And, here is the recording of the entire session:
The opening session of the Global Forum 2022 for National Trade Facilitation Committees will feature keynote addresses from heads of international organizations.
They will give their perspective on how trade facilitation can assist in the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and will also focus on the development potential of trade facilitation in relation to the achievement of the 2030 goals.
In the context of trade facilitation reforms, the speakers will address the conditions required, in particular for developing and least developed countries to be successful in implementing the obligations set out in the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement and regional agreements and how National Trade Facilitation Committees, in collaboration with donors and international organizations play a crucial role in these efforts.
Ms. Isabelle Durant, of Belgium, is Deputy Secretary-General of UNCTAD. From February to 12 September 2021, she headed the organization as Acting Secretary-General before the appointment of a new UNCTAD Secretary-General on 13 September 2021. Prior to holding this position, she served the organization for over three years as UNCTAD’s Deputy Secretary-General.
Ms. Durant had a distinguished career in Belgian and European politics. She held the offices of Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Transport and Energy and Senator in the Belgian Government. She also served as Vice-President of the European Parliament and Presidency of the European Union Council of Ministers of Transport.
Ms. Durant has a wealth of experience collaborating with civil society and the private sector as well, notably as the Vice-President responsible for relations between the European Parliament and civil society. Finally, Ms. Durant has held posts as a senior consultant on the empowerment of women in local government for the UNDP and as a member of Parliament of the Brussels-Capital Region in Belgium.
On 13 April 2017, the Secretary-General appointed Ms Olga Algayerova of Slovakia as the next Executive Secretary of the UNECE. She took office on 1 June 2017.
Ms. Algayerova brings to the position a combination of leadership and diplomatic skills with deep knowledge of the region with its challenges and opportunities and a strong focus on building and nurturing partnerships among key stakeholders with the United Nations. Prior to her appointment, she served as Permanent Representative of Slovakia to the International Organizations in Vienna, Austria (since 2012). She was previously President, Slovak Millennium Development Goals (2010-2012); State Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2006-2010) and Corporate Export Manager, Zentiva International, a.s. (2004-2006).
Born in 1959, Ms. Algayerova holds a Master in Contemporary Diplomacy from Malta University, a Master in Business Administration from The Open University Business School, United Kingdom and a Dipl. in Engineer of Economy from the University of Economics Business Faculty, Bratislava.
Ms. Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana is currently the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).
Prior to joining ESCAP, Ms. Alisjahbana was Professor of Economics at Universitas Padjadjaran in Bandung, Indonesia. Since 2016, she has served as Director for the Center for Sustainable Development Goals Studies at Universitas Padjadjaran and Vice Chair of the Indonesian Academy of Sciences.
From 2009 to 2014, she was Minister of National Development Planning and the Head of the National Development Planning Agency (BAPPENAS), Indonesia. She served as Co-chair of the Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation from 2012 to 2014. From 2009 to 2014, she was Alternate Governor of the World Bank and Alternate Governor of the Asian Development Bank representing the government of Indonesia. In 2016, she was a member of the High Level Independent Team of Advisors to support the ECOSOC Dialogue on the longer term positioning of the United Nations Development System.
Ms. Alisjahbana earned her Bachelor degree in Economics and Development Studies from Universitas Indonesia, Indonesia, a Masters degree in Economics from Northwestern University, USA and a Ph.D in Economics from University of Washington, USA. She was awarded the Mahaputra Adipradana Order (Bintang Mahaputra Adipradana) from the Republic of Indonesia, honorary brevet from the Indonesian Navy and honorary flight wing from the Indonesian Air Force.
Dr. Kunio Mikuriya has been Secretary General of the World Customs Organization (WCO) since 1 January 2009. He provides leadership and executive management for the global Customs community’s priorities, including developing global Customs instruments, standards and tools; securing and facilitating global trade; protecting taxable amounts through optimal revenue collection; building Customs-business partnerships; and delivering capacity building in support of Customs reform and modernization.
Prior to joining the WCO, he worked for Japan's Ministry of Finance for 25 years. During his career with the Ministry, Dr. Mikuriya occupied a variety of senior posts, which have given him broad experience and knowledge in Customs, trade, development, budget, and financial policies. He served as Director of Enforcement where he led efforts to fight illicit trade, then as Director of Research and International Affairs, paving the way for the conclusion of Japan’s first regional trade agreement, and then as a Counsellor in the Tariff and Customs Bureau. He also served as Director of Salaries and Allowances to coordinate remuneration levels for the entire government workforce, and as the Budget Controller for Foreign Affairs, Official Aid, International Trade and Industry, in the Budget Bureau. In addition, he spent time as a Counsellor at the Japanese Mission to the WTO in Geneva and participated in the GATT Uruguay Round trade negotiations.
Dr. Mikuriya has a degree in law from the University of Tokyo (Japan) and a PhD in international relations from the University of Kent (United Kingdom).
Rajesh Aggarwal is Director Officer in Charge, Division of Market Development at the International Trade Centre (ITC) providing technical assistance services in building conducive business environment, research and analytics and trade & market intelligence. More specifically, he is leading programmes aimed at building capacity of the private sector in developing countries to effectively engage in business advocacy with their governments on multilateral and regional / bilateral trade negotiations and national trade policy issues. The programme also encompasses assistance on implementation of trade facilitation reforms, strengthening standards and quality infrastructure to assist developing countries to credibly demonstrate conformity with international standards, and meeting trade and market analysis needs of businesses for competitive intelligence.
Before joining the International Trade Centre in Geneva, he has been India’s negotiator in the WTO covering Agriculture, TRIPS and Public Health, Rules and Trade & Competition Policy for more than 5 years and overall experience of over 22 years working in senior positions in Government of India.
Susan heads the Emerging Policy Issues Division at the Trade and Agriculture Directorate of the OECD. Ms. Stone has worked extensively in the area of trade policy and its interaction with employment, production networks, poverty reduction, investment, regulation and the environment. Her work has been published as national and multinational government reports, edited volumes, as well as in peer-reviewed journals. Susan has a PhD in international trade and finance from Drexel University.
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).
Philippe Isler is the Director of the Global Alliance for Trade Facilitation, a public-private partnership for trade-led growth, supporting governments in developing countries to implement the World Trade Organization’s Trade Facilitation Agreement. Mr. Isler has 25 years experience leading trade facilitation initiatives in most parts of the world. In particular he developed and deployed solutions aimed at digitalising supply chain processes in a number of developing countries mostly through public-private partnership mechanisms. Previously, Mr. Isler was Vice-President at SGS Group leading the business development and implementation of trade community systems, e-government, telecom monitoring and port and customs operations. Mr. Isler earned a Bachelor’s in Aerospace Engineering from Bristol University.
Shamika N. Sirimanne is the Director of the Division on Technology and Logistics of UNCTAD. She leads UNCTAD's trade logistics programme, including the work on trade facilitation, maritime transport, port management, and e-commerce and the digital economy. She also supervises UNCTAD’s largest technical cooperation programme, ASYCUDA—the Automated System for Customs.
Ms. Sirimanne has extensive experience in development policy, research and technical cooperation gained from international organizations, national governments, think tanks and universities. Prior to UNCTAD, she served as the Director of the ICT and Disaster Risk Reduction Division of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), where she spearheaded major regional cooperation programmes such as the Asia-Pacific Information Superhighway initiative, and Regional Drought Monitoring Mechanism.
During her tenure with ESCAP, Ms. Sirimanne also headed the trade facilitation programme, and led the macroeconomic policy work and ESCAP’s flagship publication, Economic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific. Prior to that, Ms. Sirimanne was with the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), where she led the economic policy team and the Economic Report on Africa, the flagship publication of ECA. She has also worked for the Canadian Ministry of Finance and the World Bank. Ms. Sirimanne holds a PhD in Economics.
