G/L/ 1474  
G/TFA/W/ 88 
 
21 December  2022 
(22-9636) Page: 1/10 
Council for Trade in Goods  
Committee on Trade Facilitation    
 
 
REPORT ON THE CURRENT  FUNCTIONING OF THE  
COMMITTEE ON TRADE FACILITATION   
REPORT  BY THE CHAIRPERSON1 
The following report is being submitted by the Chairperson of the Committee on Trade Facilitation, 
Ambassador H.E. (Dr) Adamu Mohammed ABDULHAMID, under his own responsibility and at the 
request of the Chairperson of the Council for Trade in Goods .2 The report was prepared with the 
assistance of the Secretariat  and is organized  to provide clarity on the development of the 
Committee's  procedures to oversee the operation and implementation of a new Agreement that 
contained innovative and unique flexibilities . 
 
_______________  
 
1  INITIAL STEPS TO ESTABLISH  THE WORK OF THE COMMITTEE  
1.1.  The Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA, TF  Agreement, or the Agreement) entered into force 
on 22 February 2017. The inaugural meeting of the Committee on Trade Facilitation (CTF, the 
Committee , the TF Committee ) took place on 16 May 2017. The Committee fina lized work on its 
Rules of Procedures at its meeting of 25 June 2019 which were approved by the Council for Trade 
in Goods at its meeting of 14 November 2019  (G/L/1342 ). In 2021, the Committee carried out its 
first four -year review of the operation and implementation of the Agreement as mandated under 
Article 23.1.6 of the TFA . 
1.2.  Following its relatively recent establishment , the Committee has developed  its work 
programme and practices in incremental steps from its first meeting. At the May 2017 meeting, 
the Chairperson proposed that, i n line with the longstanding tradition , established during 
negotiations,  of trade facilitation discussions taking place in a Member -driven, bottom -up manner, 
consultations with Members  would be held  to ensure that  the Committee could firmly base its 
work on common ground. The Committee has continued its practices on this basis.  
1.3.  The inaugural meeting of the Committee on Trade Facilitation took place on 16 May 2017.  A 
proposal on the rules of procedure was  circulated on 22 May 2017 in G/TFA/W/1 . Subseque ntly, 
in October 2017, the Chairperson launched  informal, open -ended consultations on the 
Committee 's Rules of Procedure. Discussions continued on this document throughout 2018 , until  
its meeting of 25 June 2019, where the Committee finalized its work on i ts rules of procedure, 
contained in document G/TF/W/14 , and forwarded them to the Council for Trade in Goods , where 
they were approved at its meeti ng of 14  November  2019. 
1.4.  The only substanti ve difference  with the rules of procedure of the General Council was that 
the CTF rules of procedure added to the provision on observers in Rule 11 of the General Council 
rules existing rules set out in the TFA, in  particular with respect to Article 23.1.5 which covered  
the invitation of representatives from international organizations to TFC meetings . The rules of 
procedure  were approved by the Council for Trade in Goods at its meeting of 14 November 2019  
(G/L/1342 ). 
 
1 This draft will be circulated to Members for comments and then circulated under the G/L/ document 
series.  
2 See document JOB/CTG/18 . G/L/1474 • G/TFA/W/88  
 
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  2  SUBSTANTIVE WORK  OF THE COMMITTEE  
2.1  Notifications  
2.1.  The Committee review s notifications received under the TFA at each of its meetings during the 
period under review.  
(i) Transparency notifications: Under Section I of the Agreement, Members are required to submit 
a number of transparency notifications under articles 1.4 (import, ex port and transit 
procedures); 10.4.3 (single window); 10.6.2 (customs brokers) and 12.2.2 (exchange of 
customs information) . 
(ii) Implementation notifications: Developing and least -developed country Members using  the 
special flexibilities under Section II of th e Agreement are required to notify their implementation 
commitments to the Committee.  
(iii) Technical assistance and capacity  building (TACB) notifications : Article 16 requires that Members 
provide 3 notifications: notification by Members of TACB requirements fo r implementation of 
their category C designations; notification of information on arrangements entered into with 
donors; and notification of progress in TACB provision.  
2.2  Experience sharing  sessions  
2.2.  From its earliest meeting s in 2017 , the Committee recognize d that information sharing was 
going to be an important part of the CTF's work. The sessions were envisioned as a Member -driven, 
proposal -based approach where Members could put forward their TFA Section I implementation 
experiences  with either a thematic focus or looking at specific provisions . 
2.3.  The first experience -sharing session took place at the Committee meeting of 2 -3 May 2018. 
Since then, experience -sharing has remained a standing item on the agenda of regular Committee 
meetings. The session is held i n informal mode. Presentations are made by Members, by Members 
and supporting development partners, or by development partners alone. The Committee has heard 
over 100 presentations between 2017 and 2022.  
2.2.1   Dedicated session on assistance and capacity buildin g support  
2.4.  Article 21.4 of the TFA provides that the Committee shall hold at least one dedicated session 
per year to: (a) discuss any problems regarding implementation of provisions of the TFA; (b) review 
progress in the provision of assistance and support for capacity building to support the 
implementation of the TFA, including any developing or LDC Members not receiving adequate 
assistance and support for capacity  building; (c) share experiences and information on ongoing 
assistance and support for capacity building and implementation programs, including challenges and 
successes; (d) review donor notifications as set forth in Article 22 of the TFA; and (e) review t he 
operation of Article 21 of the TFA.  
2.5.  The first dedicated session was held on 3 May 2018  which  established  the practice of holding 
the dedicated session  back-to-back with the regular autumn Committee  meeting . 
2.2.2   Trade concerns  
2.6.  The Committee addressed one mat ter concerning a specific trade concern that was raised at 
its meeting of 11 February 2020.3 The Kyrgyz Republic raised a concern regarding Kazakhstan's 
treatment of its goods transiting to the Russian Federation. Kazakhstan considered that the issue 
should be addressed within the framework of the Eurasian Economic Union, to which they both are 
members.  
 
3 G/L/1375  and G/TFA/M/10 . G/L/1474 • G/TFA/W/88  
 
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  2.2.3   Reports by the Secretariat  
2.7.  The Secretariat updates the informal reminder document (G/TFA/INF/1/Rev./xxx) on an annual 
basis.  
2.3  Trade Facilitation Agreement F acility  
2.8.  The Trade Facilitation Agreement Facility (TFAF or the Facility) was launched in late 2014 and 
began its operations in support of the ratification process and before the establishment of the 
Committee. Since the Committee 's inception in 2017, it  engaged in discussions to clarify the 
operational structure of the TFAF and intended interaction  between the Committee, WTO Secretariat, 
and TFAF.4 At the Committee 's meeting of 9 -11 October 2018, the Committee considered an agenda 
item on the administrative separation between the TFAF and the Committee on Trade Facilitation.5 
At the Committee 's meeting of 25 -26 June 2019, the Committee requested the TFAF address how  it 
worked in line with the Paris and Busan principles  on aid effectiveness .6 
2.9.  In 2021, the Committee began discussions regarding  the TFAF guidelines which sought to 
further clarify who directs the activities and functions of TFAF as well as  to ensure transparency 
concerning proposed activities and grants. At the Committee meeting of 22 –23 April 2021, the 
United  States submitted a proposal calling for the TFAF to fall under the purview and direction  of the 
Committee as a means to ensure that Committee oversight, direction, and responsibility will provide 
transparency on the TFAF activities being undertaken, the funding of the TFAF, and transparency on 
Member's assistance provided by the TFAF.7 The C ommittee agreed at its meeting of 
22-23 April 2021 that the Chair person  would hold consultations in an effort to resolve the 
moratorium on technical assistance elements of the TFAF's activities.8 
2.10.  The Chair person  held eight9 rounds of consultations, four of which in open-ended format, and 
the remainder were small -group meetings. The participating Members including the U nited States, 
came to an agreement, endorsed by the Committee to allow TFAF to resume  technical assistance 
and capacity building activities  for Members. As a result, an on -line activity request form for 
submission to the TFAF, and enhancements to transparency through a tracker dashboard were 
developed which offers interested Committee Members the ability to monitor the follow -up to these 
requests in real -time. Throughout  2022, Committee Members review ed the operation of this activity 
request system, consider ed possible improvements, and return ed to its discussion on a form of 
guidance from the Committee to set out its relationship with the TFA F.  
2.11.  At its meeting of 4 -5 April 2022, the Committee adopted a F ramework for the Management 
and Operation of the Facility .10 The new framework takes account of the evolution of the needs of 
Members as expressed through the Committee . The Framework is intend ed to supplement the 
provisions of the 2015 Operational Guidelines  which had been developed in 2015, prior to the entry 
into force of the Agreement . 
2.12.  The TFAF provides regular reports on its activities to each Committee  meeting .11 These include 
updates on  its grant program, as well as  recent and upcoming technical assistance workshops and 
other events relating to trade facilitation matters organized at the request of Members and 
Member -groupings with donors, partner organizations a nd representatives from the private sector. 
The Facility further provides annual workplans and annual reports to the Committee . These 
documents and all other information relating to its grant work, coordination  efforts with the 
Annex  D+ partner organizatio ns and all other activities can be found on the TFAF website.12 
 
4 G/TFA/M/2 . 
5 G/TFA/M/6 . 
6 G/TFA/M/8 . 
7 G/TFA/W/36 . 
8 G/TFA/W/64 . 
9 20 May, 9 June, 7 July, 28 July, 15 September, 1 October, 14 October.  
10 G/TFA/3 . 
11 See G/L/1201 , G/L/1267 , G/L/1329 , and G/L/1375 . The most recent reports by the Facility to the 
Committee can be found at G/TFA/W/28  (20-21 October 2020 ), G/TFA/W/37  (22-23 April 2021)  ) and 
G/TFA/W/66  (19-21 October 2021).  
12 TFAF – Trade Facilitation Agreement Facility ( http://www.tfafacility.org ). G/L/1474 • G/TFA/W/88  
 
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  2.3.1   Participation by external stakeholders  
2.13.  In accordance with the Committee's Rules of Procedures, representatives of international 
intergovernmental organizations may attend the meetings as obser vers on the invitation of the 
Committee . The Committee may also invite representatives of other international organizations with 
competence in the field of trade facilitation or their subsidiary bodies to  attend meetings of the 
Committee  and discuss specif ic matters related to the implementation of this Agreement.  The 
International Trade Centre UNCTAD/WTO, as a joint subsidiary organ of the WTO and UNCTAD, is 
not required to formally submit a request for observer status in the WTO bodies and is invited as 
appropriate to attend those meetings it wishes to attend .13 
2.14.  In practice, at the end of every regular meeting of the  Committee , it agree s to extend an 
invitation to "Annex D" organizations (IMF, OECD, UNCTAD, WCO and World Bank Group) to 
participate in the following Committee meeting . At the meeting of 12 -13 February 2019, at the 
request of a delegation, the invitation was extended to a rep resentative from the Global Alliance for 
Trade Facilitation (GTAF). The invitation has been extended at every meeting since then.  
2.15.  In addition, the Annex D  partner organizations provided report s that w ere circulated to the 
Committee in the context of the de dicated session s on assistance and capacity building that took 
place on 20 -22 October 202014 and 19 -21 October 2021 .15 The Annex D partners and the ITC also 
provided a report to the Committee for the 22 -23 April 2021 meeting that , with respect to each 
organization , outlined their role in supporting implementation of the TFA, offered a brief description 
of upcoming assistance and activities, and described how Members could request assistance.16 
2.3.2   Involvement of the private sector  
2.16.  There is currently no formal involvement of the private sector in the Committee. A proposal 
to formalize engagement with the private sector was made during the 2021 TFA review process , 
which did not reach consensus at the time. The proposal remains under c onsideration by the 
Committee and can be placed on a Committee meeting agenda by the proponent.  
2.17.  On 22 April 2021, at the margins of the meeting of the CTF, the Global Express Association  
(GEA), which represents DHL, FedEx and UPS, organized a webinar to wh ich the Committee was 
invited.  
2.3.3   Programming of Committee meetings  
2.18.  During consultations with Members, there was a request that the Committee would receive a 
preliminary agenda approximately three weeks prior to the session. These practices have continued 
since then.  
2.4  Assistance to delegates  
2.19.  There is no systematic training programme for Geneva -based delegates  concerning the TFA . 
The Secretariat regularly provides bilateral assistance upon request (via email, in person or by 
virtual  meetings) to Mem bers in the processing of their notifications and their requests for technical 
assistance activities.  
2.20.  Upon request, the Trade Facilitation Agreement Facility provides technical assistance and 
capacity building to developing and LDC Members  on a national an d regional basis,  relating to the 
implementation of the Agreement, including  their participation in the TF Committee. Until the 
imposition of travel restrictions related to the COVID -19 pandemic in 2020, capital -based trade 
facilitation experts were suppor ted by the Trade Facilitation Agreement Facility to attend the annual 
dedicated session on assistance and capacity building.  
 
13 WT/GC/M/25 , item 1 . 
14 G/TFA/W/29 . 
15 G/TFA/W/67 . 
16 G/TFA/W/39 . G/L/1474 • G/TFA/W/88  
 
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  2.4.1   Digital tools used for Committee work  
2.4.1.1   TFA notification database  
2.21.  The TF A database – tfadatab ase.org  – was created in response to a request expressed by 
Members in the CTF in 2017 . The database is a fact -based source of reference information on TFA 
notifications , which also provides analytical functionalities. It has follow ed the timeline  of the TFA 
and continually adapt ed to accommodate new notification data.  Accordingly, it was significantly 
revised in 2022 to reflect the current stage of TFA implementation and the data and analytical needs 
of Members.  
2.22.  In addition to the Member profiles, the database now includes profiles for Member groupings, 
regions and economic communities and TFA measures , which  provide s a platform to monitor the 
notification and implementati on status of groups of Members  and TFA measures in a consolidated 
manner. All notification s and communications documents , as well as experience -sharing 
presentations , can be accessed on these pages.  
2.23.  The TFA database hosts a dedicated page o n the Committee which contain s all the information 
provided under the experience -sharing and thematic discussions.  All technical assistance 
disbursements provided by Members can also be viewed  on the TFA database.  The TFA database 
automatically feeds data to three other w ebsites, comprising the main WTO website, the Trade 
Facilitation Agreement Facility website , and the Global Trade Helpdesk website.  
2.4.1.2   Other digital tools  
2.24.  The CTF makes use of the general WTO -wide digital tools, such as e-registration  and the 
"e-subscription " option in  Documents online . E-registration allows Members to indicate their contact 
information as well as the different Committees that are covered by each delegate . The Secretariat 
and other delegations can use the information provided in this system to identify delegates covering 
the CTF and to e -mail communications and other documents. The E -subscription function in 
Documents Online allows delegates to indicate th e Committees and other bodies that they follow 
and to receive daily alerts by e -mail every time that a new document has been issued, including 
those by the CTG.  
2.4.2   Planning and organization of meetings  
2.25.  The Committee  holds three formal meetings per year  – two during the first half of the year 
and one before the end of the year  – and it holds  informal meetings  as required . To the extent 
possible, these formal meetings are organized in coordination with the meetings of other subsidiary 
bodies of the Council for T rade in Goods . 
2.4.3   Formal meetings  
2.4.3.1   Communication before meetings  
2.26.  The Chairperson informs the Committee of the meeting dates at the autumn Committee 
meeting for the following year.  
2.27.  Ahead of each meeting, a  convening notice and a draft preliminary agenda are circulated 
approximately four weeks prior to the meeting . The convening notice identifies the closing date for 
inclusion of items by Members on the agenda , which is usually 12 days before the meeting . A final 
agenda is circulated 10 days prior to the meeting.  
2.4.3.2   Number of meetings  
2.28.  Since 2019, there have been 18 formal meetings and 11 informal meetings ( see Table 1).  G/L/1474 • G/TFA/W/88  
 
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  Table 1: Number of formal and informal meetings  
Year  Formal meeting  
(number and duration)  Informal meetings  
(number and duration ) Other (e.g. workshops, 
symposia, etc.)  
2019  3 (2 days)  - - 
2020  4 (1-3 days)  1 (0.5 days)  - 
2021  7 (1-3 days)  8 (0.5 days)  - 
2022  4 (1-3 days)  2 (0.5 days)  1 (Anniversary Event)  
 
2.4.3.3   Preparation of Airgrams and Agendas  
2.29.  The Secretariat issues a draft Airgram which is circulated by approximately 30 days before 
the date of the meeting  through the WTO/AIR/TFA/ document series. This draft Airgram includes 
the standing agenda items , includin g notifications circulated, and all other known information  as of 
the date of circulation.  
2.30.  A final version, including the addition of requested agenda items and documents, is issued at 
least 10 days before the date of the meeting  (WTO/AIR/TFA/XXX/Rev.1) . 
2.31.  Additional agenda items are added depending on when the meeting is taking place. 
Specifically, an agenda item "Election of the Chairperson" is added at the spring meeting, as is the 
dedicated session on transit. The agenda for the dedicated session on assis tance and capacity 
building support is circulated with the agenda for the regular Autumn meeting . An agenda item 
"Draft annual report to the CTG " is also added at the autumn meeting.  
Table 2: Preparation of Airgrams and Agendas  
Year  Date of formal meeting  Date of circulation of 
Airgram  No. of days before the 
meeting  
2019  12-13 February  
 
25-26 June  
15-16 October  23 January (Draft)  
1 February (Final)  
14 June (Final)  
29 July (Draft)  
4 October (Final)  20 
11 
11 
78 
11 
2020  11-12 February  
 
20 February  
28 February  
20-22 October  
 13 Dec 2019 (Draft)  
31 January (Final)  
18 February (Final)  
25 February (Final)  
14 August (Draft)  
9 October (Final)  60 
11 
2 
3 
67 
11 
2021  26-27 January  
 
3-4 March  
 
22-23 April  
 
22-23 June  
 
19-20 July  
 
19-21 October  
 
26 November  11 January (Draft)  
15 January (Final)  
10 February (Draft)  
19 February (Final)  
30 March (Draft)  
9 April (Final)  
27 May (Draft)  
11 June (Final)  
1 July (Draft)  
9 July (Final)  
27 September (Draft)  
8 October (Final)  
24 November (Final)  15 
11 
21 
12 
23 
13 
26 
11 
18 
10 
22 
11 
2 
2022  4-5 April  
 
30 June  
 
15 August  
 
28-29 November  24 March (Draft)  
25 March (Final)  
25 May (Draft)  
17 June (Final)  
4 August (Draft)  
11 August (Final)  
21 October (Draft)  
18 November (Final)  11 
10 
36 
13 
11 
4 
38 
10 
 G/L/1474 • G/TFA/W/88  
 
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  2.4.3.4   Distribution of documents  prior to meetings  
2.32.  The distribution of formal documents, including notifications are circulated in the order in 
which they are received by the Secretariat and the WTO Central Registry of Notifications (CRN), 
following verification by the Secretariat.  
2.33.  The circulation of draft annual reports is done immediately after the closure of the agenda of 
the last meeting of the year, to make sure that all the documents that were received on the date of 
the closure of the agenda are included in  the draft reports. The Chair person  informs the Committee 
of any Members' notifications received after the closing of the agenda and that they will be on the 
agenda of the following meeting.  
2.34.  All documents relevant to a meeting are added to the "Documents f or Meetings " in the WTO 
webpage (i.e . under the link for the meeting in the calendar) , which is sourced from 
Documents  Online (i.e . under "Documents for Meetings", topic: Trade Facilitation ). Delegates 
subscribed to the Committee on Trade Facilitation  under the "e -subscriptions" option of 
Documents  Online are alerted via e -mail daily on all new relevant documents issued.  
2.4.3.5   Communication after meetings  
2.35.  The Chairperson does not normally send a follow -up communication after the formal 
meetings. The news item of the regular meetings is prepared by external relations , which provide s 
a list of key issues discussed  which is posted on the WTO website.  
2.4.3.6   Preparation of the minutes  
2.36.  The Secretariat prepares minutes after every formal meeting, which capture all 
information  - reports by the Chairperson, Members' statements, and reactions to these statements 
– shared at the formal meeting.  
2.37.  The minutes of a formal meeting of the Committee also contain information on informal 
meeting(s) held since the previous formal  meeting. This is generally done by means of a summary 
of the informal meeting prepared under the responsibility of the Chairperson and read at the formal 
meeting. The Chairperson also reports to the formal meeting on any consultations that they have 
held. 
2.38.  The preparation of the minutes start with written statements received by the Secretariat, as 
well as the statements by the Chairperson, being inserted into an initial draft in the appropriate 
places. The Secretariat proceeds to type the statements from th e audio  recording  of each meeting . 
Written statements received by the Secretariat in French or Spanish are sent for translation into 
English . Once the translation is received, it is then inserted into the draft minutes as appropriate. 
The minutes, as of 2021 use the direct voice narrative to provide greater accuracy to the records. 
Edited draft minutes are then submitted for approval by the Di visional Director. O nce approved, the 
English language version of the minutes is circulated to Members . The English language version is 
then translated into French and Spanish language versions, a process that can take several months. 
In case of error in t he issued minutes, or upon request of a Member, a corrigendum may be 
circulated.  
2.39.  Once the minutes are circulated, and pursuant to Paragraph 2(c) of the WTO's Procedures for 
Circulation and Derestriction of WTO Documents (WT/L/452), they remain restricted i n documents 
online (DOL) for 45 days. The minutes become automatically derestricted 45 days after the date of 
circulation.  G/L/1474 • G/TFA/W/88  
 
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  Table 3: Preparation of the Minutes17 
Year  Last date of the 
formal meeting  Date of circulation 
of the minutes  No. of pages  No. of day s 
2019  12-13 February  
25-26 June  
15-16 October  25 June  
2 October  
3 March  28 
22 
45 133 
99 
140 
2020  11 February  
20 February  
28 February  
20-22 October  15 June  
11 August  
11 August  
21 December  39 
10 
5 
42 125 
173 
165 
62 
2021  26-27 January  
3-4 March  
22-23 April  
22-23 June  
19-20 July  
19-21 October  
26 November  9 June  
2 August  
5 August  
24 November  
7 December  
- 
- 28 
32 
34 
33 
10 
- 
- 134 
152 
105 
152 
141 
- 
- 
 
2.4.4   Informal meetings  
2.40.  Informal meetings are convened through a communication that is sent to the official e -mail 
addresses of all Members18, as well as the delegates that have identified as covering the Committee 
in the e -registration system.  
2.41.  The convening email contains information on the meeting date, time, location, purpose, and 
the proposed agenda. In 2021, the Committee convened in informal mode on nine occasions. On 
five of those occasions, the topic of the informal discussion was the TFA review. The topic was 
included in the agenda of the formal meeting but was carried out in informal mode. As a r esult, the 
informal meetings were convened at the same time as the regular meeting. The convening e -mail 
has been sent on average three weeks in advance (Table  4). 
Table 4: Convening of informal meetings  
Year  Date of informal 
meeting  Date of communication 
convening the informal 
meeting  No. of days  
2019  - - - 
2020  30 September  15 September  15 
2021  13 January  
26 February  
3 March  
 
22 April  
 
22 June  
 
19 July  
 
22 September  
13 October  
19 October  18 December  
22 February  
10 February (Draft)  
19 February (Final)  
30 March (Draft)  
9 April (Final)  
27 May (Draft)  
11 June (Final)  
1 July (Draft)  
9 July (Final)  
21 September  
28 September  
27 September (Draft)  
08 October (Final)  26 
4 
21 
12 
23 
13 
26 
11 
18 
10 
1 
15 
22 
11 
2022  11 February  
3 March  2 February  
3 February  9 
28 
 
2.5  Work with other Committees or WTO bodies  
2.42.  The CTF does not interact with other Committees or WTO bodies on a regular basis . 
 
17 The meetings for 2022 were exceptionally delayed.  
18 The list of official e -mail addresses is maintained by the Council and Trade Negotiations Division.  G/L/1474 • G/TFA/W/88  
 
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  2.6  Ad hoc  events organized by the Committee  
2.43.  A TFA c ommemorative event , entitled " From Vision to Reality – and to the Future " was held 
on 2 June 2017 to mark the entry into force of the Agreement.  
2.44.  A TFA 5 -Year Anniversary Event was organized by the Committee and took place on 
30 June 2022. The process of organizing the event started with an invitation to the Committee for 
suggested topics and format of the event. There followed a number of informal small -group 
consultations on the development of the programme and identification of speakers. Four drafts of 
the programme were circulated between with the latest d raft including identified speakers. A number 
of Members participated in the sessions as presenters and panelists. The event was opened by 
Deputy Director -Genera l Gonzalez. A webpage was created for the event which was also 
live-streamed on the WTO Youtube channel . 
3  EVOLUTION OF THE COMMITTEE'S PRACTICES IN FUNCTION OF THE IMPLEMENTATION 
TIMELINE OF THE TFA  
3.1.  In March 2018, the Chairperson held an open -ended informal consultation to set the 
parameters for subsequent Committee work with regard to three areas: (i) scheduling of the 
Committee's meetings; (ii) identifying the Committee's work programme/agenda; and 
(iii) participation by international organizations in the Committee meeting s. 
3.2.  By the Committee's meeting of 2 -3 May 2018, building on comments raised by delegations 
during Committee meetings and based on the outcome of consultations, the agenda had evolved to 
comprise a number of standing items, as follows: (i) matters relating t o the implementation and 
administration of the Trade Facilitation Agreement, starting with notifications presented since the 
last meeting, followed by an update on the state of the ratification and notification processes; (ii) 
experience sharing and themat ic discussions, where delegations were invited to share their TFA 
implementation experiences with a thematic or provision -based focus; and (iii) updates on recent 
and upcoming activities. These items have continued as standing agenda items for each subsequ ent 
meeting.  
3.3.  The Committee's practices were further revised when  the Committee carried out the 
first four-year Review of the operation and implementation of the TFA in accordance with 
Article 23.1.6 which states:  "The Committee shall review the operation a nd implementation of this 
Agreement four years from its entry into force, and periodically thereafter. " 
3.4.  The review took stock of Members ' progress in implementing the Agreement from 2017 to 2021  
and identified a number of means by which the CTF can strengthen its work to support full 
implementation of the TFA . The review contained the following decisions and recommendations 
related to Committee  work, which have been implemented as of 2022:  
1) Additions to the Committee meeting agenda:  
a. A new standing agenda item for Members to provide updates on overdue Section I and 
Section II notifications ; 
b. A new standing agenda item "Status of Definitive Date Implementation" directly following  
the existing ag enda item "Status of Notifications and Ratifications" ; 
i. which comprised a review, on a regular basis, the effectiveness of a reminder 
document of definitive implementation dates prepared by the WTO Secretariat and 
of the voluntary interventions by Members r eferenced under point 1 ) above. A new 
document series G/TFA/INF/1/REV .XX19 was established to collate this information 
on upcoming definitive dates for implementation and to facilitate Members wishing 
to request extensions thereon under Article 17 of the A greement.  
 
19 G/TFA/M/16 . G/L/1474 • G/TFA/W/88  
 
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  c. An agenda item for Members whose implementation dates have passed for their category 
B or C provisions, and on a voluntary basis and for informational purposes only, to share 
information regarding the implementation ; 
d. An agenda item "Follow -up to the four -year review" for the purpose of continuing 
discussions , at the request of proponents, on the proposals that remain under 
consideration by the CTF from this review . 
2) One standing item removed from the agenda:  
a. Removed as a standing item , reviews of notifications under Article 15, while noting that 
the relevant notifications could review new Article 15 notifications on an ad hoc basis . 
3) Developed  an agenda with standing topics for the Committee's annual dedicated session on  
assistance and c apacity building . 
4) Amended the agenda of the Committee's spring meeting to include a  dedicated session on 
transit. The session is organized by the Group of Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDC) led 
by the Coordinator of the Group, a role currently held by Botswana. The first session took place 
during the 4 -5 April 2022 regular meeting of the Committee. Landlocked developing country 
(LLDC) members Kazakhstan, Bolivia and Malawi made presentations. The session also heard 
presentations from the WTO Secretariat , UNCTAD, WCO and ITU. H.E. Dr Adamu Mohammed 
Abdulhamid, Chairperson of the CTF made the concluding remarks.  
5) Other  work practices  that were introduced or modified or strengthened as a result of the review : 
a. Requested that the Secretariat, on an annual bas is, check for broken weblinks provided  in 
notifications under Article 1.4 and request the relevant Members to update them  as 
required ; 
b. Recommended that notifications be circulated as far in advance of Committee meetings as 
possible in order to promote mean ingful review and comment from Members ; 
c. Recommended that CTF meetings continue in hybrid mode;  
d. Agreed to conduct a second review of the operation and implementation of the Agreement 
in 2026, and periodically thereafter.  
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