The Department of External Trade and SI Customs Division are jointly organizing a WTO Trade Facilitation Needs Assessment Workshop. The worksop will be held at the Heritage Park Hotel from 14th-18th September and will be facilitated by resource persons from the WTO, the Oceania Customs Organisation (OCO) and AusAID team. Stakeholders from Government Ministries to Private Sector Organisation and Civil Society Organisations are being invited to attend this important workshop.

This workshop aims to identify national trade facilitation priority areas that needs to be addressed in order for the country's trade flow at the border to run smoothly, effeciently and timely for the benefits of exporters and importers, as well as the general public at large.

It is higly important that all stakeholders invited to this workshop must actively participate to ensure that any impediments to trade flow are identified and necessary measures are recommended for action.

This workshop would involve practical exercises to stimulate ideas and give participants a hands-on approach to the way trade flow of goods are being handled in the context of Solomon Islands customs practices. Participants will also have the opportunity to clearly identify areas that one considers - needs improvement.