COMCEC Trade Outlook 2019
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trade and customs information. According to the OECD Trade Facilitation Indicators, the OIC
average score is above the world average with respect to information availability. However,
regarding the involvement of trade community and advance rulings, the OIC average scores are
below the world average.
Moreover, within the framework of the report submitted to the meeting, field visits were
conducted to three OIC member countries namely Bangladesh, Morocco and Senegal to get
insights about the policy environment on the subject.
The research report also highlighted the major challenges faced by the Member Countries,
among others:
 Need for effective coordination among the border agencies involved in export/import
processes.
 Lack of the required capacities and human resources for implementation of custom
information system.
 Weak consultation of stakeholders on new draft regulations prior to finalization.
 Insufficient advance publication/notification of new regulations prior to
implementation.
 Lack of an effective advance ruling mechanism.
In this regard, the Trade WG has come up with a set of policy recommendations for improving
the publication of customs information:
 Encouraging the establishment of a formal consultation mechanism between regulatory
authorities and trade community towards ensuring an efficient trade environment for the
interest of various stakeholders at the national level.
 Utilizing Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) effectively for the
dissemination of trade, especially customs related information.
 Encouraging the development of an effective Advance Ruling System in order to enhance
the certainty and predictability of customs operations
 Promoting integrated Single Windows (SW) Systems and Trade Information Portals for
combining the transaction processing functions of SW Systems with a comprehensive
repository of trade-related laws, regulations, rules and procedures.
 Leveraging international and regional cooperation and making use of successful country
experiences for promoting trade information availability.
Trade Promotion:
One of the challenges facing the Member States in enhancing intra-OIC trade is the inadequate
flow of information among exporters and importers. Firms in some of the Member States have
very limited opportunities to raise awareness on their products. They need extra support from
national and international promotion agencies.
The COMCEC initiated several projects up to date to promote trade among the Member States.
One of these initiatives is the Trade Information Network for Islamic Countries (TINIC). The First
COMCEC Session, held in 1984, adopted a resolution recommending the establishment of a
Trade Information Network for Islamic Countries to facilitate the collection, processing, analysis
and propagation of trade information for the benefit of users. The Islamic Center for the