National Committees on Trade Facilitation:  current practices and challenges

What is a National Committee on Trade Facilitation?

The Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) entered into force on 22 February 2017 upon ratification by two-thirds of the WTO membership. Article 23.2 of the TFA requires WTO members to establish a National Committee on Trade Facilitation (NCTF) or to designate an existing mechanism that can facilitate the domestic coordination and implementation of the TFA’s provisions. The TFA does not provide guidance on how such committees should be established.

What is the objective of this publication?

The purpose of this publication is to disseminate information on national experiences, best practices and recommendations with respect to the establishment and functioning of NCTFs. It is based on the experiences shared by more than 35 speakers during a workshop that took place on 8 June 2016 at the WTO and on the results of an electronic survey by the WTO Secretariat, which collected information on the practices of and challenges faced by more than 100 WTO Members.