Improving the Border Agency Cooperation
Among the OIC Member States for Facilitating Trade
22
Cross-training and empowering manpower: In Finland, Customs officers have been trained
by the Border Guard to inspect identification documents and visas, among other procedures.
Border guards have, in turn, received basic Customs training, which includes the search of
vehicles and the recognition of prohibited and restricted goods, such as drugs, alcohol, and
counterfeit items.
Joint public-private partnership arrangements, training sessions etc.: In 2011 in Hong
Kong, the Customs and Excise Department established a Joint Liaison Group with the
representatives of shippers, freight forwarders and truck drivers for exchanging operational
views and comments on the Road Cargo System “ROCARS”. Moreover, Customs also launched
an extensive publicity program and established outreach teams to assist the industry
stakeholders to get used to the ROCARS. The following other government departments are
listed on the ROCARS web-site a Commerce and Economic Development
Bureau, Census and Statistics Department, and Transport Department.
1.4. One-Stop Border Posts
A One-Stop Border Post (OSBP) is “where persons, vehicles and goods make a single stop to
exit one country and enter another.” In other words, it can be described as an arrangement
where neighbouring countries coordinate import, export and transit procedures, so that
traders need not duplicate regulatory formalities on both sides of a border. The
implementation of OSBP commonly includes the simplification of documents and procedures
and greater use of ICT.2223
Broadly speaking, OSBPs are of two types. In the first case, two separate border stations are
located side by side and are treated as one geographical entity. In the second case, the border
stations of both countries are consolidated into one unit and there are efforts to integrate the
processes to the fullest extent. Joint facilities enable economies of scale, enhanced cooperation,
simplified formalities, improved control over fraud, and informal data and intelligence
exchanges. Importantly, joint infrastructures and operations avoid long border waiting times,
reflecting positive economic implications.
Recent years have demonstrated an emerging international standard for bilateral or
multilateral agreements for OSBP facilities, usually comprising:
 the establishment in the immediate vicinity of the borderline, whenever possible,
 symmetrical arrangement, with one-way facilities in each country,
 all checks in the destination country,
 a common control area where officials of both countries conduct checks, along with
exclusive control areas for each country.
Joint border facilities can benefit most from the sharing of equipment and data, such as 1) the
use of scanners; 2) following the same control procedures and mutually recognising the results
of controls; and 3) exchanging electronic data on transit procedures and customs declarations,
and possibly immigration data, all in real time.
22 McLinden, G., Fanta, E., Widdowson, D. and Doyle, T. (eds) (2011), Border Management Modernization . World Bank
2 (accessed 29 August 2016).