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Beirut, 28 November 2003
(United Nations Information Service)--Under
the auspices of Lebanese Minister of Transport and public Works
Najib Mikati, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission
for Western Asia (ESCWA) is organizing a seminar on Capacity
Building in Transport and Trade Facilitation from 2 to 4 December
2003 at the Bristol Hotel of Beirut. The seminar is organized with
the support of the International Chamber of Shipping in Beirut.
The meeting, which will open at 10:00 am on Tuesday 2 December
2003, is intended to discuss an action plan for the implementation
of the Agreement on International Roads in the Arab Mashreq that
was unanimously adopted by ESCWA member countries on 10 May 2001
and entered into force on 19 October 2003. The proposed action
plan includes launching of a media campaign concerning the
Agreement; the development of a database for the technical
characteristics of the international roads included in the
Agreement, as well as the development by member countries of
national action plans for the construction and upgrading of
international roads included in the Agreement and in their
respective territories.
The meeting will also review and discuss a proposed memorandum of
understanding on maritime transport cooperation between ESCWA
Member States. The memorandum covers cooperation in the
development of national fleets of Member States, shipping
services, coastal shipping between ESCWA Member States, maritime
legislation, international and regional maritime conventions and
agreements, seaports, ship registration, and insurance.
The establishment and the vitalization of national transport and
trade facilitation committees (NTTFC) in ESCWA member countries
will be also a subject for discussion during the meeting. The
purpose of the national committees is to create a framework for
regular dialogue among all parties involved in international trade
and transport and between government agencies and the private
sector, in particular, with a view to simplify, harmonize,
standardize and automate international trade and transport
operations and logistics in the ESCWA region.
The seminar on Capacity Building in Transport and Trade
Facilitation is expected to formulate recommendations addressed to
ESCWA Member State governments, the private sector and the ESCWA
Transport Committee and Secretariat on how best to tackle the many
challenging transport and trade facilitation issues facing the
region and reduce the barriers to a mutually beneficial
integration both within the region and with the world community at
large.
Attending the meeting will be experts from ESCWA member countries
and representatives of the entities entrusted with transport,
trade and customs from public and private sector including
ministries, agencies, syndicates, organizations, companies,
research institutions, universities and chambers of commerce and
shipping in addition to representatives from the League of Arab
States, the Arab Academy of Science and Technology and Maritime
Transport, the Arab Union for Land Transport, the Federation of
Arab Marine Carriers, as well as the Federation of Arab Chambers
of Shipping.
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