News
One Year Since Launch, Benefits of Australia and New Zealand Funded Project Being Reaped
Today marks the first anniversary of the deployment of UNCTAD’s ASYCUDAWorld customs management software in Kiribati and Tuvalu.
Classified as both least developed countries and small island developing states, Kiribati and Tuvalu are among the world’s most economically and environmentally vulnerable nations. The roll-out of ASYCUDAWorld is helping the two nations improve visibility and predictability in terms of automating import and export clearance procedures while reducing the time and costs needed to move goods across their borders.
Until the deployment of ASYCUDAWorld, customs paperwork was processed manually on the islands. This was a time-consuming process for customs officers but also traders who had to physically travel to process import and export documentation.
Now, both nations benefit from faster processing times; have all items declared and subject to proper duties; have improved the efficiency of revenue collection; and use uniform and consistent implementation of taxes and regulations in place.
For Tuvalu, its Deferred Payment Facility is now fully automated and cleared of all outstanding debts. There is visibility in the processes and officers are alerted at different intervals to ensure minimal outstanding payments. Tuvalu can in real-time measure its performance on revenue collection against their specific revenue targets.
Additionally, some partner government agencies in Tuvalu (such as the price controller, Bureau of Statistics, Treasury and Taxation) have access to ASYCUDAWorld and can run specifically defined reports.
In Kiribati, the Secretary of Finance can view the customs dashboard from their office, therefore, eliminating the need for providing monthly revenue data and allowing them to run the reports that they need.
This month also commemorates the second anniversary of the PACER Plus agreement coming into force. It is a regional development-centered trade agreement, funded by the governments of Australia and New Zealand, designed to support Pacific Island countries to become more active partners in, and benefit from, regional and global trade.
ASYCUDAWorld is helping Kiribati and Tuvalu apply and automate the schedules of commitments under the PACER Plus agreement to reduce import tariffs and harmonize customs procedures, providing greater certainty in cross-border commerce and reducing international trade costs.
Today marks the first anniversary of the deployment of UNCTAD’s ASYCUDAWorld customs management software in Kiribati and Tuvalu.
Classified as both least developed countries and small island developing states, Kiribati and Tuvalu are among the world’s most economically and environmentally vulnerable nations. The roll-out of ASYCUDAWorld is helping the two nations improve visibility and predictability in terms of automating import and export clearance procedures while reducing the time and costs needed to move goods across their borders.
Until the deployment of ASYCUDAWorld, customs paperwork was processed manually on the islands. This was a time-consuming process for customs officers but also traders who had to physically travel to process import and export documentation.
Now, both nations benefit from faster processing times; have all items declared and subject to proper duties; have improved the efficiency of revenue collection; and use uniform and consistent implementation of taxes and regulations in place.
For Tuvalu, its Deferred Payment Facility is now fully automated and cleared of all outstanding debts. There is visibility in the processes and officers are alerted at different intervals to ensure minimal outstanding payments. Tuvalu can in real-time measure its performance on revenue collection against their specific revenue targets.
Additionally, some partner government agencies in Tuvalu (such as the price controller, Bureau of Statistics, Treasury and Taxation) have access to ASYCUDAWorld and can run specifically defined reports.
In Kiribati, the Secretary of Finance can view the customs dashboard from their office, therefore, eliminating the need for providing monthly revenue data and allowing them to run the reports that they need.
This month also commemorates the second anniversary of the PACER Plus agreement coming into force. It is a regional development-centered trade agreement, funded by the governments of Australia and New Zealand, designed to support Pacific Island countries to become more active partners in, and benefit from, regional and global trade.
ASYCUDAWorld is helping Kiribati and Tuvalu apply and automate the schedules of commitments under the PACER Plus agreement to reduce import tariffs and harmonize customs procedures, providing greater certainty in cross-border commerce and reducing international trade costs.