What Is The "ASYCUDA" System In Iraq And How Does It Serve The Iraqis? An International Report Detailing The Numbers
 
Economy     2024-08-01 | 04:31  5,135 views  Alsumaria News – Translation
 
The United Nations Trade and Development Organization (UNCTAD) confirmed that trade in Iraq - which was torn by war - has gained new activity as it continues efforts to revive the economy, while revealing the full details of the ASYCUDAWorld program specializing in customs.
 
The organization says in a report translated by Al-Sumaria News, that in October 2023, the Iraqi state launched ASYCUDAWorld - a pioneering customs automation program supported by the United Nations Trade and Development Organization (UNCTAD), to digitize customs clearance processes, reduce fraud risks, and facilitate cross-border trade.
 
According to the report, the program - which complies with international standards - aims to replace manual, paper-based customs clearance processes in Iraq, allowing traders to complete all necessary paperwork online to save time and cost.

- witnessed Baghdad International Airport - where the ASYCUDAWorld system appeared for the first time in Iraq a growth in customs revenues of more than 215% between January and May 2024, compared to the same period of the previous year, according to the report, which revealed that between January and March, import transactions at the airport increased by 120% compared to the first quarter of 2023, reaching its highest levels in a decade.
 
The report adds that the business community has responded effectively to comply with the new procedures and regulations.
 
Since October 2023, more than 2,800 declarers have submitted approximately 65,600 declarations to customs through ASYCUDAWorld.
 
The program was run in the nine largest customs offices in Iraq, which together represent 81% of Iraq's international trade volume, according to the report.
 
These include customs operations located on the borders with neighboring countries such as Kuwait, Jordan and Saudi Arabia, as well as in the port of Umm Qasr leading to the Arabian Gulf.
 
According to the report, Iraqi Finance Minister Taif Sami praised the ASYCUDAWorld program for helping Iraq “achieve financial discipline, reduce errors, enhance the efficiency of government resources, and provide accurate information.”
 
*Long-term partnership with high-level political support
 
The report shows that an agreement to launch ASYCUDAWorld is planned for May 2021, as part of Iraq's partnership with the Automated System for Customs Data (ASYCUDA) program - the largest technical cooperation project managed by the United Nations Trade and Development Organization in more than 100 countries.
 
This cooperation enjoys the full support and strong commitment of the highest levels of the Iraqi government, including the Prime Minister’s Office, the Ministry of Finance, and the Director General of Customs, according to the report.

says Shamika N said Sirimane , Director of Technology and Logistics at the United Nations Trade and Development Organization.:  
 
“The active participation of these and other government departments, including the General Authority of Customs, has been crucial in ensuring the success of the project so far,”
 
“ASYCUDA’s work in Iraq is ongoing, but even at this stage, we are already seeing an increase in trading volumes and a boost in government revenues,” says Siriman.
 
The Director General of Iraqi Customs, Hassan Hamoud Al-Aqili , adds:
 
“The ASYCUDA system unifies customs procedures at all crossings and ports and unifies the process of collecting fees.
 
It also provides accurate information to policy makers about imports and exports, control the movement of currencies, and the exchange of dollars between Iraq and other countries.” According to the report.
 
*Empowering national stakeholders to take the lead
 
ASYCUDA's work in Iraq brings together 6 staff from the United Nations Trade and Development Organization alongside a national project team including IT and customs experts.
 
In collaboration with the business team, the operation customized and installed the ASYCUDAWorld software prototype and adapted it to comply with Iraqi laws and regulations.
 
In addition, ASYCUDA staff trained the national team to use and maintain the system independently, including courses held in Baghdad and a field visit to customs offices in Jordan to learn from their experiences.
 
The Iraqi national team then in turn trained ASYCUDAWorld users in Iraq, helping key stakeholders such as logistics carriers, declarants and customs officers become familiar with the new system, according to the report.
 
According to the report, ASYCUDAWorld will be launched in Arar (which borders Saudi Arabia) and Trebil (which links Iraq to Jordan) and will largely be led by the Iraqi national team, with international ASYCUDA experts supporting remotely.

*Future endeavors
 
The Iraqi government seeks to implement the ASYCUDAWorld system in all customs locations across the country by mid-2025, according to the report, which confirms that after that, the focus will be on modernizing customs control and building an electronic “single window” for trade based on ASYCUDA technology.
 
This comprehensive platform, which links multiple government agencies involved in goods clearance, is expected to automate customs processes and enhance Iraq's logistical efficiency and trade competitiveness.
 
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Adviser To The Prime Minister: We Are Heading Towards Reforming The Government Banking Sector
 
Economical 08/01/2024  Baghdad: the mainstay of the emirate  The Financial Advisor to the Prime Minister, Dr. Mazhar Muhammad Saleh, stated that
 
reforming the banking system is one of the most prominent priorities of the government’s approach, because of its positive effects in all aspects of the economy, indicating that the
 
first steps of that reform began through the government banking sector,
 
     which currently dominates more than Of 85 percent of the assets of the banking system, its
 
     banking operations and activities account for approximately the same percentage of total deposits and credit.
 
Earlier, Prime Minister Muhammad Shiaa Al-Sudani chaired a special meeting to develop the work of government banks, and directed to resolve the procedures for developing the work of Rafidain Bank.
 
The Prime Minister's Media Office said that Al-Sudani was briefed during the meeting, which was attended by representatives of Ernst & Young for auditing and financial consulting, on the technical and administrative procedures for the Rafidain Bank development project, which were taken during the period that followed the signing of the contract with the company specialized in structuring and developing work in the banking sector.
 
It is noteworthy that the development plan of Rafidain Bank includes a comprehensive review and evaluation of the bank’s work, and the implementation of structural administrative reforms, aiming to provide a package of integrated banking services to citizens and companies, in which advanced electronic programs and modern technology are adopted in all banking transactions, and the optimal use of human and technical resources, and the transition to... Automated work, which helps the bank’s ability to meet banking requirements Globalism.  Counselor Saleh told “Al-Sabah”:

“The government’s vision for economic reform was largely focused on banking reform, which is one of the priorities of the government curriculum, and the first steps began through the Rafidain Bank,” noting that
 
“the reform principles upon which the government program was founded and which the House of Representatives approved are based on On regular executive priorities, at the forefront of which is reforming the banking sector, as the Prime Minister’s vision was focused on economic reform through reforming the government banking sector, which currently dominates more than 85 percent of the assets of the banking system, and its banking operations and activities account for approximately the same percentage of total deposits and credit. "The banker." 
 
Saleh pointed out that this beginning came because these banks are large and important, but
 
they are burdened with a legacy left by the conflicts of the past half century and their repercussions on the efficiency of this large banking system, whose capital base still constitutes only a low percentage that does not exceed 22 percent of the total capital of the banking system, indicating that
 
“In view of this banking dominance, which is burdened with inherited problems, our country suffers from limited growth in the activity of the banking market and its division between private banks, the number of which exceeds more than 50 banks, but
 
they are limited in their activity in deposits and credit, but
 
they do not have a unified and homogeneous competitive banking market with government banks, as they dominate
 
“Governmental banks are in great pain in their market shares and in their banking activity, and
 
they live in their activity on sovereign banking liquidity, as
 
they are banks of a purely rentier nature that deal with large government deposits that affect their liquidity.”  The government advisor explained,
 
“In order to advance the Iraqi banking market, the
 
first reform steps have inevitably begun with government banks, especially major commercial banks such as Al-Rafidain Bank, and
 
based on the above, with the aim of making government banks operate in accordance with capital efficiency standards and lead financing and development activity in the country and with competitive foundations that provide Financial inclusion

At the same time, the study, which is being prepared by the international auditing and accounting firm Ernst Young, is based on the principle of creating a highly efficient government commercial banking sector that takes the lead with the rest of the banking market in financing market activity and with digital foundations and financial and accounting technologies in accordance with modern financial engineering.  He pointed out that
 
this leads to the
 
birth of a government bank that
 
     specializes in managing government banking operations exclusively and
     is considered a cornerstone in organizing the treasury account and stabilizing government cash flow budgets, meaning that
     it will at the same time be the public finance arm of the government banking organization.  Saleh believes that
 
these steps can achieve the
 
goals that lead to “the birth of a homogeneous banking market that
 
     operates according to competitive principles and can
     integrate with the local and international financial and banking system with
     high credit and banking efficiency required by the sustainable development goals and the
     requirements of the availability of market institutions and their
     integration between financing services on the one hand and real investment.” And production growth on the one hand Other.      https://alsabaah.iq/100342-.html   

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