Improving the Border Agency Cooperation
Among the OIC Member States for Facilitating Trade
28
The Electronic Single Window
The Electronic Single Window (SW) system is a single point of entry for international traders
to submit information to governments. The SW is a critically important tool for BAC as it
enables the expedited processing of goods while complying with the law and ensuring national
security, which is at the heart of the BAC concept. The submitted documents typically include
customs declarations, applications for import/export permits, and other supporting
documents like certificates of origin and trading invoices. National SWs have already been
established or are in the process of being implemented by the majority of OIC member states
and are in the planning stages in a number of other countries.
2.1.3. United Nations treaties
Harmonized Frontiers Controls Convention
The International Convention on the Harmonization of Frontier Controls of Goods is a United
Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) treaty that was concluded in Geneva in
1982 and amended twice in 2008 and 2011. Currently there are 57 parties and 13 signatories
in total, The objective of this convention is to facilitate the seamless movement of goods by
reducing the number of requirements for completing formalities as well as the number and
duration of controls, through the national and cross-border coordination of control procedures
and of their practical implementation. Several BAC principles lie at the core of the
Harmonization Convention and several provisions make direct references to BAC, including
inter-agency and cross-border cooperation. For instance, Article 7 provides for cooperation
between adjacent countries and urges the parties to set up joint controls for goods and
documents through shared facilities. Moreover, it calls upon adjacent countries to align with
each other in terms of timings of operation of frontier posts, control services and related
procedures.27
TIR Convention
The objective of the TIR Convention is to facilitate international transit operations through
simplified customs transit procedures and an international guarantee system. The TIR system
rests on five pillars: a common customs document, the TIR carnet, a common guarantee
system, the mutual recognition of customs controls, and secured vehicle containers. Only
authorised operators can use the TIR system. As of July 2015, the TIR Convention had 69
contracting parties, of which 20 constitute OIC member nations.
2.1.4. International standards on plant and animal health and protection
There are a number of important international standards that provide an area of convergence
of standards and equivalence of rules between customs and other agencies relating to plant
and animal protection:
 The Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures, commonly
known as the SPS Agreement, sets out the basic rules for food safety and animal and
plant health standards.
27 Jain, S.R. (2011), “Coordinated border management: the experience of Asia and the Pacific region”, World Customs Journal,
Vol. 6 No. 1. CBM25.