The evolution of the concept

The first electronic Single Windows have been set up early 2000 in few early adopting countries such as Ghana, Singapore, Senegal. In the past 10 years there has been a steady increase in countries establishing a Single Window (footnote: the UN Global Report Trade Facilitation and paperless trade state that “nearly 60% of the economies have engaged to some extent in creating an electronic Single Window for processing trade documents”, and a 2016 survey of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) found an operational Single Window in 40% of its Member States or 23 out of 57), and there has been a steady increase in services and functionalities offered by the Single Windows. This rapid expansion was driven by IT evolutions, namely the expansion of reliable Internet, faster processing capabilities, and reduced hardware costs. By now, a multiple of different Single Window platforms exist worldwide.

First definition in 2004

The UNECE Recommendation No. 33 provided the first definition of a Single Window for Trade in 2004. It describes a Single Window as “a facility that allows parties involved in trade and transport to lodge standardized information and documents with a single-entry point to fulfill all import, export, and transit-related regulatory requirements. If information is electronic, then individual data elements should only be submitted once”. The Recommendation No. 33 still mentions the possibility to establish a physical Single Window that does not rely on ICT. Even in the WTO TFA Article 10.4 Single Window, a Single Window is not necessarily an electronic platform. It is however widely understood that for practical purposes, a Single Window is an electronic platform supported by information technology and the Internet.

From Customs Automation to Single Window

The Single Window development is seen as emerging from the incremental implementation of IT technology for Customs processing, data input and data exchange.(*)

In the 1960s and 1970s, Customs authorities first began to automate their functions using systems such as ASYCUDA (Automated System of Customs Data) provided by UNCTAD. Later Electronic Data Input (EDI) and Value-Added Networks were used for trade exchanges, operated by VAN providers. In the 90’s Port Community systems providing a single interface between the trading community and Customs / Port Authority emerged. These systems offered very limited functionalities. The next step was the development of national electronic Single Windows starting in the early 2000s. In the recent years the discussion turned to regional Single Windows and cross-border interoperability of national single Windows to cover entire supply chains.

(*) Jonathan Koh Tat Tsen “10 years of Single Window implementation” 2011.