Single Window Systems
In the OIC Member States
116
technical assistance projects. In many countries, the law applying to civil servants or public
employees does not allow them to provide consultancy services for fees. Specialized experts
from consultancy firms or other Single Windows may be linked to a specific vendor and
technology and therefore not perceived or not able to deliver neutral advice. In this context,
peer-to-peer support may be another avenue for delivering technical assistance to SWs.
5.3.2 Peer to Peer Assistance
Peer-to-peer support can be understood as the sharing of knowledge and experience between
equals, hence in this case Single Window staff. It can take different forms including peer review
and peer mentoring, which may be of particular relevance for Single Windows.
Peer mentoring is useful when the Single Window management encounters a situation or
challenge that is new to them. Other Single Windows may have gone through similar situations
and may be able to provide specific advice regarding solutions to overcome the challenge. It
does not mean that the solutions are copied one-to-one. The focus is on sharing lessons-
learned and experiences of a similar situation.
Peer review is a tool that is already used in the private sector. It is useful as a general
management tool to improve performance or in situations in which the Single Window
management itself is too close to identify the errors and gaps and therefore require an external
regard. Another form of peer review is compliance oriented reviews.
The African Alliance for Electronic Commerce (AAEC) launched a peer review of five African
Single Windows in 2014. The process was based on staff from one Single Window visiting and
assessing the Single Window in another country in collaboration with an international expert.
Peer review was chosen as an approach to provide knowledge and experience to another
Single Window whilst at the same time building the capacity of Single Window staff.
In peer-to-peer support, the role and quality of the reviewer(s) is critical. A reviewer need to
be experienced, respected and trusted. Trust can be built through the use of training and
certification of the peer reviewers. UN Network of Experts for Paperless Trade (UNNExT) is the
result or the venue for such training. The idea was to build a network of experts that can
provide different type of support to Single Window or other IT related trade facilitation
projects using shared tools and methodologies and the endorsement from the United Nations
(UN) as a trust maker.
There is specificity in the Single Window context that makes it more difficult to establish trust.
Single Window solution providers and operators may have vested interested or may be
perceived as having vested interests because of their situation as a private company or
solution provider that competes for Single Window contracts. Sharing knowledge and
experience may therefore meet resistance that can only be overcome through managed and
successful use of peer-to-peer approaches.