MI ALUMNI ADVOCATE E-SYSTEMS FOR MORE EFFICIENT CROSS-BORDER TRADE

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MI ALUMNI ADVOCATE E-SYSTEMS FOR MORE EFFICIENT CROSS-BORDER TRADE

MI ALUMNI ADVOCATE E-SYSTEMS FOR MORE EFFICIENT CROSS-BORDER TRADE

Trade and Investment Facilitation ,Digital Economy and Digitalization

August 31, 2021

Mekong Institute (MI) alumni who completed the training program on “Facilitating Cross-Border Electronic Transactions and the Use of Electronic Signatures,” reported the status of their action plan implementation at an online synthesis and evaluation workshop on August 24, 2021.

Socializing the benefits of electronic systems in terms of their efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and reliability to a broader audience is the first step towards a paperless trade environment

Mr. Suriyan Vichitlekarn, MI Executive Director, said, before encouraging the 24 participants to continue advocating the merits of digital services and practices.

Mr. Suriyan explained that in widening information dissemination, increased investments towards digital facilities and infrastructure in check points, as well as the development of legal and administrative procedures for Single Window Trade, will follow. Thus, boosting intra-regional trade and keeping more traders and border officials safe from contracting COVID-19 due to limited people-to-people contact.

During the activity, MI alumni reported results of their local workshops, feedback from the distributed e-system handbook to 150 enterprises in Vietnam, and findings of a Lao PDR research study on the “Impacts of a National Single Window on Economic Operators” to identify and mobilize interventions that will secure wider access to digital transactions.

Supported by the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Special Fund and in collaboration with Thailand’s Ministry of Commerce, the workshop was completed under the “Upgrading Border Facilitation for Trade and Logistics Development” project, which started in 2018, as part of MI’s continuing campaign to enhance Information, Communication Technology connectivity and applications for more efficient cross-border trade and investment.