TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE FOR PAKISTAN SINGLE WINDOW (PSW) - BRIDGING DIGITAL INNOVATION AND SUSTAINABILITY

TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE FOR PAKISTAN SINGLE WINDOW (PSW) - BRIDGING DIGITAL INNOVATION AND SUSTAINABILITY

Partners: Pakistan Single Window and SDPI

Locale: Pakistan

Duration of Project: June 2022 - June 2023

Introduction:

This project aims to align SDPI mandate with that of Pakistan Single Window (PSW) in areas of action research, advocacy & outreach, and capacity-building. Through these actions, SDPI’s interventions will make PSW a practically useful and sustainable initiative with focus on the intended benefit. Furthermore, the PSW requires assistance in developing a capacity building programme with the objective to lead to an accreditation programme that shall ensure the sustainability of the PSW. They are considering using e-learning platforms that shall be utilized for continued training and certification for the PSW users and other stakeholders.

SDPI will provide mapping of the PSW processes with the United Nations 2030 agenda for sustainable development through specific Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The mapping shall guide the PSW to become green and sustainable not only in operations but also in communication. Another aspect is where a local think tank, such as SDPI, will develop knowledge products based on the already existing data.

Objectives:

· To encourage the accountability and transparency mechanism for all policy decisions in the PSW through structured and documented public-private interactions.

· To aware all stakeholders of the international trade ecosystem about inclusive communication, training, certification, and accreditation mechanisms of the PSW.

· To recommend sustainability and evidence-driven decision-making in the PSW through mapping and aligning their majority processes and initiatives with the SDGs.

Activities:

The project activities mainly include:

· Setting up a Private Sector Stakeholders Advisory Committee (PSSAC) involving private sector leaders to ensure the accountability and transparency of the initiatives,

· Establishing a capacity-building platform in which SDPI will be developing the capacity-building component of the project based on international best practices; a curriculum will be designed for to train various stakeholders of the PSW,

· Conducting five ToT sessions in Islamabad and provincial capitals in collaboration with relevant business associations,

· Creating or/adopting an online platform for long-term trainings using e-learning platforms (Trade Lab).

· Conducting 11 webinar series on topics of interest jointly decided by the SDPI and PSW. The geographies, topics, and sectors involved in the webinars will be kept inclusive.

· Developing a social media advocacy campaign for the improvement of PSW. This campaign will be launched by the SDPI’s Center for Private Sector Engagement (CPSE),

· Producing 12 podcasts and disseminating the same on social media. The themes of every podcast will be decided mutually,

· Publishing two Op-Eds based on recommendations coming from the private sector.

In addition to the above-mentioned activities, SDPI will also develop the following:

1. A sustainability reporting framework based on the idea originating from the PSW team to align and report on the sustainability of PSW-related operations mapped with SDGs 1, 5, 8, 13, and 16,

2. A knowledge products framework based on the requirement for transparent assessment of PSW, (the development of knowledge products is also a major activity to be undertaken in the first phase.)

3. An annual “Trade Facilitation Monitor” based on release time and cost data coming from FBR and PSW and comparing it with general public perception through a survey.

Team Members: Dr Vaqar Ahmed, Engr. Ahad Nazir, Abdullah Khalid, and Aimen Zulfiqar