Better Coordinated Border Management is the solution to enhancing border security whilst improving trade facilitation, according to the Department of Revenue and Customs. At present, coordination among regulating agencies is minimal. To address this, a four-day workshop on ‘Coordinated Border Management and Single Window’ is being held in Paro.
Officials from 12 border regulating agencies have come together in Paro to discuss on working jointly for better border security.
According to Department of Revenue and Customs’ Deputy Collector, Phuntsho Dorji there is no institutionalized coordination among border regulatory agencies at present.
“At the moment the coordination is more issue based and on need base and as and when a problem arises, and that does not really give a long term benefit for the country and for the business and trade community.” This, Phuntsho says often leads to many problems.
One of them he says is traders having to go to multiple agencies for clearance processes. With the Coordinated Border Management Concept, especially the Single Window component, Phuntsho Dorji says standardized information and documents can be lodged from single entry points.
“There are a lot of common factors within this mandate which we can integrate and bring into one roof and one platform whereby the traders and business community can benefit by not having to go to multiple agencies for different processes”
Although Coordinated Border Management has been implemented by many countries, Phuntsho Dorji shares that this is new for Bhutan and yet to be adopted.
The four-day workshop ends on Thursday.
