Trade and Regional Cooperation between Afghanistan and its Neighbors
The report envisages significant, medium-term benefits for Afghanistan and its neighbors from trade policy liberalization, from country-by-country reforms in trade logistics, and, especially within Afghanistan, from road rehabilitation and building...
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| Format: | Foreign Trade, FDI, and Capital Flows Study |
| Language: | English en_US |
| Published: |
Washington, DC
2013
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| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2004/02/3272343/trade-regional-cooperation-between-afghanistan-neighbors http://hdl.handle.net/10986/15547 |
| Summary: | The report envisages significant,
medium-term benefits for Afghanistan and its neighbors from
trade policy liberalization, from country-by-country reforms
in trade logistics, and, especially within Afghanistan, from
road rehabilitation and building a commercially-oriented
enabling environment for trade, private investment and
entrepreneurial development. The growth of regional and
transit trade will boost private investment and growth in
the short-to-medium term and help to realize the long-term
vision for Afghanistan as a country moving toward
middle-income status, based on sustainable development of
its resources. Recommendations focused on Afghanistan
include calls for priority action, with broad support from
the international community, aimed at: improving security
throughout the country both for persons and property;
completing the main road rehabilitation, extending telephone
and other telecommunication systems and ensuring that after
reconstruction maintenance is undertaken to sustain roads in
good condition; streamlining of border crossing procedures;
reestablishing formal financial and insurance systems
including development of a effective clearance and
settlement system; implementing a national customs and
transit system; eliminating restrictions on direct transit;
removing internal checking-posts and en-route inspections;
and increasing domestic trucking competition. To foster a
strong, enabling environment for domestic and foreign trade,
the study also advocates a set of immediate and short-term
measures, including implementing a functioning payments
system for international and domestic transfers though the
formal banking system; making transit bonds and transport
insurance available to shippers; redefining the role of the
Afghan Ministry of Commerce to emphasize its mandate in
trade and investment promotion relative to it role in trade
regulation; supporting a larger role, distinct from that of
government, for a private chamber of commerce to assist in
export promotion; designing and implementing major
capacity-building programs to develop skills and
professionalism in banking, insurance and customs; and
encouraging truckers and freight forwarders to establish
national private industry organizations and to affiliate
with international organizations. |
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