score on global
indicators shows that it is a considerable distance from best practice. As these new systems
come on line, its scores will increase significantly. While there is still work to do in the areas
identified above, the overall impression is that the Bangladeshi authorities have recognized the
importance of public information availability in the trade area, and are making serious efforts to
improve the situation. Use of ICT-based solutions is notable. Although the global leaders reached
this position some time ago, Bangladesh’s position as an LDC means that it is at a severe
disadvantage in terms of human and financial capacity. But it has made good use of external
assistance to support new programs that are likely to significantly improve the situation on the
ground.
In terms of the trade policy process, which is a broader issue than information availability, the
review presented here indicates that consultative mechanisms are in place. However, the data
suggest that more could be done to announce policy changes before they come into effect, and
to allow comment periods and dialogue with major stakeholders. Again, given that Bangladesh
is an LDC, its performance in this area is relatively strong, but compared with global leaders it is
somewhat behind. Of course, involvement of the trade community in decision making is a broad
governance issue, not just related to trade policy, but more broadly to the extent of citizen and
business involvement in government decision making. As such, real advances are likely only
possible in a framework of generalized transparency and involvement of civil society in policy
discussions and decision making.
The key lessons emerged from the recent experience in the implementation process of Customs
information dissemination system in Bangladesh are:
i. developing proper legal infrastructure to make sure all related border agencies and
supporting structures are obliged tomake simultaneous effort to implement an effective
information system.
ii. ensuring effective co-ordination among various border agencies and supporting
structures could help faster implementation of the system, avoiding duplication of work,
and to increase effectiveness and reliability of customs information
iii. developing proper institutional and administrativemechanismcould ensure continuous
improvement and long term sustainability of the system