The United Nations International Symposium on Trade Efficiency (held in Columbus, Ohio, United States from 17 to 21 October 1994) officially launched the Global Trade Point Network. The interconnection of Trade Points constitutes the core objective of the second phase of the Trade Point Programme. Such interconnection will allow Trade Points and their users (especially small and medium-sized enterprises) to access competitive trade-related information services worldwide, and to enhance the efficiency with which they trade with each other. However, the current state of telecommunications infrastructures in most developing countries still prevents large segments of the world population from accessing conventional information networks. This is why, within its Trade Point Programme, UNCTAD has started to develop innovative alternate solutions to allow the interconnection of Trade Points through the Internet, a worldwide 'network of networks' that offers unparalleled possibilities to exchange information at virtually no cost. To benefit from this possibility, Trade Points need 'last mile connection', i.e. the local interface, software and connectivity without which they will not have access to emerging information highways. Providing for this 'last mile' includes the creation of local servers and the development of adapted information technology services and interface. That is the purpose of this cooperation with RMIT and the main activity of the research and development lab.

BACKGROUND

In this age of rapid globalization of markets, information is a strategic tool for traders worldwide. For any successful trade transaction, traders need to have in their possession a certain amount of key trade data including: Market information, transportation options and prices, insurance facilities, credit availability, Customs' requirements, import/export regulations etc. However, many potential traders (especially small and medium-sized enterprises) are still unable to reach trade-related information or to make their products known to would-be customers because they do not have the equipment and software necessary, or because such access is too expensive. Moreover, efficient use of information demands that the data be provided in a user-friendly and accessible format.

Trade Points are designed to support and foster efforts made in many sectors (government, enterprise) to stimulate the trade competitiveness and trade efficiency of national economies. At Trade Points, public and private sector cooperate to improve efficiency in six main areas, namely: Customs, banking and insurance, transport, business information, business practices, and telecommunications. The work of individual Trade Points, however, will only generate its full benefits through the global interconnection of Trade Points, which will allow information to be exchanged on a rapid, cost-effective and worldwide basis.

Customs are a good example of how the interconnection of Trade Points into a global network can create synergies with efforts made to introduce information technologies in order to increase efficiency in trade. The establishment of efficient Customs systems is a basic objective of Trade Points, which where possible, will be pursued through UNCTAD's Automated SYstem for CUstoms DAta (ASYCUDA), to which Switzerland has been a major contributor. The Global Trade Point Network (GTPN), by enhancing the possibilities to use Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) in international trade, will create the ideal environment in which different national ASYCUDA systems will be able to interact more efficiently. The development of an Internet/WWW interface will give traders an easier access to Customs-related information. It will also foster the setting-up of Direct Trader Input (DTI) services. Besides, countries in which Customs still need to undergo reforms to streamline procedures and to benefit from information technologies, will have additional incentives to introduce the system once they are exposed to it through their interconnection to the GTPN. Electronic mail (E-mail), or for more advanced Trade Points EDI, which allows direct interaction between computers can provide such interconnection. Trade Points should also provide gateway services to national databases and trade-related organizations such as Chambers of Commerce, Trade Boards, Trade Promotion Organizations, etc. As members of the Global Trade Point Network, all Trade Points should be sharing the information presently available via the Electronic Trading Opportunities (ETO) system.

To offer developing countries an option to use strategic information for trade efficiency, the Trade Point Development Centre (TPDC) of UNCTAD initiated the compilation of sources of information on trade and investment presently available on the Internet. To realize the full potential of this large amount of information, it is now necessary (1) to provide Trade Points in developing countries with proper Internet connections, and (2) to provide Trade Points with software interfaces that allow them to organize their databases at the national level, so that these countries can exchange their data with other Trade Points in the network. This project is a fundamental element of the second phase of the Trade Point Programme, and benefits from the experience gathered by UNCTAD and the Trade Points from 1992 to 1994. It builds on the complementary approaches used by the various organizations that cooperated with UNCTAD in the Trade Point Programme, in particular the Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and the International Trade Centre (ITC UNCTAD/GATT). The connection of Trade Points will allow the further dissemination of norms and standards produced by UNECE in the area of EDI, in particular UN-EDIFACT. On the other hand, the Global Trade Point Network will be an ideal instrument for the promotion and dissemination of ITC's services. Many ITC references and documents have already been uploaded onto the TPDC Gopher, and such efforts will be pursued systematically within the GTPN.

BACKGROUND ON THE TRADE POINT PROGRAMME

The Trade Efficiency Initiative was launched by the Eighth Session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, in February 1992. The Conference also agreed to convene the United Nations International Symposium on Trade Efficiency (UNISTE), which was held in Columbus, Ohio (United States) in October 1994.

A central objective of the Trade Efficiency Initiative is to assist and facilitate the integration and participation of developing countries and economies in transition, as well as of SMEs worldwide in international trade. This objective is pursued in particular by simplifying and harmonizing trade procedures worldwide and providing traders access to better business practices. In this context, access to competitive information technologies and information networks is a vital intermediate objective.

The work carried out within the Trade Efficiency Initiative allowed the identification of six areas of work in which obstacles for the participation of developing countries and SMEs in international trade could be removed. An estimation of the likely reduction in transaction costs puts the figure at US$ 100 billion until the year 2000. A set of practical solutions, contained in the 'Recommendations and Guidelines for Trade Efficiency obtained universal political support in Columbus. That political will must be complemented now by the technical assistance for the implementation of those solutions.

The main practical tool for this is the Trade Point. Trade Points are catalysts for change, introducing better business practices in all trade-related areas: Customs, banking and insurance, transport, etc. They offer access to the latest trading techniques including electronic trade and electronic data interchange (EDI) for Customs, banking, and transport.

Trade Points take advantage of the fast-declining costs of information and telecommunications technologies. No expensive infrastructure is necessary to establish a Trade Point. A Trade Point can be installed and delivering minimum services in an relatively short time. The technologies are increasingly powerful and user-friendly, allowing training to be focused on substantial rather than instrumental aspects. This is particularly important for a project like this one, which addresses the situation of very poor countries with very scarce infrastructures.

As of July 1996, 120 Trade Points had been or were being established in the world. while another 41 official requests had been submitted to UNCTAD.

PROBLEMS TO BE ADDRESSED

* Providing practical tools for outward-looking development strategies

Over the last twenty years, many developing countries have undergone difficult and painful adjustment processes in the midst of a less than supportive international environment, aggravated by lasting problems (indebtedness), economic dependence (e.g. on a limited number of commodity exports). At the same time, many of them have launched courageous efforts to reform their economies, with greater reliance on market forces and trade openness. More recently, some political systems have moved towards open and pluralist regimes.

The sustainability of such reforms is at stake. In a politically open society, reformers need tangible results to offer to constituencies. The opportunities offered by the new trading environment created by the successful conclusion of the Uruguay Round and by information and telecommunications technologies, will not be seized if local traders remain faced with the technical, and regulatory obstacles which have traditionally prevented them from competing in international markets. Developing countries need to make a great effort in order to simplify trade, allow enterprises to export more competitively and import on better terms. At the same time, at the Columbus Symposium consensus was built around several hundreds of recommendations which now are awaiting global implementation in the six vital sectors of trade efficiency: Customs, business practices, banking and insurance, business information, transport, and telecommunications. As the world progressively starts to adopt these recommendations, African countries, and in particular the Developing ones, should not be left behind.

* Preventing exclusion from the electronic marketplace

In a global marketplace information becomes the most important strategic tool for traders. The most striking inequality between traders in developing and developed countries is the one that affects access to information. Millions of potential traders cannot realize their competitive advantages simply because they do not have access to trade-related information: they do not know where are the markets for their products, or they cannot make their products known to would-be customers. This is particularly true of traders in the developing countries, whereas traders in the developed world have access to commercial data-banks and to a growing number of customers just by connecting their computers to the telephone lines.

The trend towards paperless trade, based on electronic data interchange (EDI), is unstoppable. EDI permits enormous savings in time and money and gives user countries and firms a clear edge on their competitors. Moreover, EDI permits instant identification of import/export opportunities, and the creation of links between potential importers and exporters.

Again, this creates opportunities, but also risks. EDI reduces distances and transaction costs, thus contributing to the integration of developing countries in international trade. But it also introduces the risk of exclusion of those who do not have access to this new electronic marketplace. Already certain firms have explicitly indicated a refusal to deal with firms not using EDI. The danger is most serious for small enterprises throughout the world and particularly in developing countries: EDI is virtually unknown among them, and the lack of the necessary technical means and training is blatant.

Businesses in the developing countries are handicapped by extremely difficult and expensive telecommunications: the cost of international telephone calls there can be up to 200% higher than in developed countries. The number of telephones per inhabitants is quite low . Access to international electronic networks such as the Internet is severely limited and quite expensive. Facilities like full IP Internet connection, Value Added Networks (VANs) nodes (e.g. AT&T), or packet switching data networks (PSDNs) are for the most part just starting in these countries. This lack of easy and affordable access to electronic networks is a huge barrier for enterprises who need quick and accurate information on markets and trade opportunities.

Traders in developing countries are often isolated from the world trading community. They lack access to relevant information as well as contacts with traders in other parts of the world. A more effective dissemination of trade-related information throughout the GTPNEt is needed for developing countries, but the effective use of such information by traders requires in addition that (1) equipment be made available to collect, receive and process such information, (2) software be designed and installed to address specific local needs of traders, and especially SMEs, (3) local personnel be trained to use the relevant techniques and disseminate corresponding practices, and to translate them into a higher level of participation and competitiveness in international trade. And that is what the Trade Point Programme can offer to developing countries.

This sub-regional project is part of a larger Trade Efficiency initiative aimed at the creation and operational launching of Trade Points in each of the countries participating to the GTPNet. This project will maximize potential synergies with other technical assistance projects in trade efficiency at the regional and inter-regional level, particularly in terms of development of software products adapted to the needs of Trade Points.

DOCUMENTATION AVAILABLE

The Trade Point Programme is part of the Trade Efficiency Initiative launched by UNCTAD VIII (Cartagena de Indias, February 1992). The Analytical Report by the secretariat to the Conference, (UNCTAD document TD/358) deals in its paragraphs 426-460 with the issue of enhancing efficiency in international trade and its relationship with development. Paragraphs 156 to 161 of the Cartagena Commitment (TD/346/Rev.1) call for the identification of 'areas in which technical cooperation could be necessary in trade-efficiency-related areas, with special regard to trade facilitation activities and the establishment of Trade Points'.

The Ad Hoc Working Group on Trade Efficiency, established in May 1993, devoted a significant part of its attention to the Trade Point programme. The report of its first session (TD/B/WG.2/3) states the aim of the Trade Point programme as 'fostering greater participation in international trade, in particular small and medium-sized enterprises, giving special attention to countries and regions less advanced in the area of trade efficiency'.

The reports of the second (November 1993) and third (May 1994) sessions of the Ad Hoc Working Group (UNCTAD documents TD/B/WG.2/9 and TD/B/WG.2/13) contain evaluations of the Trade Point programme. The final report of the Ad Hoc Working Group (TD/B/40(2)/L.6) includes a status report of Trade Points as of May 1994.

On the occasion of the second session of the Ad Hoc Working Group, the Secretariat produced two documents: 'First evaluation of the Trade Point programme: Interim report' (TD/B/WG.2/7) and 'The Trade Point: Concept and implementation' (TD/B/WG.2/7 Add.1). The first describes the approach followed by the Secretariat in responding to the fast growing number of requests of Trade Points; the second defines the fundamental objectives and nature of the Trade Point programme.

Document TD/SYMP.TE/2 'Recommendations and Guidelines for Trade Efficiency: Background document prepared by the UNCTAD secretariat' was used as a basis for the discussions of the Ad Hoc Working Group on Trade Efficiency and of the Preparatory Committee for the United Nations International Symposium on Trade Efficiency (UNISTE). The document contains inputs from the Customs Co-operation Council (currently World Customs Organization), and of the ITC UNCTAD/GATT. Document TD/SYMP.TE/2 'Compendium of trade facilitation recommendations' was prepared by the UNCTAD secretariat in cooperation with the Working Party on Facilitation of International Trade Procedures of the UN-ECE.

The United Nations International Symposium on Trade Efficiency was held in Columbus, Ohio (United States) from 17 to 21 October 1994. The Symposium adopted the Columbus Ministerial Declaration (TD/SYMP.TE/6, Part I) and noted the summaries presented by the President of the Ministerial Segment (TD/SYMP.TE/7) and the Chairperson of the Senior Officials Segment (TD/SYMP.TE/6-Appendix to the Ministerial Declaration), and decided to transmit them to the UNCTAD Trade and Development Board. These three documents refer to the Trade Point programme and to technical assistance matters in the field of Trade Efficiency. The Symposium decided to transmit the Columbus Ministerial Declaration and the supporting guidelines and recommendations for trade efficiency to the General Assembly of the United Nations.

During the preparatory process for UNISTE, several reports were commissioned by the UNCTAD secretariat to consultants. Two of them are 'Trade Efficiency and convergence of information flows', a report by E. Dreyfous, October 1991, and 'Information and telecommunications: Infrastructure policies for trade efficiency' by Michael Jenkins, Centre for Information and Communications Technologies, University of Sussex, 1993. Also on the question of information superhighways and trade efficiency 'Trade Efficiency and Global Information Highways', by Jean Gurunlian, Executive Secretary of UNISTE, in Actes des 16èmes Journées Internationales de l'IDATE, Montpellier 1994. Fact sheet # 5 of the press background documentation for UNISTE 'Saving one hundred billion dollars annually by the year 2000' contains details on how the implementation of the trade efficiency programme can contribute to a better global resources allocation.

In January 1995, the Secretariat produced a paper entitled 'The Trade Point Programme: A First Post-Symposium Assessment' as requested by the eight executive session of the Trade and Development Board. This document deals with the overall institutional, technical and legal dimension of the Trade Point Programme and attempts to outline the possible roles of the various parties involved, including Governments, the private sector and the UNCTAD Secretariat.

THE ROLE OF TRADE POINTS AND THE GTPN

A Trade Point is the result of the combination of three elements, namely:

(a) A centre for facilitating trade, where services and/or advice are given by participants in foreign trade transactions (e.g. Customs, foreign trade institutes, Chambers of Commerce, freight forwarders, transport companies, banks, insurance companies, etc.). These participants are grouped together under one roof or linked virtually (via telecommunications).

(b) A source of pre-transaction trade-related information which provides actual and potential traders with data about business and market opportunities, potential clients and suppliers, trade regulations and requirements, etc.

(c) A gateway to global networking. All trade points will be interconnected in a worldwide electronic network, and equipped with efficient telecommunication tools to link up with other global networks.

The intitial phase of UNCTAD's Trade Point Programme (1992-94) focused on the establishment of Trade Points and the building-up of their information base and "point-to-point" connections between Trade Points. The second phase of the programme, officially launching the GTPN at the United Nations International Symposium on Trade Efficiency (UNISTE) in October 1994, is focusing on a five-layer model for implementation (see ANNEX 3):

Layer 1 - Creation of Trade Points

In the initial layer, a physical location needs to be identified where representatives from participating sectors (Customs, banks, transport companies,..) can work together. Typically, this layer focuses on trade facilitation and need not be technology-intensive.

Overall goal: Establish TPs and provide them with basic operational tools.

Layer 2 - Creation of the TP information base

In this second layer, Trade Points start building up the wealth of information which will make them attractive partners for other TPs, and credible service providers for their clients. TPs start communicating through e-mail, and to create and exchange ETOs (Electronic Trading Opportunities).

Overall goal: Develop Information systems that assemble and disseminate trade related information and are based on open, International Standards.

Layer 3 - GTPNet backbone interconnection

This core layer constitutes the actual starting point of the global interconnection stage among TPs. This layer requires both alliances with international carriers and the development of specific GTPNet solutions to interconnect TPs. Special emphasis is put on the promotion of the use of Electronic Data Interchange (EDI), particularly among smaller firms. At the end of this third phase, all TPs should be interconnected at least through e-mail, and generally through multimedia-capable connections (e.g. WWW). By then the flow of ETOs will start to grow exponentially.

Overall goal: Connect Trade Points and trade information systems; establish interaction among prototype trade information systems.

Layer 4 - Last mile connection

Local connections should be set up from Trade Points (typically in large or medium-sized cities) to smaller communities and cities/villages. Reaching a majority of SMEs is the essential rationale behind the last mile connection. This can be provided through the setting up of local servers (e.g. Internet servers), which can be reached for the price of a local phone call.

Overall goal: Develop and establish computer network connections among the GTPN, developing countries with minimal infrastructure and international commercial networks/national networks.

Layer 5 - Ultimate link

Reaching micro-enterprises, and enterprises of the informal sector requires special additional efforts of promotion, training and information. This effort will need to be carried out with local associations and non-governmental organizations of different kinds. It will allow in particular the functioning of Trade Points as 'telecenters', where advanced communications capabilities can be made available to hospitals, schools and rural communities.

Overall goal: Extend GTPN service to microenterprises and local communities that can use it to establish and develop their own international trade transactions.

The GTPN is increasingly becoming a reality, with over 100 countries currently being involved and over 100 Trade Points established or in the process of being set up. For many of these TPs, layer one of the model is already completed.

The interconnection of Trade Points (layer three) will allow Trade Points and their users (especially small- and medium-sized enterprises) to access competitive trade-related information services, to receive and disseminate information about products, markets, regulations of interest to traders worldwide, and to enhance the efficiency with which they trade with each other.

Initially the exchange of information between Trade Points was limited to conventional mail or fax. Recently, however, an increasing number of Trade Points have used electronic mail systems for exchanging information. Although the United Nations Trade Point Development Center (UNTPDC) has done much of the initial work in identifying data requirements and developing interim formats, most TPs have not yet been able to download the information into their existing databases automatically. The stage has now been reached where interchange standards need to be set for a variety of media (for example, fax, e-mail, EDI). This will allow (a) the exchange of database information in a structured way, (b) independent use of hardware, software and communications media, and (c) easy downloading into the recipients own database and the automation of much of this process.

PROJECT STRATEGY

A major objective of the Trade Efficiency initiative is to facilitate the integration and participation of developing countries and small and medium-sized enterprises in international trade. Access to the right information at the right time and at the right cost has now become a sine qua non condition to such participation. Experience has proved that, when small entrepreneurs can reach strategic information they use it as well as (and sometimes better than) larger competitors. Trading efficiently is not just exporting more successfully; it also means buying at better prices and conditions. In both cases, reliable and timely information is necessary. Therefore, providing traders with reliable and cost-effective access to pertinent and valid strategic information is a major objective in Trade Efficiency. To reach potential markets, traders need first to identify them: market intelligence, in this regard, is a strategic asset. In addition, traders cannot make adequate business decisions without minimal information on the legal aspects of the transaction considered. Over the last two years, UNCTAD's Trade Point Programme has allowed the international community of Trade Points to build up a sizeable amount of highly valuable trade-related information, and to develop specific applications and software to collect, format, store, transmit and process such information. However, only a relative small proportion of existing Trade Points (most of them in developed countries) can now make full use of such information because transmission costs remain high, whereas economic alternatives require infrastructures and equipment that generally do not exist outside OECD countries. The Internet offers now such an alternative. It is a worldwide network of networks on which information can be transmitted free between any connected users. Connecting to the Internet, however, is not free: it requires specific hardware setups (including lines, gateways, and - ideally - local servers), and proper software and interface, which should be customized to the needs of users (i.e. Trade Points). This includes in particular: (1) The creation of 'Gophers' (which allow the efficient retrieval of information through efficient addressing and indexing) and WWW interfaces (which allow both comfort and ease of use as well as multimedia communication), and (2) The development of adequate communication software for the exchange of data among Trade Points, with appropriate levels of security and strict respect of international norms supported by the UN (including UN-EDIFACT) To provide the necessary maintenance and support to this decentralized network, and to generate economies of scale at the regional level, it will also be essential to set up regional GTPN focal points in the shape of 'TPDC Internet Labs' in a selected number of countries. One function of such labs will be to disseminate knowledge and training at the regional level, and to stimulate interregional exchanges of experience, especially in a South-South context.

OBJECTIVES

Currently only a small number of Trade Points are fully connected and receiving information from the Global Trade Point Network. Generally, they are connected via E-mail using a composite mixture of services provided by General Electric, AT&T and Internet. Thus, those with Internet access can benefit from the Internet resource developed by the Trade Point Development Centre (TPDC) Gopher and the multimedia (WWW) server recently established on the Internet by the TPDC. Trade Points outside developed countries are not yet in position to benefit from the Information Databases created by the TPDC and to broadcast this information at national level, and the difficulty is even greater when it comes to providing Gopher and WWW services to their members at national level. This project will contribute to the connection of Trade Points in developing countries to the Trade Information databases available on the Internet, especially the trade information services developed by the TPDC: Electronic Trading Opportunities (ETO), the Global Trade Point Database (accessible via an Internet Gopher) and Electronic Product Catalogues (via WWW, also on the Internet). Such a connection will be provided to Trade Points through the United Nations International Computing Centre (UNICC) in Geneva, which is the Internet provider for the United Nations organizations based in Geneva. At the national level, access will be established via local Internet nodes, national Packet Data Networks (PDNs) and/or using the SITA-UNICC connection agreement allowing Internet connection from any SITA node. The final objective of this project is to fill the current gap between existing international networks (e.g. Internet) and many Trade Points. That is what this project designates as "last mile connection", and it is only when this connection exists that a Trade Point becomes a true tool for competition in electronic commerce. To achieve this, this project will aim at: (a) Connecting existing Trade Points through the Internet to the trade and investment databases that are presently available at the TPDC in Gopher and WWW formats. (b) Developing Internet WWW-Gopher Trade Information labs in selected areas. These labs will help Trade Points in establishing Internet servers in areas which currently have no access to the Global Trade Point Network, e.g. the least developed countries. Once this "last mile connection" exists an effort will have to be made to establish an "ultimate link" between the interconnected Trade Points and their final users. The promotion of Trade Points among small and medium-sized enterprises will require a substantial amount of resources. With this aim in view, SPTE has already submitted projects to several donors. Both efforts (last mile connection and ultimate link)will therefore be carried out in parrallel during the second phase (1995-97) of the programme.

The UNCTAD Trade Point Development Center (TPDC)

One of the instrumental factors in the successful initial development of GTPNet has been the Trade Point Development Center (TPDC) created in 1992 by UNCTAD in Bangkok (Thailand) in cooperation with the Asia Institute of Technology. Established in the context of the decentralization strategy adopted by UNCTAD's Special Programme on Trade Efficiency, the UNCTAD-TPDC has been responsible for the development of innovative tools and interfaces used by GTPNet, including the Electronic Trading Opportunities (ETOs) System, the GTPNet World Wide Web site on the Internet, and its corresponding "Trade Point Internet Incubator" (explained below). These accomplishments provide useful examples of how the technologies promoted by SPTE can find a practical application, since the Trade Point Development Centre was able to perform all these important functions while the GTPNet server remained physically established in Geneva (hosted by the United Nations International Computing Centre, UNICC).

In July 1995, the UNCTAD-TPDC moved to Melbourne, Australia where it is hosted by the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT).

Regional TPDCs. In order to further decentralize the GTPNet, regional servers will be set up in regional TPDCs, which will be hosted by universities or research institutions. Their main task will be to collect information from Trade Points in their region and upload this information onto the network and the UNCTAD-TPDC central server in Geneva. Regional servers will therefore have read/write capabilities on the UNCTAD TPDC server, as opposed to Mirror Sites (see below) which are read-only sites. Trade Points will continue to establish their own servers which will be linked via the regional servers to the GTPNet.

The UNTPDC-RMIT Cooperation

The United Nations Trade Point Development Centre, UNTPDC , is now operational in Melbourne (after 2 years in Bangkok) and is hosted by the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology RMIT. UNTPDC is cooperating with RMIT to establish the "Asia Pacific Trade Point Development Centre APTPDC Lab" and conceptualize the Lab operations for further expansion to other regions in the world.

The research project is hosted by the Faculty of Engineering and cooperates with the Graduate Schools of Engineering, CITRI (through the Department of Communications and the Department of Computer Systems Engineering), the Graduate School of Business and the School of Business Studies TAFE.

The research work covers , technical feasibility, cost effective designs, "information highway" requirements and the modus operandis, to support the establishment of electronic information processing, information infrastructuring and electronic commerce technologies to improve trade efficiency throughout the world. RMIT is the leading technological university in Australia, and has strong linkages with Institutions and development activities in the Asia and Pacific Regions. TPDC-Labs are joint-research projects of the United Nations Trade Point Development Centre UNTPDC with regional academic and research centres, with the objective to expand the Global Trade Point Network at regional level and to adapt the Trade Point Model to regional requirements.

The Main of Objectives of the UNTPDC-RMIT Research Project:

To further improve expand the Global Trade Point Network to satisfy the requirements of the Global Information Highway .

The Trade Point Programme started in February 1992 at UNCTAD VIII in Cartagena de Indias, with the objective of establishing 16 pilot Trade Points, and its first phase culminated in the United Nations International Symposium on Trade Efficiency. In Columbus, more than 2000 decision-makers from both the public and private sectors including Prime Ministers, vice-Prime Ministers and some eighty Ministers from 136 countries adopted the Ministerial Declaration on Trade Efficiency, which officially launched the Global Trade Point Network (GTPN), a first worldwide illustration of the positive role which the Global Information Highways can play in the field of trade and development.

The GTPN relies on the most advanced available technologies for networking and multimedia communication. One its most widely used features is its 'Web site', on the Internet. Thanks to the Trade Points, all connected countries and enterprises can now exchange .

As the number of connected Trade Points increases, the Global Trade Point Network will rapidly emerge as one of the main worldwide network for trade-related information flows. It will become increasingly difficult for any major trading partner to stay out of it, and the subsequent increase in traffic will allow substantive reductions in the cost of collecting, formatting, transmitting and processing such information. This will allow both a continued increase in the number of Trade Point beneficiaries (especially SMEs) and a strengthening of the technological advance characterizing the GTPN approach (through reinvestment in research and development).

The first phase of the programme was fully achieved, since as of 15 May 1995, 84 Trade Points had been or were being established in 55 countries, while another 41 official requests had been submitted to UNCTAD.

The second phase, and in particular the interconnection of the Trade Points, has started with the launching of the GTPN at the Columbus Symposium and will be carried out with the support of the Trade Point Development Centre and with the TPDC Labs (TPDC Labs).

The primary objective of a TPDC Lab is to assist Trade Points worldwide to get connected to the Global Trade Point Network, particularly through the Internet. TPDC cooperates with regional or sub-regional TPDC Labs providing decentralized access to the GTPN for Trade Points in their region.

How Trade Points are going to be connected via the Internet using UNTPDC-RMIT Electronic Trading Web Server ?

Advantages The experience of the last two years allows to conclude that Trade Points can use the Internet effectively as a tool for communication, exchange of data and decentralization of information databases. Some advantages that such a choice would offer are: - Quick and convenient method of exchanging information with a relatively low cost operation (often just a local telephone call is required to access Internet). Many countries in the world can access the Internet either via local providers (Universities and Research Centres are normally providing local Internet access) or via Public Data Switching Network PADS. - Access can also be obtained in an increasing number of countries through organizations and companies such as SITA, General Electric, AT&T, and British Telecom. UNDP is also now providing Internet access in the field for its local offices. In Geneva, the ITU is presently providing Internet access and Gopher/WWW (database) services. Similar approaches will need to be developed under the present project to allow unconnected countries (such as most sub-Saharan African countries) to access the Internet.

- Worldwide access to a large array of databases, information services and experts through electronic mail. Each Internet user is an E-mail user with a unique address. Trade Points are one of the active communities (called 'domains') on the Internet. - Users receive large amounts of free information. The TPDC supervises the quality of the information to be broadcasted to the Global Trade Point Network as a clearing house for Trade Efficiency Information. - Users of the Internet can interact with one another across town or across continents. The concept is close to that of a Bulletin Board System (BBS), or 'kiosque' in the French Minitel terminology. It is however a truly decentralized system, in which any user can connect with any other user, without having to go through a predetermined 'focal point' or communication node.

The UNTPDC Mirror Sites- Trade Point Development Centre project

To further expand the Global Trade Point Network and to satisfy the requirements of developing countries to access the Global Information SuperHighway.

As the number of Trade Points connected to the Internet increases every week, the Global Trade Point Network (GTPN) is rapidly emerging as the largest global network for trade, investment and services. It will become increasingly difficult for any major trading artner to stay out of it, and the subsequent increase in traffic will allow substantive reductions in the cost of collecting, formatting, transmitting and processing information via the network. This will allow both a continued increase in the number of Trade Point beneficiaries especially SMEs) and a strengthening of the technological advance characterizing the UNTPDC Mirror Sites approach (through reinvestment in research and development).

The primary objective of a UNTPDC Mirror Site is to assist Trade Points in their country, subregion or region to get connected to the Global Trade Point Network, particularly through the Internet. The UNTPDC in Melbourne, Australia cooperates with national or sub-regional TPDC Lab providing decentralized access to the GTPN for Trade Points in their area.

The UNTPDC

The United Nations Trade Point Development Centre was establish in June 1993 and initially located in Bangkok (Thailand) working closely with the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and Pacific ESCAP and the Asia Institute of Technology. Since July 1995, the UNTPDC moved the headquarters to Melbourne, Australia and is hosted by the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technologies, sharing research and development resources.

The UNTPDC is presently developing initiatives that will enhance the world of tomorrow. Is already working to design a post-Internet world in wich a micro-enterprise in a rural area of a less developed country can easily trade and correpond with a company in a major city-hub or browse through an oveseas global library of trade documents and directories by

instantaneous communications.

The leap from vision to reality has ben exponential at the UNTPDC, not gradual. The most sweeping changes in commmunications, standards, security, networking and transactional mechanism over the past three decades have been compressed into the short space of the past few years.

In only 3 years of existence the UNTPDC has achieved a large number of development projects and breakthrough technologies such as:

- The Electronic Trading Opportunity (ETO) System

- The Intelligent Agent for Trade Efficiency

- The UNTPDC Advance Internet Server with SGI

- Establishment of Interactive Multimedia Technologies for Training

- The Secure Electronic Trading (SET)-Smart Card System

THE UNTPDC MIRROR SITES

UNTPDC Mirror Sites is a software package written in Perl and presently in JAVA that uses the ftp protocol to duplicate a directory hierarchy between the machine it is run on and a remote host.

The Software:

The Mirror Site (MS software) developed by UNTPDC allows two TPDC Mirror Sites

to have the same data by transfering updates automatically from the main Server in Melbourne to the Mirror Sites location. The MS Software avoids copying files unnecessarily by comparing the file time-stamps and sizes before transferring, only new updates at the UNTPDC Hots Server will be transferred to the MS. The software amongst other things, can optionally compress the files (html, pictures, videos) using gzip, and split files.

The UNTPDC MS Software was written for use by TPDC Labs archive and database maintainers but can be used by anyone on the Intrenet wanting to transfer a large amount of files via ftp. This will be particular usefull for Trade Points using the UNTPDC Incubator services and requiring to transfer large amount of HTML files to their UNTPDC

Incubator directories.

The UNTPDC MS Software performs the following steps:

- connects to the remote site (Trade Point, TPDC Lab),

- internally builds a directory listing of the local target directory,

- builds one for the remote directory,

- compares them,

- creates any subdirectories required,

- transfers the appropriate files (setting their time-stamps to match

those on the remote site),

- creates any symbolic links,

- removes any unnecessary objects and finally drops the connection.

UNTPDC Main Servers and Mirror Sites

The UNTPDC Servers reached in July 1996 a total of 9 976 611 completed requests (hits) and tranferred a total of 170 000 042 355 bytes from the total of 17 UNTPDC Servers interconnected to the main UNTPDC servers in Geneva and Melbourne. A total of 25 new Mirror Sites are presently under development which will increase the total traffic to over 30 million accesses for the month of December 1996 (projection).

In plus the nearly 10 million accesses the ETO Newsgroups registered an average of 175,000 ETO accesses per day and over 200 ETOs are disseminated via email to 10,000 email lists which represents a total traffic of 2 million emails per day. The total reach of ETO is now around 7 million companies (WWW, email, BBS, printing and newspapers).

The following UNTPDC Servers are now full operational:

1. http://www.unicc.org/untpdc/ SWITZERLAND

2. http://urgento.gse.rmit.edu.au/untpdc/ AUSTRALIA 1 (MEL)

3. http://harmonic.gse.rmit.edu.au/untpdc/ AUSTRALIA 2 (MEL)

4. http://w3.gsm.mq.edu.au/untpdc/ AUSTRALIA 3 (SYD)

5. http://heroic.gse.rmit.edu.au/untpdc/ AUSTRALIA 4 (MEL)

6. http://untpdc.tradepoint.be/untpdc/ BELGIUM

7. http://pucaix.rdc.puc-rio.br/untpdc/ BRAZIL

8. http://www.globalcon.org/untpdc/ CANADA

9. http://sunsite.ms.mff.cuni.cz/untpdc/ CZECH REPUBLIC

10. http://tradepoint.cs.tut.fi/untpdc/ FINLAND

11. http://sunsite.ust.hk/untpdc/ HONGKONG

12. http://www.dprin.go.id/untpdc/ INDONESIA

13. http://sunsite.sut.ac.jp/untpdc/ JAPAN

14. http://sunsite.icm.edu.pl/untpdc/ POLAND

15. http://www.sai.msu.su/untpdc/ RUSSIA

16. http://www.tpsingapore.org/untpdc/ SINGAPORE

17. http://www.tradepoint.si/untpdc/ SLOVENIA

18. http://sunsite.wits.ac.za/untpdc/ SOUTH AFRICA

19. http://www2.ulpgc.es/untpdc/ SPAIN

20. http://www.zimtrade.co.zw/untpdc/ ZIMBABWE

21. http://www.tradepointla.org/untpdc/ USA (LA)

For further information on UNTPDC Mirror Sites please access our Web Site at:

http://www.unicc.org/untpdc/mirror/

Electronic Trading Opportunities (ETOs)

The Electronic Trading Opportunity (ETO) system was started by the UNCTAD-TPDC in June 1993. As the name suggests, ETOs are offers and demands for products, services, and investment. They are collected from Trade Points and ETO Associates (third-party information providers) and then distributed to subscribers worldwide.

As discussed in section II.A, two Expert Groups have already discussed different aspects of the ETO system. The results obtained by the Expert Group on Information and Standards in the GTPNet have been instrumental in pursuing UNCTAD's efforts to make ETOs fully compatible with international standards and to make them most useful for Trade Points and their customers: the UN-EDIFACT-compatible six-character tags (which indicate the type of data in a field) are used as part of the ETO e-mail format agreed upon by the Group. The Expert Group on Financial Sustainability and Cooperation among Trade Points discussed more policy-oriented aspects of ETOs.

The ETO-e-mail-tagged system has shown spectacular growth since its inception less than three years ago, to reach 60,000 ETO-e-mails per month in January 1996.

At this stage, however, not all Trade Points (especially in less advanced regions) have the ability to produce tagged ETOs. GTPNet must therefore continue to accommodate 'free text' ETOs, i.e. ETOs that have neither been tagged by their producers nor been processed by the UNCTAD-TPDC, and are therefore unstructured. They are forwarded to the central ETO-e-mail switch from the Internet. At present, approximately one hundred of these are received or collected each working day by the UNCTAD-TPDC. Some are sent out via e-mail; others are put into the Newsgroups, described below.

Since January 1996, the UNCTAD-TPDC has also begun distributing ETOs via 100 Newsgroups on the GTPNet server. Each Newsgroup contains a specific category of ETOs, which can be viewed by country subcategory on the WWW server. The Newsgroups categories are based on the first two digits of the Harmonised System code plus service groups. Examples of Newsgroups categories can be seen in Annex 4. Electronic mail users can also subscribe to specific Newsgroups and receive the contents directly in their electronic mailboxes.

In three years, GTPNet has grown into one of the few major networks for trade information: when one adds up the categories of ETOs disseminated, traffic over GTPNet shows a rapid increase from 5 Gigabytes of information for the period June 1993-January 1995 (date of the latest assessment), to some 25 Gigabytes for the sole month of February 1996.

Several thousand trade organizations receive ETOs daily via e-mail or Newsgroups. The total reach of ETOs is much more than that, since many of these organizations re-broadcast the ETOs. For example, Trade Point Korea distributes the ETOs daily to its 67,000 customers. A reasonable estimate is that over 3 million companies received ETOs in January 1996. This estimate is based on information received from Trade Points, ETO Associates and WWW queries. ETOs are received via e-mail, BBS, specialized databases, Home Pages, Newsgroups, publications, newspapers and CD\ROMs depending on the distributor and country.

A particularly important feature of the ETO system is that ETOs are distributed point-to-point and company-to-company. This is in contrast to older systems which posted information on a bulletin board system or relied on country-to country exchanges at a more official level. Companies receive ETOs in their e-mail boxes or from their local Trade Point or they download the ETOs from the ETO News groups straight into their computers. Therefore, the ETO system is directly in touch with the people who make trade happen. Its size, its growth, its reliance on the most advanced technologies available, and its focus on the specific needs of developing countries and smaller firms make GTPNet a truly unique instrument of worldwide integration in global trade.

TECHNICAL ACTIVITIES RELATED TO THE ESTABLISHMENT OF TPDC's

PHASE 1 - STANDARD TPDC SERVER INSTALLATION

Off-site: *Development*

* WWW server content design and development

* WWW server configuration and administration

* WWW gateway to Newsgroups

* ETO Newsgroup server structure

* ETO Newsgroup server configuration and administration

* Mailing list gateway to/from Newsgroup

* Mailing list design and development

* Mailing list management

* Local Search engine configuration and administration

* Mirror software configuration

* Network evaluation

* Hardware performance evaluation

* Software evaluation

* Software customisation

TWO MEN-MONTH

On-site: *Installation*

* Test and integration of system

* Installation of supporting software

* Installation of the web pages and server

* Installation of ETO Newsgroups and server

* Configuration of GTPNet intranet name server

* Configuration of local users terminal and LAN for accessing ETOs

* Installation of Mailing list manager

* Configuration of Mailing list manager

* Installation/configuration of local search engine

* Mirror software installation and configuration

TWO MEN-MONTH

On-site: *Training*

* Overview of GTPnet, internet and intranet

* GTPNet Internet/Intranet planning and configuration

* Allocation of GTPNet local domain

* Workstation administrator technical and operational training

* Overview of ETO system and specifications

* Webmaster technical and operational training

* WWW gateway to/from Newsgroup operator training

* Newsgroup technical and operational training

* Mailing list gateway to/from Newsgroup operator training

* Content development (WWW)

* Site design

- Physical structure

- Look and feel

* Multimedia preparation

- Graphics

- Animation

- Videos

- Audio

* HTML

- Basics (physical and logical tags (eg. Headings and formatting tags))

- Intermidiate (interactive clickable images and mailto tags)

- Advanced (applets, CGI, FORMS, PERL, JAVA)

TWO MAN-MONTH

PHASE 2 - RDBMS system and WWW interface

Off-site: *Development*

* RDBMS engine selection and development

* Structure and scheme

* Look and feel

* Web interface development

* Data mapping, conversion and importing

THREE MAN-MONTH

On-site: *Installation*

* RDBMS engine installation and configuration

* Web server engine and agent installation

* Web interface installation and testing

* Import and load the data

* Intensive testing on the integraty of the system

TWO MAN-WEEK

On-site: *Training*

* System maintainace and monitoring training

* Overview of RDBMS structure/scheeme

* Operational training

TWO MAN-WEEK

PHASE 3 - Mirror Site and EDI server, security and integration

* Users can download the UNCTAD TPDC mirror via FTP at:

untpdc.org.au

* The UNCTAD TPDC WWW site is kept in:

/untpdc/

* A compressed version of the site is maintained at:

/untpdc.compressed/

Note: The untpdc.compressed is only updated monthly and is kept for first

time downloads only. For daily updates use the /untpdc/ directory instead.

You must use your authorized host to access. Please send us the URL.

Authentication

User Name : XXXXXX

Password : XXXXXX

( We will provide you the password once we receive the host number)

Download Instructions

IMPORTANT!!! (first time downloaders)

************

For the initial download please use the /untpdc.compressed/* files. These

are tar.gz files of all the main subdirectories of the untpdc WWW site.

Download all the files and create a directory under the web root called untpdc. Then gunzip, untar all the donwloaded files in that directory. Should you have any problems please let us know.

Mirror updates

For maintaining/updating the mirror configure your mirror software accordingly. If you do not have a mirror software or require assistance please send us an email untpdc@urgento.gse.rmit.edu.au).

Server configuration defaults

o the default page we use is welcome.html;

o we make use of symlinks so the server has to allow symlinks.

Copyright

Please note that the UNCTAD TPDC site is a copyright of the United Nations and no changes are permited without our approval. Permission to distribute the site is restricted. Also the UNCTAD TPDC site must be hosted under a non commercial environment, such as org or edu and no commercial activities are to be associated with it.

Please let us know as soon as the site is setup and its URL.

Our mirror site takes appr. 6.3 GB but we can start the process with 370MB though newsgroups, forums and databases are not mirrored only hyperlinked to our site) but you should allow some space for it to grow.

To obtain the UNTPDC mirror site we must first authorize you to access our host where the mirror files are located. In order to do so we will need from you the DNS address (or IP address) of the machine which you are going to use to download the mirror site. Once we have that information we will then give you the required authorization (userid and passwd) to log in our system and instructions on seting up the mirror site in your host.

(estimated) FOUR MAN-MONTH