Enhancing Public Availability of Customs Information
In the Islamic Countries
27
Figure 7: UNGS data related to information availability, by region with Singapore for
reference, 2017.
Source: UNGS. Note: excludes high income countries.
Recent Trends in Performance
The UNGS data are only available over a shorter period than the TFIs, namely 2015 to 2017.
shows the percentage change in the five indicators of interest over time. Again, results
may be influenced by sample composition effects, and so should be interpreted with caution.
Nonetheless, the evidence from these data is more conclusive than for the TFIs: there is a general
pattern of improvement in all income groups. Most importantly, the low income stands out as
having seen a particularly rapid rate of improvement over time, particularly in relation to
advance publication and advance rulings. Themore rapid rate of improvement in the low income
group, albeit starting from a weaker baseline, suggests that a process of catch up is underway in
which best practices are diffusing from the leaders to countries that are further down the
performance tables. Performance is also improving substantially in the two middle income
groups, albeit not as rapidly as in the low income group. Using the UNGS data, there is no
evidence of backsliding, as was the case with the TFIs. The result is in fact more convincing, given
that global norm diffusion has been taking place in relation to trade and Customs procedures,
including those relating to information availability.
Figure 8: Percentage change in UNGS data related to information availability, by income
group, 2015-2017.
Source: UNGS.
0
1
2
3
National Trade
Facilitation Committee
Publication of
Regulations
Stakeholder
Consultations
Advance Publication
Advance Ruling
East Asia & Pacific
Europe & Central Asia
Latin America & Caribbean
Middle East & North Africa
South Asia
Sub-Saharan Africa
Singapore
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
High income Upper middle income Lower middle income Low income
Percent
Group
National Trade Facilitation Committee Publication of Regulations
Stakeholder Consultations Advance Publication
Advance Ruling