Training on the Policy and Procedural Guideline on International Merchandise Trade Statistics (IMTS) in Cambodia

On 9 and 10 January 2023, the General Department of Customs and Excise (GDCE)and ARISE Plus Cambodia organized a virtual training on the Policy and Procedural Guideline on International Merchandise Trade Statistics (IMTS) in Cambodia for 30 participants from the relevant departments in the GDCE and officials from Preah Sihanoukville International Autonomous Port. The main objective is to train the GDCE's officials on the new guideline of the new workflows and methodologies of IMTS, as this policy and procedural guideline was developed to assist the GDCE and relevant entities to produce IMTS in line with international standards.

With the increasing role of merchandise trade in Cambodia’s economy, cross-border trade data have become increasingly important statistical indicators of the performance of the country’s economy. One of its main roles is to capture and monitor the flow of goods across the country’s national boundary. These statistics serve a variety of purposes. It gives a precise picture of the trade performance of Cambodia’s economy in relation to the rest of the world. Reliable and timely data of these statistical indicators are also vital for most public- and private-sector decision-makers e.g. inputs to the compilation of customs revenue statistics; planning and managing economic, trade, and monetary policies; bilateral and multilateral trade negotiations; and market research and commercial strategies.

Against this background, in June 2021, ARISE Plus Cambodia engaged Mr. Bülent Tungul, a leading international IMTS expert, to work closely with the GDCE in developing and establishing a policy and procedural guideline to support the capacity development of the GDCE in compiling, analyzing, producing, disseminating of IMTS and custom revenue data.  

As the first activities of the series, ARISE Plus Cambodia and the GDCE organized a Virtual Workshop on Awareness Raising and Technical Exchange on IMTS on 27 and 28 July 2021. The main objective of the workshop is to announce the kick-off of this IMTS improvement initiative and to gather external support from other government agencies who are involved in the production and utilization of IMTS. Cambodia IMTS are compiled in broad agreement with the United Nations (UN) standard which provides the international framework under which the statistics are compiled.

Co-funded by the European Union (EU) and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the ARISE Plus Cambodia supports this initiative as part of its key support to the Government of the Kingdom of Cambodia in strengthening institutional capacities and improving regulatory practices with a view to achieving a more transparent, predictable and competitive trade environment.

Contact for further information:

Ms. Kamrang Ke, Advisor – Trade-related Coordination and Transparency

Email: kamrang.ke@giz.de

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