G/TFA/W/79  
 
17 June 2022 
(22-4752) Page: 1/4 
Committee on Trade Facilitation  
  
  Original: English  
 
REPORT BY THE TRADE FACILITATION AGREEMENT FACILITY TO THE  
TRADE FACILITATION COMMITTEE  
30 June – 1 July 2022 
 
1  INTRODUCTION  
1.1.  This document provides information on the work of the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement 
Facility (TFAF) since the last report made to the WTO Trade Facilitation Committee at the meeting 
held on 19 -21 October 2021  up to 31 May 2022 . In the reporting period  the focus of the TFAF's work 
has been the completion of the migration of the website to an updated web platform , the ongoing 
delivery of the grant program , meetings with LDC Members on notifications, and the launch of an 
independent evaluation . The report is organised according to the TFAF's priorities provided  in 
G/TFA/3.  
2  TFAF GRANT PROGRAM  
Stage of the 
application  Outcomes  No. of TFA 
Articles matched 
with potential 
assistance  Progressed to next 
stage of TFAF Grant 
process  
3 Expressions of 
interest (EoI) (+2 
preliminary)  2 Expressions of Interest (inc. 
1 preliminary) matched before 
project proposal grant 
application launched.  9 3 
 
1 Project proposal 
grant (PPG) project 
completed  1 PPG matched before project 
implementation grant 
application launched  4 1  
1 Project 
implem entation grant 
(PG) application 
considered by the 
selection committee  The application was rejected 
by the selection committee    
Note: Differences in numbers can be due  to Members that were not eligible for a PPG because they are a WTO 
Observer or in arrears, Members who did not wish to take their preliminary or draft applications forward and 
EoIs, PPGs or PGs  in process.  
 
2.1.  In the time period of this report, three Expressions of Interest (EoI ) were circulated on behalf 
of LDC Members  and two preliminary EoIs were received for a combined total of 78 TFA articles. One 
preliminary EoI was matched with a partner for all needs identified before it was formally circulated. 
One circulated EoI generat ed a positive response, with a development partner stepping forward to 
offer assistance on some of the measures included. Two circulated EoIs expired without identifying 
a development partner, project proposal grant (PPG) applications will therefore be dra fted for eligible 
needs.  
2.2.  One PPG project was completed in May 2022 following its launch in January. The expert 
consultant submitted a report, drafted in consultation with the NTFC, which provides a detailed 
summary of the current situation in two TFA arti cles designated Category C, articles 5.3 and 10.1. 
The report includes  a potential implementation plan, as well as a draft budget. The report will be 
circulated to development partners, to seek implementation support. If no assistance is forthcoming, G/TFA/W/79  
 
- 2 - 
 
  the report will form the basis of an application for a TFAF implementation grant to be considered by 
the selection committee.  
2.3.  One application was considered for a project implementation grant but was refused by the 
selection committee who did not agree that the  proposed intervention would result in the 
implementation of the Category C articles identified as needing support.  
2.4.  Real-time information on successfully matched expressions of interest and approved grants 
can be found at: https://www.tfafacility.org/assistance -grants/grants -tracker . 
3  TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND CAPACITY BUILDING  
Activity and date  Desired outcome  No. of participants  
Regional workshop with Latin 
American  
Integration Association, (ALADI)  
1 – 4 February 2022  
Online  Enhance the operation of the national 
trade 
facilitation committee  150+  
UNCTAD Global forum 2022 for 
national trade  
facilitation committees,  
1 – 4 February 2022  
Online  Enhance the operation of th e national 
trade 
facilitation committee  200+  
One-to-One sessions for LDCs -  
10 sessions between March and May 
2022 Preparation of TFA notifications  30+ 
Sénégal session on definitive dates 
for Cat C with NTFC 5 May 2022  Preparation of TFA  notifications  20 
Maldives session on reinforcement of 
NTFC 23 May 2022  Enhance the operation of the national 
trade 
facilitation committee  15 
 
3.1.  TFAF offered one on one sessions with interested LDC Members to follow up on the letter1 from 
the Chair of the Trade Facilitation Committee, reminding LDC Members of the 22 August 2022 
deadline for the category C definitive dates.   These meetings were offered in March and May and 
will be offered again in July.  At these meetings the Member's notificat ion status is reviewed.  For 
any notifications not yet provided guidance is offered on, for example, how to find and complete the 
relevant template, and to find assistance to complete the notifications.   Information on TFAF activity 
request forms and the grants is also offered.   
3.2.  10 sessions were conducted in the period covered by this report, upon request by both TFAF 
and WTO Secretariat colleagues that support the TFC.  To date the meetings led to one online session 
with Sénégal (described in the table a bove), hosted by the World Bank and two grant expressions 
of interest ( included  in the summary under point 3.1 above) being launched. Follow -up sessions with 
partner organisations, additional TFAF activity requests and expressions of interest have been 
drafted as outcomes of these meetings and will be circulated as they are validated and approved by 
Members. Additional impacts will be monitored in terms of notifications submitted to the WTO TF 
Committee and reported to future meetings and in the Annual Repo rt. 
3.3.  TFAF coordinated with the General Secretariat of the Association of Latin American Integration 
Organization (ALADI), to conduct a "Second Latin American Meeting of National Trade Facilitation 
Committees" from 1 -4 February.  This virtual workshop was a follow -up to a similar event held in 
2019 and aimed to strengthen the national committees. It was attended by more than 150 
participants from National TF Committees from 17 countries.  Speakers included experts from the 
Market Access Division, UNCTAD, and the WCO, as well as the participants.  
3.4.  An online discussions session with the Maldives and including representatives of UNCTAD was 
held on 23 May 2022. Contact was also made with the Asian Development Bank for potential follow -
up. 
 
1 Letters were sent on January 24, 2022, and informed Members that TFAF could provide assistance.  G/TFA/W/79  
 
- 3 - 
 
  4  ENGAGEMENT WITH ANNEX D AN D DEVELOPMENT PARTNERS  
4.1.  TFAF continues to stay in close communication with its partner organizations to provide 
information that can support partners' role in TFA implementation, enhance coordination and avoid 
duplication. Cooperation with Annex D partners continues to play an essential role in the TFAF grant 
program, with partners receiving and engaging with all expressions of interest and at the project 
preparation stage to avoid any duplication of efforts.  
5  WEBSITE – WWW.TFAFACILITY.ORG  
5.1.  The migration of the TFAF website to an update d software platform has now been completed.  
The English language version went live  in November  2021, the French version in March  2022, and 
the Spanish version in April.  Testing of this website will continue and improvements to all versions  
will be made to remedy any issues resulting from the migration process.    
5.2.  This updated platform allows for more security and features, such as password protected 
pages , which enabled responding to Members' request for the creat ion of tools such as the password 
protected "activity tracker " that  was launched in November 2021  and formalised in the new 
governance framework G/TFA/3 . 
5.3.  The purpose of the activity tracker is to provide transparency to requests for technical 
assistance fr om Members , or organizations representing Members , and allow Members to request 
additional information about the request .   
5.4.  As soon as TFAF receives an activity request  from a Member, or Member organization, through 
the on -line form2, the request is poste d on the activity  tracker .  An email is sent to all Members that 
have asked for access to the tracker to inform them that a new request  has been posted .    
5.5.  Any Member can request a username and password to access the activity tracker by writing to 
Aisha.sarr@wto.org  or TFAF@wto.org  (One username and password will be issued per Membe r). 
5.6.  During this period information was included to the grant tracker page on Expressions of Interest 
that successfully led to the identification of a development partner , and more details have been 
added to the project preparation grant information on the same page.  
 
 
  
 
2 Activity Request Form at: https://wto.formstack.com/forms/tfaf_ta_virtual   G/TFA/W/79  
 
- 4 - 
 
  6  TFAF TRUST FUND  
6.1.  The trust fund currently contains just under  USD 4.5 millio n. Expenditures were made during 
this period for four PPGs and the procurement of the external evaluation of the TFAF was concluded.  
7  MONITORING AND EVALUATION  
7.1  Annual Report  
7.1.  The Annual Report for the year 202 1 is included with the documents for this meeting as 
G/TFA/ 4 A version for distribution  will be made available on the website  at: 
https://www.tfafacility.org/annual -reports . 
7.2  Evaluation  
7.2.  The Operational Guidelines require TFAF  to commission an independent review within five years 
of entry into force of the TFA, which was 22 February 2022. KPMG Norway won the bid to conduct 
the evaluation and the work has already begun.   In addition to evaluating TFAF's work to date, they 
will also make suggestions on how TFAF should go forward now that most of the notification 
deadlines have passed , and Members are fully in the implementation phase.   
7.3.  Four Members , including one group coordinator  met with the evaluation team when they were 
in Geneva. The Evaluators will ask other Members to complete an online questionnaire about TFAF 
activities and role.  A few Members and partner organizations will be asked to conduct a virtual 
interview.  The evaluation is planned to be completed by September  of this year.   
7.3  Workplan  
7.4.  Under the new Framework for The Management and Operation of the Trade Facilitation 
Agreement Facility3 the TFAF must work j ointly with a representative group composed of interested 
Members to prepare a work plan for the upcoming c alendar year  which must be provided to Members 
by the end of November .  Discussions with the group will need to start as soon as possible so that 
a draft workplan can be presented to the TF Committee at the dedicated session .   
 
__________  
 
3 (G/TFA/3 ) adopte d at the meeting of 4 -5 April 2022 .