Expert Meeting on REGIONAL COOPERATION IN TRANSIT TRANSPORT: SOLUTIONS FOR LANDLOCKED AND TRANSIT DEVELOPING COUNTRIES 27 28 September 2007 Regional Transit Transport Facilitation by Gilbert Maeti COMESA Secretariat This expert paper is reproduced by the UNCTAD secretariat in the form and language in which it has been received. The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the view of the United Nations.
REGIONAL TRANSIT TRANSPORT FACILITATION GENEVA SEPTEMBER, 2007 1
PRESENTATION OUTLINE Profile of COMESA Concept and Evolution of Transit Transport Facilitation Access of Landlocked Nations to the Sea Development of Transport Corridors Physical Infrastructure Facilitation Instruments Soft Issues Options Adopted in the Establishment of Corridor Institutional Structures 2
BASIC INFORMATION ON COMESA Member States 19 Area 12.9million sq km Population- 380 million No of landlocked states - 9 Established as PTA in 1982 GDP (2006) US$287.6 billion 3
Trade Patterns 2005 Intra-COMESA Trade US$ 6.3 billion Global Trade Exports - US$ 70 billion Global Trade Imports US$ 85 billion Growth in Intra-COMESA Trade - 15% p.a. 4
Transport Networks - 2007 Country Area in Sq km Roads - Classified Network (km Roads - Paved Network (km) Railways (km) Ports (No) Inland Water ways (km) Egypt 997,646 64,0004 49,984 5,024 6 3,500 Sudan 2,505,800 11,9004 4,320 5,978 2 5,310 Eritrea 121,144 4,010 874 317 2 Ethiopia 1,133,380 31,600 3,789 681 Djibouti 23,000 2,890 364 100 1 Kenya 586,646 63,942 7,737 2,640 1 Uganda Rwanda 241,036 26,336 26,840 12,000 3,489 996 1,235 - Burundi 27,834 14,400 1,028 1 Congo DR 2,344,885 157,000 4,772 2 15,000 Zambia 752,614 66,781 2,170 2,250 Malawi 118,484 27,300 5,254 710 144 Zimbabwe 390,759 91,810 8,692 3,160 Swaziland 17,363 3,247 310 Libya 1,759,540 83,200 47,590 4 - - 5
Concept and Evolution of Transit Transport Facilitation Transit Transport necessary to serve land locked and sea remote parts of non landlocked countries Need to take the shortest routes to the sea Bilateral Agreements among states to allow transiting Multilateral Agreements among several states International Agreements 6
International Conventions The Convention and Statute on Freedom of Transit (Barcelona Convention); 1921 The UN Convention on Transit Trade of Landlocked States (New York Convention); 1965 The International Convention to Facilitate the Crossing of Frontiers for Goods Carried by Rail; 1952 The Convention on the Contract for the International Carriage of Goods by Road (CMR), 1956 The Convention on Road Traffic; 1968 The Convention on Road Signs and Signals; 1968 The UN Customs Convention on the International Transport of Goods under Cover of TIRR Carnets; 1975 The International Convention to Harmonisation of Frontier Control of Goods; 1982 7
Regional and Sub-regional Conventions The Northern Corridor Transit Agreement; 1985 The SADC Protocol on Transport, Communications and Meteorology The International Surface Transport Agreement of the Southern Cone Countries, Latin America; 1990 The ASEAN Transit Framework Agreement; 1998 The Multilateral Agreement on International Transport for Development of the Europe- Caucasus- Asia Corridor; 1998 8
Bilateral Agreements Bolivia- Chile Treaty; 1904 The Laos- Thailand Treaty on Freedom of Transit; 1978 Mongolia China Transit Agreement; 1991 Kazakhstan Russian Federation Rail Transit Treaty; 1992 Mongolia - Russian Federation Transit Agreement; 1992 Nepal India Transit Agreement; 1999 9
Issues Addressed Administrative and Regulatory Matters Customs and Ports Procedures Licensing of Operators and Means of Transport Provision of Facilities enroute Transit Charges Road Safety Border Operations Immigration 10
Access of Landlocked Nations to the Sea Transit routes through railways or roads Port Facilities either on a common user principles or through extension of preferences (Northern Corridor) Transit Terminals ( Mombasa and Dar es Salaam, Beira, Maputo.) 11
Access of Landlocked Nations to the Sea Designated Corridors passing originating and terminating in ports Designated routes Application of harmonised instruments along each designated Corridor Monitoring Framework for each corridor 12
Physical infrastructure Enhancement of regional connectivity through Prioritisation of regional projects in road, railways, pipelines, ports and terminals; Construction of missing transport links Rehabilitation and upgrading of transport infrastructure; Maintenance and preservation of infrastructure 13
Facilitation Instruments Soft Issues Adoption of Conducive Policy, Regulatory and Institutional Framework Removal of Nonphysical Constraints Trade Facilitation Capacity Building 14
Conducive Policy and Institutional Framework Policy reforms to Facilitate Investment in Transport Infrastructure Promotion of participation of private investment and management of infrastructure Institutional and Regulatory Reforms 15
Institutional Reforms Establishment of independent sector regulatory authorities Establishment of dedicated agencies to undertake specific functions in the road sector Unbundling of state owned transport services providers such as railways and ports 16
Regulatory Reforms Strengthening Technical and Economic Regulatory Authorities Empowering regulatory authorities to settle disputes and impose penalties in their sectors subject to appeal on their decisions Promotion of Competition 17
Options fore Establishment of Corridor Institutional Structures Regional Economic Communities (RECs) Multinational Agreements (TTCA) Bilateral Agreements Hybrid Corridor Management Systems involving governments and various stakeholders (Maputo, Dar es Salaam, Walvis Bay 18
COMESA Instruments for Removal of Nonphysical Barriers COMESA Carrier Licence Harmonised Transit Charges; Axle Load Limits and Overload Control Harmonised Vehicle Dimensions Third Party Motor Insurance One Stop Border Posts COMESA Customs Document Regional Customs Bond Guarantee 19
Deliverables in Transport and Trade Facilitation Network of sustainable transport infrastructure Comprehensive facilitation instruments to ensure smooth flow of transit transport and trade Adoption of international conventions in the area of transit transport and trade Capacity building infrastructure to facilitate continuous training and exchange of best practices Harmonised regional policy and regulatory framework 20
Summary of REC s Roles Promote diversification in Investment and Management of Transport Infrastructure Facilitate consensus building among states in prioritisation of regional projects Facilitate negotiations with development banks and partners in securing investment in infrastructure taking into account selection criteria which mitigate on poverty Promote Cooperation in the Design and Implementation of Transport and Trade Facilitation Instruments Promote Capacity Building in Member States 21
Corridors Serving Eastern and Southern Africa Djibouti- Addis Ababa Corridor Mombasa Corridor Dar es Salaam Central Corridor Dar es Salaam TAZARA Corridor Mtwara Corridor Nacala Corridor Beira Corridor Maputo Corridor Durban Corridor (North-South Corridor) Trans-Kalahari Corridor Trans Caprivi Corridor Banguela Corridor North South Corridor 22
END OF PRESENTATION THANKS FOR YOUR ATTENTION 23