WTO Members underscore continued focus on trade facilitation implementation and assistance

This year marks a turning point for the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA), as the number of measures requiring implementation assistance is set to peak in 2025 for developing members and least-developed country (LDC) members, the Committee on Trade Facilitation heard at its meeting on 12-13 March.

The TFA – which contains provisions for expediting the movement, release and clearance of goods, including goods in transit – is the first WTO agreement in which developing and LDC members can determine their own implementation schedules, in accordance with their national priorities and capacities, and seek to acquire implementation capacity through the provision of related assistance and support.

The WTO Secretariat provided a status report concerning the ratification and implementation of the TFA. It pointed to 196 measures due for implementation in 2025 by developing and LDC members that require technical assistance and capacity-building. The figure represents a peak in such commitments in a timeline extending into 2050, the Secretariat said.

The Secretariat reported that the five most common TFA measures due for implementation in 2025-26 that members have notified as requiring technical assistance and capacity-building are: setting up a “single window” for traders to submit documents (Article 10.4); ensuring cooperation among border agencies (Article 8); establishing a risk management system for more targeted controls (Article 7.4), establishing test procedures such as granting the opportunity of a second test in case of adverse findings (Article 5.3), and providing additional benefits to “authorized operators” or trusted traders (Article 7.7)

Notifications submitted by developing and LDC members currently show they have committed to implement 77.5 per cent of their TFA obligations. Developed members were required to implement all provisions of the TFA from its entry into force.

Comoros and Timor-Leste

The Committee took note of the first notifications from Comoros and Timor-Leste, both recently acceded members to the WTO that ratified the TFA in August 2024. The notifications contain definitive dates from both Comoros and Timor-Leste for the implementation of TFA measures. Timor-Leste said it recognizes the critical role of trade facilitation in fostering economic growth, enhancing competitiveness and ensuring the smooth movement of goods across borders. Several members took the floor to welcome the TFA ratifications and the first notifications of Comoros and Timor-Leste.

Digitalization and authorized economic operators

Members held an experience-sharing session covering two themes. China, the Republic of Korea, the Kyrgyz Republic, Nigeria and the United States delivered presentations under the first theme titled “Digitalization: Using technology to implement the TFA by measuring gains and conducting cost-benefit analyses”. The second theme was trade facilitation measures for authorized economic operators (AEOs), or trusted traders that meet specific criteria. Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Nigeria, Türkiye and the United Kingdom provided presentations on national and regional experiences with AEOs.