UN/LOCODE CODES FOR PORTS AND OTHER …

1 UNITED NATIONS. ECONOMIC COMMISSION FOR EUROPE. UN/LOCODE . CODES FOR PORTS AND OTHER locations . RECOMMENDATION No. 16, third edition, adopted by the Centre for the Facilitation of Procedures Practices for Administration, Commerce and Transport _____. Geneva, December 1998 ECE/TRADE/227. ECE/TRADE/227. Page 2. Recommendation No. 16. UN/LOCODE - code FOR PORTS AND OTHER locations . The work to prepare CODES , for PORTS commenced in Agency for North-South Cooperation., and as 1972, when the UN/ECE Working Party on Facilitation of Observers: representatives from the Association of International Trade Procedures agreed to include this Committees on Simplified Procedures for International task in its programme of work, later on specified as Trade within the European Community and the follows: "to establish the need to designate various European Free Trade Association (EUROPRO), locations involved in external trade (cities, PORTS , airports, Electronic Commerce Europe Association (ECEA), border crossings, terminals, etc.)

2 With a view to the European Board for EDI/EC Standardization (EBES), subsequent creation of CODES ". After consultation with International Federation of Inspection Agencies (IFIA), OTHER regional United Nations commissions (ECLAC and Taipei EDIFACT Committee (TEC). ESCAP) and with the International Air Transport Association (IATA), a programme of action for the development of a code was agreed in September 1977. RECOMMENDATION. As a result, a draft Recommendation was submitted to the Working Party on Facilitation of International Trade Procedures and adopted at its twelfth session in The Centre for the Facilitation of Procedures and September 1980.

3 The Working Party, at its forty-second Practices for Administration Commerce and Transport session in September 1995, approved a second edition (UN/CEFACT), of Recommendation No. 16, based on secretariat proposals for amendments and including an Annex Being aware of the need for an intemationally agreed containing the UN/LOCODE Manual. code system to represent names of certain locations of interest in international trade and transport;. As a result of re-engineering its structures and work in order to become more efficient and effective, in March of Considering that the code system should be based on 1997 the Working Party on Facilitation of International the two-letter alphabetic CODES for the representation of Trade Procedures became the Centre for the Facilitation names of countries, adopted in International Standard of Procedures and Practices for Administration, ISO 3166 and recommended by the Working Party in Commerce and Transport (UN/CEFACT).

4 October 1974;. Based on proposals put forward by an Ad Hoc Group of Recommends that the five-character code system Experts, UN/CEFACT, at its fourth session in September described hereafter should be used for purposes of trade 1998, adopted the third edition of Recommendation No. to designate locations whenever there is a need for a 16. coded representation for the names of PORTS , airports, At its fourth CEFACT Session in September 1998, inland clearance depots, inland freight terminals and representatives attended from the following countries: OTHER transport related locations , such as places of Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, receipt and delivery, which are used for goods movements associated with trade (for example locations Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, where Customs clearance of goods can take place), or Hungary, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Ireland, Italy, Japan, otherwise proposed by Governments.

5 Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Poland, Republic of Korea, Romania, Russian Federation, Slovakia, Invites Governments to transmit lists of entities with Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Tunisia, Turkey, United code designations according to the established criteria Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and and to ensure that each national list is continuously United States of America. The European Union (EU), the updated and communicated to the United Nations following inter-governmental organizations : secretariat, responsible for the maintenance of the code system. Bank for International Settlements (BIS) and the World Trade Organization (WTO).

6 , the following United Nations bodies: The United Nations Conference on I. BACKGROUND. Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), the following non- 1. The identification of a particular location is governmental organizations :European Electronic frequently required in information interchange in Messaging Association (EEMA), International Article international trade and transport, to direct the movement Numbering Association (EAN) International Association of goods, in addresses, in shipping marks, and in of PORTS and Harbours (IAPH), International data elements identifying PORTS of call, PORTS or places of Organization for Standardization (ISO), Soci t.

7 Loading or unloading, PORTS or places of transhipment and Internationale de T l communications A ronautiques destination, places of clearance by Customs, etc. (SITA), Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunications ( ) and the United Towns ECE/TRADE/227. Page 3. 2. The names of such locations are often spelt in reasonable mnemonic link, whilst at the same time different ways and sometimes the same location is given avoiding duplication of code designations for places with different names in different languages ( LIVORNO - similar names, would require a code consisting of more LIBOURNE - LEGHORN; LONDON - LONDRES - than three alphabetic characters.)

8 The solution preferred LONDRA; WARZSAW - VARSOVIE - WARSZAWA - was to add two characters designating the country, in WARSCHAU), which creates confusion and difficulties in accordance with International Standard ISO. data interchange. The identification in a unique and 3166/1974 and recommended by the Working Party in unambiguous way of any place involved in international October 1974, thus including a further element of trade is therefore an essential element for the facilitation identification and limiting the need for uniqueness of the of trade procedures and documentation. This can be location code for each place name to the country achieved by using agreed, unique coded designations concerned.

9 For such locations ; this would have the added advantage of permitting an exchange of data in a safer and more 8. The question of a numerical code alternative economical way. was considered, particularly for countries where the Roman alphabet is not widely used. However, there has 3. For these reasons, in 1972, the Working Party been no subsequent demand for a numerical code . The on Facilitation of International Trade Procedures agreed need to add classifying elements to the basic code to include in its programme of work the tasks of element was demonstrated. Such classifying elements preparing a code for port names and of establishing the which are generally required and accepted have been need to designate various locations involved in external included in the code list in the course of' its continuous trade, with a view to the subsequent creation of CODES .

10 Updating and maintenance. 4. There are several examples of location code systems in use, covering places in individual countries, II. SCOPE. or belonging to a certain category, airports. Many countries have developed code systems for distribution 9. This Recommendation aims at (a) providing a of mail. However, these often include features reflecting list of such locations which are of interest in international methods of postal distribution rendering them less trade and transport and whose names need to be quoted suitable for general trade purposes. in an unambiguous way in data interchange, (b). establishing coded representations of the names of 5.