WTO Trade Facilitation Committee Advances Second TFA Review; Targets Completion by End of 2026

WTO members meeting in the Committee on Trade Facilitation on 21-22 October advanced work on the second review of the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) and reaffirmed their commitment to completing the review by the end of the year. They also exchanged experiences on key implementation issues, reviewed specific trade facilitation matters raised by members, and discussed technical assistance needs.

· Second TFA review: WTO members continued discussions on the second review of the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA), examining its implementation, a draft factual report and proposals for future committee work.

· Completion deadline: Members reaffirmed their commitment to finalising the review and agreeing on the final report by the end of 2026.

· Risk management and AI: Members exchanged experiences on risk management systems using data analytics and artificial intelligence (AI), with Nigeria presenting its experience.

· Authorised Economic Operators (AEOs): China shared its approach to improving trade facilitation through cross-agency incentives for authorised economic operators under Article 7 of the TFA.

· Advance rulings: Nigeria discussed implementation of WTO advance rulings under Article 3, which provide binding customs guidance on the treatment of goods before importation.

· Trade concerns raised: Members discussed eight specific trade facilitation matters involving the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU), Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Italy and Romania. Issues included pre-shipment inspection of foreign halal products, customs procedures for intangible products, customs officials’ reward systems and e-commerce handling fees.

· Technical assistance: A dedicated session under Article 21.4 addressed technical assistance and capacity-building needs, particularly for developing and least-developed countries (LDCs).

· International cooperation: China, Myanmar, Niger and the United States presented their experiences, while six organisations—including the World Bank, OECD, WCO, UNCTAD and International Trade Centre—provided updates on implementation support.

· TFA Facility concerns: Developing-country groups expressed concerns about the uncertain future of the Trade Facilitation Agreement Facility (TFAF), amid donor-funding uncertainty and unresolved implementation gaps.

· Overall objective: The Committee aims to improve implementation of the TFA, strengthen customs efficiency, address members’ trade concerns and ensure that developing countries receive the support needed to fulfil their commitments.

[ABS News Service/24.10.2026]

Second review of the operation and implementation of the Trade Facilitation Agreement

The Committee continued discussions on the second review of the TFA, focusing on both the draft factual report examining the operation and implementation of the Agreement and members' proposals for future committee work and recommendations. The Chair, Mrs. Alix Rancurel (France), reported on member discussions in 2026 through a series of formal and informal meetings and outlined a timetable with deadlines and further discussions in order to finalize the review.

Nine members took the floor, some speaking on behalf of groups of members. While discussions continue on issues concerning technical assistance and capacity building and future support for TFA implementation, members broadly reaffirmed their commitment to completing the second review and to reaching agreement on a final report by the end of the year.

Experience sharing/thematic discussion

The Committee held informal exchanges on experiences related to the design and implementation of risk management systems, including with the use of data analytics and artificial intelligence (AI). Nigeria made a presentation on its experiences in this area.

China made a presentation on enhancing trade facilitation by sharing cross-agency joint incentives available to authorized economic operators to enable fuller utilization of its programme. Under Article 7 of the TFA, members are to provide additional trade facilitation measures related to import, export, or transit formalities and procedures to such operators who meet specified criteria.

Nigeria outlined its experience in the implementation of its trade facilitation measures with regards to WTO advance rulings. Under Article 3 of the FTA, WTO advance rulings are written decisions issued by a customs authority before goods are imported that provide binding guidance on how the goods will be treated when they enter the country.

All presentations are available in the TFA Database.

Specific trade facilitation matters raised by members

Members raised eight matters regarding certain practices of other members at the 21-22 October meeting. Four of the matters were raised for the first time. The eight matters were:

· West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) - implementation of Article 10.2 of the TFA (raised by Switzerland);

· Indonesia's pre-shipment inspection requirements for foreign halal products (raised by Australia);

· Indonesia's customs procedures for intangible products (raised by the United States);

· Indonesia's rewards system for customs officials (raised by the United States);

· Sri Lanka's rewards system for customs officials (raised by the United States);

· Thailand's rewards system for customs officials (raised by the United States);

· Italy's e-commerce handling fee (raised by the United States);

· Romania's e-commerce handling fee (raised by the United States)

Dedicated session on technical assistance and capacity building support

In line with Article 21.4 of the TFA, the Committee held a dedicated session on technical assistance and capacity building support for implementation of the Agreement.

Presentations were made by China on "South-South Capacity-Building Cooperation: Working Together to Advance Trade Facilitation", by Myanmar on "Assessment of Myanmar's Transit System and Implementing Freedom of Transit", by Niger on risk management under TFA Article 7.4 and by the United States on "USDA's Food for Progress Program". A number of members took the floor to comment on the presentations.

The Committee heard from six organizations - the Global Alliance for Trade Facilitation, the International Trade Centre, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the World Bank, United Nations Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the World Customs Organization (WCO) - that provided updates on their activities in support of TFA technical assistance and capacity building. These organizations also responded to questions regarding their efforts to address the implementation needs of developing and least developed country (LDC) members.

The presentations are available in the TFA Database and the CTF eAgenda.

Trade Facilitation Agreement Facility (TFAF)

A representative of the TFAF updated the Committee on its activities since the last meeting. Formally launched in July 2014, the TFAF was created at the request of developing and LDC members to help ensure that they receive the assistance needed to implement their Agreement commitments and ensure its full implementation.

Around a dozen members took the floor, some speaking on behalf of groups of members. Several developing country groups expressed concern over the future of TFAF, noting that the overall climate for donor funding remains uncertain and many TFA implementation gaps remain unresolved.