The World Trade Organization (WTO) made progress on the second review of the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) during the meeting of the Trade Facilitation Committee held on June 10th and 11th, in which the members continued examining a A total of 25 proposals aimed at strengthening the implementation of the agreement.
According to the WTO Secretariat, the 17 proposals received since the February meeting brought the total number of initiatives submitted under the second review of the TFA to 25, almost double the number considered during the first review in 2021. The topics addressed include TFA implementation practices, challenges related to technical assistance and capacity building, and mechanisms to improve the exchange of information and experiences among members.
With the aim of facilitating future discussions, the Secretariat will group the proposals by thematic areas, given that several members identified coincidences and synergies among the initiatives presented.
Implementación
The Secretariat reported that The overall rate of implementation of the commitments made under the AFC reached 89%.
It also noted that around 160 measures were implemented ahead of schedule by 23 members. However, a significant portion of the outstanding commitments correspond to so-called Category C measures, which require technical assistance and capacity building for their implementation. Approximately one-third of these measures must be implemented between 2026 and 2030.
During the meeting, new notifications submitted by members, requests for extensions, and measures with definitive implementation dates planned for the 2026-2027 period were also reviewed.
Exchange of experiences
The meeting also served as a space for the exchange of experiences among the members.
In that framework, China presented its system of voluntary disclosure, a mechanism that incentivizes companies to self-report customs violations in exchange for a reduction or exemption from penalties.
Also, the The United Kingdom and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) presented a report on National Trade Facilitation Committees (NTFCs), bodies responsible for coordinating the implementation of the reforms foreseen in the AFC.
The study warns that the progress reported by countries does not always fully reflect the situation observed on the ground and highlights the need to strengthen monitoring mechanisms to assess the real impact of trade facilitation reforms.
Transit and small economies
The meeting also included a session dedicated to the international transit of goods, in which performance indicators of logistics corridors, reform experiences in Africa and international standards for digital connectivity were analyzed.
During that debate, Mongolia, representing landlocked developing countries, presented a proposal to create a Transit Corridors Observatory, conceived as a platform to consolidate information on the routes used by these countries.
Furthermore, the members agreed to hold a specific session on the needs and vulnerabilities of small economies, based on a proposal put forward by Guatemala on behalf of the Small and Vulnerable Economies group.
Technical assistance
The Committee also received an update on the activities of the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFAF) Mechanism, which provides technical support to developing and least developed countries to implement the provisions of the agreement.
Several delegations highlighted the importance of maintaining funding for these programs and agreed that the Technical assistance continues to be a central element to move towards the full implementation of the AFC.
The next formal meeting of the Trade Facilitation Committee is scheduled for October 20-22, 2026.
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