MOU Signed between PSW & DRAP For Cross-Border Trade Facilitation

Islamabad, November 11 (PNI) Pakistan Single Window (PSW) and the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) today to further expand their partnership for trade facilitation through the integration of cross-border business processes of DRAP.

The integration of DRAP systems under PSW shall provide the electronic submission, processing, and issuance of licenses, imported products (drugs, medical devices, health, and over-the-counter products), No Objection Certificates (NOCs), and other certificates, as prescribed for specified products falling under DRAP’s regulatory jurisdiction.

During the ceremony, the CEO PSW, Mr. Syed Aftab Haider, said, “The Pharmaceutical industry has long been identified as a priority sector by the government due to its size and contribution to the national economy and its potential for exports.

Integration with the PSW system will help the pharmaceutical industry to reduce its time and cost of trading across borders by adopting the best practices in customs and regulatory clearances centered around technology and digitization of procedures and information requirements”.

The MoU signing ceremony marked the integration of DRAP under the PSW system that will help stakeholders in the clearance of pharmaceutical raw materials, products, and devices for imports and exports. Under the initiative, extensive business process reengineering of DRAP’s cross-border trade has been carried out, resulting in the redesign of 31 processes and the digitization of 56 paper-based documents. Going forward, the system will create the enabling environment for further digitization of DRAP’s back-end processes.

DRAP CEO Mr. Asim Rauf said, “DRAP is mandated for effective coordination and enforcement of the Drugs Act, 1976 to regulate the manufacture, import, export, storage, distribution, and sale of therapeutic goods in the country. Integration with the PSW system will provide DRAP to get better visibility of all import and export transactions and help improve its control measures while facilitating trade through the implementation of the Integrated Risk Management System, digital payments, and electronic integration with labs and other relevant service providers. Going forward, the system will also provide an interface for the electronic receipt of commercial documents attested by Pakistani missions abroad to mitigate fraud risks and save time and cost of doing business”.

Pakistan Single Window 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. PSW system helps to reduce the time and cost of doing business by making trade-related business processes more efficient, transparent, and consistent. PSWC is enabling Pakistan to better integrate into the global value chains and become part of evolving regional and global single windows.