Russian National Trade Point (RNTP) is member of the World Trade Point Federation (WTPF/UNCTAD)

Russian National Trade Point (RNTP)

The Russian National Trade Point [RNTP] executes its activity as an affiliate of the Russian Ministry for the Economic Development and Trade and is accredited within the UNCTAD as a national organization assisting the development of trade and the introduction of international electronic commerce. It is the member of the World Trade Point Federation [WTPF] The project worked out by the RNTP provides for setting up a network of information and processing TPs for the international electronic commerce in the Russian areas. It will enable to ensure internal and external cooperation of the participants within the unified information space, deregulation of information exchange, reduction of costs and improvement of conditions of the international trade. This will be done by creation of favorable information environment and usage of modern telecommunication and information technologies in a format of the Electronic Data Interchange [EDI] standards.
The RNTP carries out work within the Federel Target Programme for the Development of the Electronic Commerce in Russia for 2001-2006 and the UNCTAD Special Programme for Trade Efficiency.

On the 8-th session of the ONCTAD in Kartakhena [Colombia, 1992] a special Programme for the Trede Point Setting up had been launched. These TPs are called to promote the involvement in the international division of labour and international trade of new participants [first of all the small and medium enterprises /SMEs/] and contribute to the improvement of the efficiency of the world trade.
The main problems the TPs currently face are information support of the participants in foreign trade, rendering assistance to the exporters and importers in entering foreign markets, attracting the investment for SMEs, fulfillment of specific foreign trade deals, use of the EDI for reduction of the documentary nows while concluding transactions, simplification of trade procedures through the use of modern standards of data transfer. They include the UN EDIFACT standards and the structured dsta language to describe virtually all kinds of commercial activity formed on the basis of the latest science about business called information logistics.
On the World UN Symposium on the Efficiency of Trade [Columbus. USA, 1994] the results of work of the TPs were discussed, which by that time were set up already in 80 countries, and decision on formation of the Global Trade Point Network [GTPNet] was made. It has united all TPs world over through the global network Internet.
Russia joined this Programme in 1995 and has made practical stops for its implementation. Within the Russian Ministry for Foreign Economic Relations [or the Russian Ministry for the Economic Development and Trade at present] on the basis of the state owned self financing enterprise informVES Association a pilot Russian National Trade Point has been set up in Moscow. Also, a regional pilot Trade Point for the Development of Export has been organized in St.-Petershurg. These TPs have become the initial link in the Russian TP network that are currently being formed.
The RNTP takes part in the Federal Programme for the Support of SMEs end participates in the introduction of the System of the Information Support of the SMEs and the System of Information Support of Foreign Trade Activities.
The RNTP is also responsible for the Russian part of the International Project on Exchange Business and Trade Information with the US Department of Commerce, called BISNIS [Business Information Service for the Newly Independent States]. It is a participant of the Project for the Forming of the Information Space Between the CIS and the Baltic States in the Field of the Trade Development launched under the auspices of the International Trade Centre. UNCTAD/WTO.
The RNTP is an organizer and participant of a number of international conferences and seminars, dedicated to the problems of improvement of the efficiency of trade, Russian and international exhibitions and the First Russian Congress of the Representatives of the SMEs [Moscow, the Kremlin, 1996].
In 1997 the UNCTAD assigned the RNTP the Operational One status.
The RNTP is en initiator of the development of the Concept of the Formation of the Russian Network of TPs which has boon supported by the UNCTAD and approved by the Coordinating Council for Foreign Economic Activity of the Russian Ministry for Foreign Economic Relations and which has formed the basis for the development of the project in the Russian areas and the formation of the TPs in these areas.
Further extension of the RNTP project in the Russian regions and areas had resulted in forming in 1997 a noncommercial organization called the Interregional Russian Trade Point Association [the RTF Association] for coordination of regional TP activities, representation and protection of interests of the RTF members, the participants of the UNCTAD Project.
On the sixth annual World Trade Point Mooting in the year 2000 in Geneva. Switzerland, a decision was made on organizing the World Trade Point Federation, and a certain work had been done in that direction. The RNTP has entered the WTPF as a full member.
The six-year work of the RNTP on the information market has enabled It to accumulate experience and to generate information resources satisfying the maximum needs of a businessman.
The Russian network of TPs is a part of the world TP network that unites the TPs in more than 130 countries of the world through the Internet. these are the TPs for electronic commerce working round the clock. They unite physically or virtually firms and companies presenting information on the issues related to a foreign trade deal and rendering assistance to exporters and importers [flrst of all to the SMEs] in implementing a number of foreign trade services.

RNTP`s main activities

assistance in the devolopment of international trade and cooperation and to the reduction of trade costs through the uso of the EDI and principles of electronic commerce;
search of partners in the attraction of foreign investment in various industrial, building, information, telecommunication and other projects particularly for the SMEs; assistance in attracting the investment and launching the investment projects and programmes;
support of the existing Russian Regional Trade Points for the Electronic Commerce and these set up within the UNCTAD Programme: designing, sotting up and the systemic support of the information and computing systems and networks and their organizational and technical infrastructure;
assistance to the Russian Ministry for the Economic Development and Trade and other federal and local autherities in launching the Russian TP Programme;
-representation and protection of interests of other Russian TPs in the Russian management bodies and in the international organizations, conferences, meetings, foundations, etc.;
-implementation of regular contacts with the UNCTAD and its working bodies responsible for the execution of the TP Programme;
assistance to the implementation by the Russian TPs of a unified information, technical and methedical policy pursuant to the recommendations issued by the DNCTAD and world or regional conferences;
information and consultancy servicing of the Russian and foreign participants in foreign trade by request, submission of various information directories: exchange of the economic, commercial and regulatory information;
placement of commercial offers in the Global Trade Point Network [GTPNetl; promotion of the information about goods and services, involving Russian and regional representations and trade missions abroad;
monitoring the export and import of goods and services including price quotations and information on exporters and importers;
consultations and professional assistance at ail stages of preparation of the foreign trade transaction;
conducting market research and preparation of the state-of-the-art reviews on various aspects of foreign trade activities;
creation and support of the electronic representations of companies and firms on the Internet;
conducting public expertise of the formed TPs for their compliance with the regulations of the UNCTAD Programme;
cooperation with the DNCTAD on the certification issues, and the assignment of the TP status to the newly formed organizations;
participation of the RNTP and the and members of the RTF Association in carrying out he Russian and international e-commerce programmes;
taking part in the federal and regional programmes aimed at the support of export/ import and the SMEs;
assistance and participation in the devolopment of the standards, norms and legal basis for the EDI with a stage by stage incorporation of the e-commerce elements;
organization and implementation of training and raising professional skills of the RNTP staff and the RTP Association members both in Russia and abroad;
collection, synthesis, analysis and dissemination of experience gained by the Russian and foreign TPs.