The 21st Meeting of the ASEAN Trade Facilitation Joint Consultative Committee (21st ATF-JCC) was held on 26th and 28th July 2021, via video conferencing at the International Convention Centre, Brunei Darussalam. The meeting was chaired by Yang Mulia Dr. Hajah May Fa’ezah binti Haji Ahmad Ariffin, Permanent Secretary (Economy) at the Ministry of Finance and Economy, Brunei Darussalam as the Chair of ATF-JCC for 2021.
The meeting was also attended by representatives of the ASEAN Member States, Chairpersons or representatives of the relevant ASEAN sectoral bodies as well as external parties such as the ASEAN Business Council, Joint Business Councils (JBCs), Asian Trade Centre (ATC), Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA) and Enhanced ASEAN Regional Integration Support by the EU (ARISE) Plus.
Following the 20th ATF-JCC meeting held in May 2021, the two-day meeting discussed the latest updates on the ASEAN Work Programme on Trade Facilitation which included updates on the Non-Tariff Measures Cost Effectiveness Toolkit (NTM Toolkit), which is one of Brunei Darussalam’s Priority Economic Deliverables for 2021; the progress on the Implementation Plan of the ASEAN Comprehensive Recovery Framework (ACRF); updates on the 2021 ASEAN Trade Facilitation Work Programme and Priorities; proposed ASEAN Trade Facilitation Work Programme and Priorities for 2022; expansion of the list of essential goods for the Memorandum of Understanding on the Implementation of Non-Tariff Measures on Essential Goods under the Hanoi Plan of Action on Strengthening ASEAN Economic Cooperation and Supply Chain Connectivity in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic; and the Mid-Term Review of AEC 2025.
The meeting also held engagements with the external parties from private sectors, ERIA, ATC, and ARISE Plus to discuss areas for technical cooperation and assistance. One of the notable developments is the publication of the ASEAN Seamless Trade Facilitation Indicators (ASTFI I) Baseline Study which can be publicly accessed online. The ASTFI Report provides the status and progress of the trade facilitation environment in ASEAN and in ASEAN Member States, highlighting trade facilitation efforts and best practices in ASEAN, as well as in each ASEAN Member States.
Source: The Government Public Relations Department