Mekong - U.S. Partnership
In response to Myanmar Custom’s request to USAID to identify legal gaps in domestic laws, in November 2013 Prof. William J. Luddy, a world-renowned legal expert for trade facilitation, conducted a comprehensive legal gap analysis to identify potential barriers to the eventual operation of Myanmar’s National Single Window (NSW) and the interoperability between the Myanmar NSW and the NSWs of other ASEAN Member States.
Numerous meetings were held with Customs legal staff and participating government agency officials to review laws and regulations that were relevant to establishing the NSW legal framework. These included the Sea Customs Act as well as the proposed amendment to the 2004 Electronic Transactions Act and the proposed Electronic Transactions Law that might replace it.
On November 28, preliminary findings were presented to the officials from the Attorney General’s office, Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of Science and Technology, the University Law School, Ministry of Information and Technology, Department of Law from Yangon University, and other stakeholders. Comments have been received on the draft report and are being incorporated into the final revision. Once the report is finalized, Myanmar will have a clear roadmap for the legal changes needed to facilitate the implementation of its National Single Window.
Source: General Development Office-USAID/RDMA Monthly Highlights
