B3 Business process re-engineering | Online Readiness Assessment Guide for Cross-Border Paperless Trade

B3.1 If your country has implemented paperless transactions at the national level, as mentioned in A5.2, has re-engineering and streamlining of business processes been conducted to support cross-border data exchange?

Background

Business process analysis and re-designing of cross-border procedures/processes is a necessary step to support the development and implementation of cross-border paperless data exchange. To eliminate or replace manual and paper-based transactions with paperless transactions, re-engineering and streamlining of business processes must be conducted by taking into account the requirements of cross-border data exchange with dialogue partners.

Good Practices

The country should reach out to actively collaborate with dialogue country partners for establishing cross-border data exchange. High-level political will to collaborate between countries bilaterally, multilaterally or regionally should be established, e.g. through signed agreement, or through a concession on the Framework Agreement on Facilitation of Cross-border Paperless Trade in Asia and the Pacific. Inter-governmental steering group and working groups acts as catalyst among the country's dialogue partners to collaboratively work on business process re-engineering and streamlining of cross-border procedures/processes, legality and other technical issues to support cross-border data exchange. In such initiatives, adoption of international standards and guidelines is of prime importance.

References and Case Studies

Framework Agreement on Facilitation of Cross-border Paperless Trade in Asia and the Pacific, https://www.unescap.org/resources/framework-agreement-facilitation-cross-border-paperless-trade-asia-and-pacific-0
Cross-border single window interoperability: a managerial guide (particularly on Chapter 4: D. Connectivity), https://www.unescap.org/sites/default/files/CROSS-BORDER%20SINGLE%20WINDOW%20INTEROPERABILITY.pdf
Agreement to Establish and Implement the ASEAN Single Window, https://asean.org/?static_post=agreement-to-establish-and-implement-the-asean-single-window-kuala-lumpur-9-december-2005-2
Intergovernmental Steering Group on Cross-border Paperless Trade Facilitation, https://www.unescap.org/intergovernmental-body/intergovernmental-steering-group-cross-border-paperless-trade-facilitation?page=1

Glossary

“Business Process Analysis (BPA)” is a methodology for the analysis of a business with a view to understanding the processes and improving the efficiency and effectiveness of its operations. It describes the processes involved, parties participating, information exchanged and documents produced. More...
“Dialogue Partners” are partner nations that have worked collaboratively to achieve some initiatives’ objectives. ASEAN’s Strategy Towards Its Dialogue Partners
“Cross-border paperless trade (CBPT)” means trade in goods, including their import, export, transit and related services, taking places on the basis of trade-related data and documents in electronic form. Framework Agreement on Facilitating of Cross-Border Paperless Trade in Asia and the Pacific (Article 3: Definitions).