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The closing of the Forum will include deliberations of the key takeaways from the Forum for the community of National Trade Facilitation Committees and related stakeholders.
Specifically, it will also reflect on key outcomes of the Forum for the future engagement of international organizations with National Trade Facilitation Committees focusing on the collaborative efforts between these Committees to be agents of change and contribute to sustainable development.
The event will terminate with closing remarks from key stakeholders.
Mr. Yann Duval is Chief of the Trade Policy and Facilitation Section at the United Nations ESCAP. Over the past 20 years, he has conducted research and delivered technical assistance and advisory services on trade and development throughout Asia and the Pacific. Since joining ESCAP, he spearheaded the creation of the ESCAP-World Bank Trade Cost Database, as well as the UN Global Survey on Digital and Sustainable Trade Facilitation. Over the past 10 years, he also led the ESCAP Secretariat team supporting the negotiation of a new UN treaty on the facilitation of cross-border paperless trade in Asia and the Pacific, which entered into force in 2021.
Dr. Mohammad Saeed is Chief of Trade Facilitation and Policy for Business Section of the International Trade Centre (ITC) Geneva where he leads trade policy, trade facilitation and Quality for trade teams. He also served as Senior Technical Adviser on Trade and Transport Facilitation with UNCTAD. He has vast experience of working on trade facilitation issues at national, regional and multilateral level. He also worked as lead negotiator for Pakistan in WTO negotiations for the Trade Facilitation Agreement for six years. His work experience of over 15 years with Pakistan Customs has contributed towards his pragmatic approach based on the ground realities in the TF area. He has enriched his experience by working with many developing countries for identifying their TF needs assessment and developing their national implementation plans.
International Trade law and Procedure is the area of his prime interest. He has the honour to be Chairman and Panelist six dispute settlement cases in the WTO, including chairing four. He has also been Chairman of WTO Committee on Market Access for consecutive three years and Chairman of WTO Customs valuation Committee. He also served as Vice Chairman of General Assembly of Advisory Centre on WTO Laws (ACWL) for consecutive five years. He is visiting faculty to many institutes of academics and professional development including LLM programme of University of Barcelona. He is also UNNEXT expert on SME and Paperless Trade.
He holds Masters in Public Administration from Harvard Kennedy School and LLB from University of London. Besides having a postgraduate degree in Economics from University of London, he has his specialized training in International Trade Law from Harvard Law School.
Mr. O’Hearn serves as the Deputy Director of the Compliance and Facilitation Directorate in charge of the Procedures and Facilitation Sub-Directorate at the World Customs Organization (WCO) where he directs the development, implementation and maintenance of international treaties, conventions, standards, guidelines and other trade facilitation and Customs procedure tools. He oversees a large staff and the preparation and execution of more than 20 Member driven committees, sub-committees and working groups, which includes the preparation of meeting agendas, documents and reports. Mr. O’Hearn also provides counsel to the Director, Deputy Secretary General and Secretary General on matters relating to the Sub-Directorate.
From July 2013 to November 2019, Mr. O’Hearn served as both the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Attaché and Department of Homeland Security Attaché in Tokyo, Japan. In these positions, he managed a broad range Homeland Security, Customs and Immigration issues. He was also responsible for providing advice and counsel to U.S. Ambassadors to Japan Caroline Kennedy and William Hagerty, as well as numerous Japanese lawmakers, on Homeland Security issues.
Mr. O’Hearn started his public service career with the U.S. Customs Service in 1995 as an Import Specialist at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York.
Bill Gain is the Global Lead for Trade Facilitation, Customs Reform and Border Management within the World Bank Group’s Macroeconomics, Trade and Investment Global Practice where Bill leads the implementation of trade facilitation & border management reform in over 70 countries.
He has over 39 years’ experience in undertaking management and leadership roles with a focus on Customs reform and modernization, trade facilitation, border management and private sector development reform implementation in developing and conflict affected countries.
Prior to joining the WBG, he was Associate Director & Manager for New Zealand and the Pacific at the Centre for Customs and Excise Studies at the University of Canberra. Prior roles also include a 30 year career with New Zealand Customs. Bill holds a Masters Degree in Public Policy from the Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand (2000) and a Post Graduate Diploma in Business (HR & Change Management), from the University of Auckland, New Zealand (1996).
Sheri Rosenow is a customs attorney and a counsellor in the WTO Market Access Division. She has been involved in WTO trade facilitation since the negotiations began and is currently responsible for the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement Facility. Prior to joining the WTO Secretariat, Ms. Rosenow worked as an advisor on customs and WTO accession issues for USAID projects in Central Asia and the Middle East. She started her career on the commercial legal staff of the US Customs Service.
Silvia Sorescu is a Policy Analyst in the Emerging Policy Issues Division of the OECD’s Trade and Agriculture Directorate, which she joined in 2010. Silvia is currently the Project Lead for the Directorate’s trade facilitation work, which includes the OECD Trade Facilitation Indicators covering over 160 economies. Her work is focused on mapping the policy environment for trade facilitation and linking trade facilitation issues to digital trade, global supply chains, and sustainability.
Silvia has as well in-depth country-specific experience, working on agro-food trade and domestic policy issues in economies such as China, Colombia, India, and Indonesia.
Prior to joining the OECD, she was a Research Associate at the World Economy Group, an academic research centre at the Paris Institute of Political Studies (Sciences Po Paris), working on various trade policy and European Union policy issues.
Poul Hansen is responsible for the Trade Facilitation portfolio at the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).
Poul has extensive experience in the area of trade and transport facilitation, having worked for more than 20 years in the UN system on issues such as international trade, transportation, transit, development, international standards, previously working at the UNECE as Secretary for the TIR and International Harmonization Conventions etc.
Prior to joining the UN, Poul worked for more than 10 years in the private sector in public affairs, management consulting and logistics, including with Ernst & Young. Poul has studied both master and bachelor levels in Business Administration and International Law from the Aarhus University and Copenhagen Business School, Denmark.
Poul is a certified freight forwarding agent.
Jan joined UNCTAD in 2003 and is Chief of the organization’s Trade Logistics Branch since 2016. The Branch implements research and technical assistance programmes in international transport and trade facilitation.
Previously, Jan worked six years for the UN ECLAC in Santiago de Chile, and two years for the IMO in London and Santiago.
Prior to this, he held part time positions as assistant professor, import-export agent, and seafarer. Jan has studied in Germany, UK, and Spain, and holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Hamburg.
