The concept of the “Single Window” is to provide companies engaged in international trade a one-time submission of all necessary documents to government authorities for the export and import of goods that meet those requirements rather than having to make many different document submissions to a variety of agencies. “The Single Window facility enables much more efficient and effective processing for cross-border transactions resulting in substantial cost savings for both companies engaged at all levels of global supply chain networks and for governments,” Luddy says.

One element of Single Window development has been the use of information technology to achieve even more effective, transparent, and secure international business transactions. Luddy is one of the leading international authorities on the legal aspects of the use of electronic business technologies. “It is exciting to be directly involved in a new field working at the intersection of law, management, and technology,” he says. “It’s an area that will ‘change the world.’”

In addition to his research and work at ASEAN, Luddy was asked to advise the government of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, with the support of USAID, on the legal issues related to its development of a domestic Single Window. He has also been asked to participate in a UN meeting in Belgrade, Serbia, that will focus on issues related to development of a regional Single Window for Southeastern Europe. Many countries and regional groups have been working on the technology side for Single Window development for several years, Luddy notes. “It is only recently that the importance of creating and harmonizing the legal infrastructure to support these developments has been recognized as a key for achieving the interoperability at the international business level.”