WTO Members Advance Review of Trade Facilitation
Agreement Implementation
1.
Members of the World Trade Organization
Committee on Trade Facilitation met on 10-11 June 2026 to continue
the second review of the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA).
2.
The TFA aims to speed up the movement, release,
and clearance of goods, including goods in transit.
3.
The Agreement is unique because developing and
least-developed countries (LDCs) determine their own implementation schedules
based on national capacities and priorities.
Progress
on the 2026 TFA Review
4.
Members discussed 25 proposals submitted
under the second review of the TFA.
5.
Seventeen new proposals were introduced since the
February meeting, nearly doubling the number submitted during the first review
in 2021.
6.
The proposals focus on:
o
Encouraging effective TFA implementation practices.
o
Addressing challenges in obtaining technical
assistance and capacity building (TACB).
o
Improving experience-sharing and information
exchange among members.
7.
Several members highlighted overlaps and synergies
among proposals.
8.
The WTO Secretariat will group proposals into
thematic clusters to facilitate future discussions.
TFA
Implementation Status
9.
The overall implementation rate of TFA commitments
has reached 89%.
10.
Around 160 trade facilitation measures have
been implemented ahead of schedule by 23 members.
11.
Approximately one-third of all Category C
measures are scheduled for implementation between 2026 and 2030.
12.
Category C measures are provisions requiring
technical assistance and capacity building before implementation by developing
and LDC members.
13.
The Secretariat announced a technical upgrade of
the TFA Database.
Transit
and Landlocked Developing Countries
14.
Members held a dedicated session on transit
facilitation and challenges faced by Landlocked Developing Countries
(LLDCs).
15.
Discussions covered:
·
Measuring transit corridor performance.
·
Transit corridor reforms in Africa.
·
Digital connectivity standards for transit
corridors.
16.
Mongolia, representing the LLDC group,
proposed creating a Transit Corridor Observatory.
17.
The proposed online platform would consolidate
factual information on transit corridors serving LLDCs.
18.
Members agreed to continue consultations on the
proposal.
Focus on
Small Economies
19.
The Committee agreed to organize a dedicated
session on the trade facilitation challenges faced by small and vulnerable
economies (SVEs).
20.
The proposal was introduced by Guatemala on
behalf of the SVE group.
21.
The initiative follows the Work Programme on Small
Economies adopted at the 14th WTO Ministerial Conference.
Experience-Sharing
Initiatives
22.
China presented its voluntary customs
disclosure system.
23.
The system encourages businesses to self-report
customs violations in exchange for reduced or waived penalties.
24.
The United Nations Trade and Development and
the United Kingdom presented findings from UNCTAD’s latest report on
national trade facilitation committees.
Technical
Assistance and Capacity Building
25.
Members received updates from the Trade
Facilitation Agreement Facility (TFAF) on ongoing support activities.
26.
Current projects are underway in:
·
Angola
·
Kenya
·
Kyrgyz Republic
·
Madagascar
·
Myanmar
·
Niger
·
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
·
Sri Lanka
27.
The TFAF emphasized:
·
Strong beneficiary government engagement.
·
The effectiveness of peer-to-peer learning.
·
The importance of mobilizing technical assistance
resources.
28.
Several members stressed that continued TACB
funding is essential for full TFA implementation.
29.
Donor countries called for greater transparency,
coordination, and efficiency in the delivery of technical assistance.
Other
Committee Discussions
30.
Members continued discussions on customs-related
issues raised by the United States.
31.
Topics included:
·
Indonesia’s customs procedures for intangible
products.
·
Reward systems for customs officials in Indonesia,
Sri Lanka, and Thailand.
Next
Meeting
32.
The next formal meeting of the WTO Committee on
Trade Facilitation is scheduled for 20–22 October 2026.
Significance
33.
The high implementation rate of the TFA
demonstrates substantial progress in global trade facilitation reforms.
34.
Discussions on transit corridors, technical
assistance, and support for small economies highlight efforts to make
international trade more inclusive and efficient, particularly for developing
countries and landlocked economies.
35.
The review process is expected to further
strengthen the implementation and effectiveness of the WTO Trade Facilitation
Agreement.
At
the Committee on Trade Facilitation meeting on 10-11 June 2026, WTO members
continued discussions on a total of 25 proposals submitted under the second
review of the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA). Members also agreed to hold a
dedicated session on trade facilitation issues for small economies and
discussed transit issues facing landlocked developing countries (LLDCs).
The
TFA - aimed at expediting the movement, release and clearance of goods,
including goods in transit - is the first WTO agreement in which developing and
least-developed country (LDC) members determined their own implementation
schedules in accordance with their national priorities and capacities, and
sought to acquire implementation capacity through the provision of technical
assistance and capacity building (TACB) support.
2026 TFA review
Various
members introduced the 17 proposals received since the February meeting,
bringing the total number of submissions under the second review to 25 - nearly
double those introduced during the first review. Proposals presented at the
meeting covered topics relating to encouraging certain TFA implementation
practices by members, addressing challenges in securing and administering TACB
support, and improving practices for the sharing of experiences and information
within the Committee.
Several
members noted overlaps and synergies among the proposals. To structure the next
phase of discussions, the Secretariat will suggest a grouping of proposals into
several themes to assist future discussions at informal meetings.
Members
were also updated on work on the factual section of the review draft report
following informal discussions and written comments.
The
Committee is required to review the operation and implementation of the TFA.
The first review was carried out in 2021 and is contained in document G/TFA/2.
Information on the review is available on a dedicated page of the TFA Database.
TFA implementation
The
overall rate of implementation commitments currently stands at 89 per cent. The
Secretariat reported that around 160 measures have been implemented ahead of
schedule by 23 members, while roughly one third of all Category C measures are
due for implementation between 2026 and 2030. The Secretariat additionally
announced a technical upgrade of the TFA database.
Category
C measures are TFA provisions that developing and LDC members have indicated
they will implement after a transitional period with the necessary technical
assistance and capacity building.
The
Committee also reviewed notifications submitted since its last meeting and
examined extension requests and measures with definitive implementation dates
for 2026-2027.
Dedicated sessions
In
the dedicated session on transit, members heard presentations on measuring
transit corridor performance, corridor reforms across Africa and international
standards for digital connectivity along transit corridors. Mongolia, on behalf
of the LLDC group, introduced a concept note proposing a "Transit Corridor
Observatory" - an online platform that would consolidate factual
information on transit corridors serving LLDCs. Further discussions will be
conducted with interested members to clarify aspects of the proposal.
The
Committee also agreed to hold a dedicated session on the specific trade
facilitation needs and vulnerabilities of small economies, following a proposal
introduced by Guatemala on behalf of the group of small, vulnerable economies
(SVEs) in the context of the Ministerial Decision on the Work Programme on
Small Economies adopted at the 14th Ministerial Conference.
Experience sharing
China
presented its voluntary disclosure system, which encourages enterprises to
self-report customs violations in exchange for reduced or waived penalties. The
United Kingdom and UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) presented UNCTAD's latest
report on the operations, results and challenges of national trade facilitation
committees.
Technical assistance and
capacity building
Members
received an update on the work of the Trade Facilitation Agreement Facility
(TFAF). The TFAF presented its work on consolidating lessons learned on
mobilising TACB and presented progress from several ongoing projects - in
Angola, Kenya, the Kyrgyz Republic, Madagascar, Myanmar, Niger, Saint Vincent
and the Grenadines, and Sri Lanka - highlighting strong engagement by
beneficiary governments and the value of peer-to-peer support. Several
delegations stressed the critical role of TACB for full implementation of the
TFA and called for continued funding for TFAF. Donor members emphasized that
issues of TACB efficiency and effectiveness go beyond TFAF and have made
proposals in the TFA review process to improve transparency and coordination of
TACB for the TFA.
Other Committee work
The
Committee continued its exchanges on customs procedures, with ongoing
discussions on Indonesia's customs procedures for intangible products and
rewards systems for customs officials in Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Thailand,
raised by the United States.
The
next formal meeting of the Committee is scheduled for 20-22 October 2026.