G/L/1375  
 
20 November 2020  
(20-8427) Page: 1/7  
   
 
REPORT (20 20) OF THE COMMITTEE ON TRADE FACILITATION  
TO THE COUNCIL FOR TRADE IN GOODS  
1. The Agreement on Trade Facilitation  (TFA)  entered into force on 22 February 2017. This report 
covers the period from 17 October  2019 to 22 October 20 20. 
2. During the period under review, t he Com mittee on Trade Facilitation (TFC) held four formal 
meetings : on 1 1 February  (G/TFA/M/ 10); on 20 February (G/TFA/M/11); on 28 February  
(G/TFA/M/ 12) and on 20 to 22 October  (G/TFA/M/ 131). The TFC held an informal meeting on 
30 September . 
3. The meetings of 11, 20 and 28 of February were chaired by Ambassador Mohammad HAQJO  
(Afghanistan). The remaining meetings were chaired by his successor Ambassador Katrina NAUT  
(Dominican Republic)  who was elected on 30 July as Chair of the Committee for 2020.  
4. During the period under review, t he work of the TFC focu sed on three  mains areas: m atters 
relating to the implementation and administration of the TFA; experience sharing/thematic 
discussion s; and updates on relevant activities from TFAF and other organizations . 
Matters relating to the implementation and administration of the Trade Facil itation Agreement ( TFA) 
5. Seven  ratifications were received  during the period under review , bringing the total number 
of ratifications to 153 Members (93% of the Membership).  
6. With regard to the implementation and administration of the TFA,  the Committee's work was 
focused on notifications. Developing and least developed country Members invoking the special 
flexibilities of the TFA are required to notify their implementation commitments to the Committee in 
accordance with Articles 15 and 16 o f the TFA. The Committee  discussed the implementation of the 
Agreement , it analysed progress made , and highlighted  remaining work to be done . Some Members 
drew attention to the upcoming implementation notification deadlines  and to the challenges related 
to meeting those deadlines. They reminded Members of the availability of assistance to help address 
such challenges . A total of 59 notifications under Articles 15 and 16 were received during the period 
under review.  
7. The meetings of the 20 and 28 February wer e convened under Rule 2 of the Rules of Procedure 
for meetings of the General Council, which through its own rules of procedure, apply mutatis mutandis  
to the TFC. In accordance with the TFA, least  developed countries must present their definitive dates 
for the implementation of category B provisions by 22 February 2020. However, under article 16.2 (b) 
of the TFA, least developed country Members may request the Committee to grant them an extension 
of that deadline. One least developed country Member notifie d the Committee on 13 February 2020 
that it wished to request an extension. Between 19 and 20 February, an additional six least developed 
country Members also submitted requests for an extension to the deadline. Accordingly, in order to 
make a decision bef ore the 22 February 2020 deadline, the Committee met on 20 February.  
8. Subsequent to the meeting of 20 February, the Committee received two further notifications of 
request s for extension  on 21 February 2020 and the Committee held a second meeting under Rule  2 
of the Rules of Procedure on 28 February.  
 
1 To be issued.  G/L/1375  
 
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  9. The Committee agreed to all nine requests for an extension of the deadline .2 During the period 
under review, t hree Members3 submitted their notifications in accordance with their extended 
deadlines. The remaining extensions were granted up to 22 February 2021.  
10. The Committee received six additional requests for an extension  of definitive dates for 
implementation of category B an d C commitments under article 17 of the TFA ( "Early Warning 
Mechanism "). The requests from Nicaragua ( G/TFA/N/NIC/4 ), Pakistan ( G/TFA/N/PAK/1/Add.3 ) and 
the Philippines ( G/TFA/N/PHL/1/Add.1 ) did not exceed 18 months . In line with article 17:2 of the TFA , 
those Member s were entitled to the requested  additional time without any further action by the 
Committee. The request from St. Kitts and Nevis ( G/TFA/N/KNA/1/Add.1 ) sought additional 
implementation time exceeding  18 months . No objection was raised and one Member expressed 
approval of the request.  Requests for extension had also been made by Bahrain 
(G/TFA/N/BHR/1/Add.1) and Samoa (G/TFA/N/WSM/1/Add.2). One Member said that both requests 
had not been made within the timeframe set out by article 17:1 of the TFA, which requires requests 
to be notified to the Committee no later than 120 days before the expiration of the previously notified 
implementation date.  Another Member expressed the same view with regard to Bahrain 's request . 
11. The TFC held an informal meeting on 30 September to discuss the trade facilitation measures 
that Members had implemented in the context of the COVID -19 pandemic. Twenty Members 
informed the Committee of the measures that they had implemented. In addition, at the invitation 
of the Chairperson, a number of other entities, the International Trade Centre, the World Bank, the 
World Customs Organization, the United Nations Confe rence for Trade and Development ( UNCTAD ) 
(which are Annex D trade facilitation partners) and the Global Alliance4 update d the membership on 
their COVID -19 trade facilitation work.  
12. During the period under review, 56 transparency notifications were received  in accordance 
with the following provisions : Art.1.4  (import, export and transit procedures); Art.10.4.3  (single 
window); Art.10.6.2  (customs brokers) and Art.12.2.2  (exchange of customs information) . 
A number of  Members emphasised that transparency notifications must be notified in a timely 
manner, in accordance with Members' individual implementation plans . Those Members  also called 
for an improvement in the quality of the information notified  under the transparency notifications . 
13. In accordance with Article 22 (22.1 and 22.2 ) of the TFA which require s donor Members to 
notify information regarding their technical assistance  arrangements and the process and 
mechanisms to receive assistance , five donor Members submitted notifications . Article 22.3  requires  
beneficiary Members to notify contact details with regard s to technical assistance  and 18 developing 
and least developed country Members submitted notifications  under this article . 
14. During its meeting of 11 February, the  Committee took note of its first trade concern. The 
Kyrgyz Republic raised concerns regarding the situation at its borders with Kazakhstan as a result 
of Kazakhstan's treatment of goods transiting through the Kyrgyz Republic to the Russian Federation. 
As both countries are Members of the Eurasian Economic Union, Kazakhstan considered that the 
issue should be addressed within that framework.  
Experience sharing/thematic discussions  
15. The Committee holds experience sharing and thematic discussions  as part of it s regular 
meetings . During the period under review, Members shared their experiences on items such as 
(i) National Trade Facilitation Committees ; (ii) Article 3 – Advanced rulings ; (iii) Article 7.6 - Average 
released times ; (iv) Articles 1.1 and 1.2 - Publication and Information available through internet ; 
and (v) measures adopted by Members in response to C OVID -19. More details on the information 
and experience sharing discussions can be found on the TFA database .5 
 
2 Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Chad, Djibouti, Lao PDR, Mauritania, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Solomon 
Islands.  
3 Afghanistan, Senegal and Solomon Islands.  
4 The Global Alliance for Trade Facilitation is a public -private partnership dedicated to international trade 
facilitation. led by the  Center for International Private Enterprise, the  International Chamber of Commerce  and 
the World Economic Forum, in cooperation with  Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ). It is 
funded by the governments of the  United States, Canada, Germany, Denmark, the United Kingdom and 
Australia.  
5 https://www.tfadatabase.org/trade -facilitation -committee/experience -sharing /key-points  G/L/1375  
 
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  Reporting by TFAF and other organizations  
 
16. The Trade Facilitation Agreement Facility (TFAF) and Annex D organizations updated the 
Committee on their activities at the meetings of 11 February and 20 to 22 October. Following their 
oral presentations at the Feb ruary meetings, the Committee agreed that all future updates by the 
TFAF and Annex D organizations would be provided in a written report, circulated to the Members 
before the subsequent  Committee meeting. The reason for this change in format was to allow 
Members more time to analyse the reports and allow for greater discussion at the Committee. 
Consequently,  their reports to the Committee's October session were circulated ahead of the meeting 
in written doc ument s.6 
17. The TFAF Annual Report for 201 9 and the  workplan for 2020 were also circulated prior to  the 
October  meeting.7 A Member expressed the view that the work plan should not proceed, nor 
disbursements made, until Members are provided an opportunity to  draft a workplan that reflects 
their view of the appropriate use of resources.  
Dedicated session on assistance and capacity building  
 
18. In accordance with the provision of Article 21.4 of the Agreement, the Committee held a n 
annual  dedicated session on assistance and capacity building on 22 October 20 20. The items 
discussed included : exchanges on any implementation problems;  a review of progress in the 
provision of assistance and support for capacity building to support the implemen tation of the T FA; 
sharing experiences and information on ongoing assistance and support for capacity building and 
implementation programs, including challenges and successes; and  review ing the operation of Article 
21:2 (assistance and support for LDCs ). At the request of one Member, the review of donor 
notifications as set forth in Article 22 of the TFA was taken up during the regular  session.  
19. Members shared their experiences on : trade facilitation considerations for the Organisation of 
Eastern Caribbean S tates Economic Union during the COVID -19 pandemic ; partnerships with Annex 
D+ organizations ; progress on TACB activities carried out by Members ; information portals ; Aid for 
Trade ; and National Trade Facilitation Committees . 
Draft Annual Report to the Coun cil for Trade in Goods.  
 
20. The Committee adopted the Annual Report to the Council for Trade in Goods (G/TFA/W/ 27) 
and requested the Secretariat to update it to take account of the October meeting.  
 
 
6 G/TFA/W/ 28 and G/TFA/W/29  
7 https://www.tfafacility.org/annual -report -2019 and RD/TF/1  G/L/1375  
 
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  ANNEX I : NOTIFICATIONS FROM  MEMBERS SINCE THE  LAST ANNUAL REPORT UNTIL  
22 OCTOBER 2020 
1  NOTIFICATIONS UNDER ARTICLES 15 AND 16 OF THE TRADE FACILITATION 
AGREEMENT  
1.1  Implementation notifications (categories A, B, C)  
Member  Document symbol  Date  of 
issuance  Area covered  
Cat. A Cat. B Cat. C 
India G/TFA/N/IND/1/Add.1  08/10/2020   
X  
Saint Kitts and Nevis  G/TFA/N/KNA/1/Add.1  08/10/2020   
X X 
Tanzania  G/TFA/N/TZA/2  05/10/2020   
X X 
Senegal  G/TFA/N/SEN/1/Add.2  03/09/2020   
X  
Philippines  G/TFA/N/PHL/1/Add.1  28/08/2020    
X 
Lao People's 
Democratic Republic  G/TFA/N/LAO/1/Add.4  05/08/2020   
X  
Solomon Islands  G/TFA/N/SLB/1/Add.1  09/07/2020   
X X 
Pakistan  G/TFA/N/PAK/1/Add.3  30/06/2020    
X 
Samoa  G/TFA/N/WSM/1/Add.2  30/06/2020   
X  
Macao, China  G/TFA/N/MAC/1/Add.2  26/05/2020   
X  
Afghanistan  G/TFA/N/AFG/1/Add.2  18/05/2020   
X X 
Rwanda  G/TFA/N/RWA/1/Add.2  30/04/2020    
X 
Angola  G/TFA/N/AGO/1/Add.1/Corr.1  10/03/2020   
X X 
Burundi  G/TFA/N/BDI/1/Corr.1  03/03/2020  X X X 
Angola  G/TFA/N/AGO/1/Add.1  28/02/2020   
X X 
Bahrain, Kingdom of  G/TFA/N/BHR/1/Add.1  28/02/2020    
X 
Mauritania  G/TFA/N/MRT/1/Add.1/Corr.1  27/02/2020   
Y  
Benin  G/TFA/N/BEN/2  21/02/2020  X X X 
Cambodia  G/TFA/N/KHM/1/Add.1  21/02/2020  X X X 
Lesotho  G/TFA/N/LSO/1/Add.1  21/02/2020   
X X 
Madagascar  G/TFA/N/MDG/1/Add.2  21/02/2020   
X X 
Mauritania  G/TFA/N/MRT/1/Add.1  21/02/2020   
X  
Myanmar  G/TFA/N/MMR/1/Add.1  21/02/2020   
X  
Sierra Leone  G/TFA/N/SLE/1/Add.1  21/02/2020   
X  
Burkina Faso  G/TFA/N/BFA/1/Add.2  20/02/2020   
X  
Djibouti  G/TFA/N/DJI/1/Add.1  20/02/2020   
X  
Nepal  G/TFA/N/NPL/1/Add.1  20/02/2020   
X  
Senegal  G/TFA/N/SEN/1/Add.1  20/02/2020   
X  
Solomon Islands  G/TFA/N/SLB/1  20/02/2020   
X  
Togo G/TFA/N/TGO/1/Add.1  20/02/2020   
X  
Vanuatu  G/TFA/N/VUT/1/Add.1  20/02/2020  X X X 
Afghanistan  G/TFA/N/AFG/1/Add.1  19/02/2020   
X  
Bangladesh  G/TFA/N/BGD/1/Add.3  19/02/2020   
X  
Burundi  G/TFA/N/BDI/1  19/02/2020  X X X 
Chad G/TFA/N/TCD/1  19/02/2020   
X  
Niger  G/TFA/N/NER/2/Add.1  19/02/2020   
X X 
Rwanda  G/TFA/N/RWA/1/Add.1  19/02/2020   
X  G/L/1375  
 
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  Member  Document symbol  Date  of 
issuance  Area covered  
Cat. A Cat. B Cat. C 
Guinea  G/TFA/N/GIN/1  13/02/2020  X X X 
Lao People's 
Democratic Republic  G/TFA/N/LAO/1/Add.3  13/02/2020   
X  
Gambia, The  G/TFA/N/GMB/1/Add.1  05/02/2020   
X  
Brunei Darussalam  G/TFA/N/BRN/1/Add.2  30/01/2020   
X  
Bangladesh  G/TFA/N/BGD/1/Add.2  15/01/2020   
X X 
China  G/TFA/N/CHN/1/Add.5  15/01/2020   
X  
Uganda  G/TFA/N/UGA/1  15/01/2020  X X X 
China  G/TFA/N/CHN/1/Add.4  10/01/2020   
X  
Central African 
Republic  G/TFA/N/CAF/1/Add.2  20/12/2019   
X X 
Maldives  G/TFA/N/MDV/3  09/12/2019  X X X 
Burkina Faso  G/TFA/N/BFA/1/Add.1  03/12/2019  X X X 
Mali G/TFA/N/MLI/1/Add.1  28/11/2019   
X X 
Morocco  G/TFA/N/MAR/1/Add.1  28/11/2019   
X X 
Zambia  G/TFA/N/ZMB/1/Corr.1  04/11/2019   
X X 
Zambia  G/TFA/N/ZMB/1  23/10/2019   
X X 
Kenya  G/TFA/N/KEN/1  22/10/2019   
X X 
Albania  G/TFA/N/ALB/1/Add.1  18/10/2019   
X X 
Democratic Republic 
of the Congo  G/TFA/N/COD/1  18/10/2019   
X X 
 
1.2  Donor arrangements and progress in the provision of Technical Assistance and 
capacity building support  
Member  Document symbol  Date  of 
issuance  Notification type  
Nicaragua  G/TFA/N/NIC/4  12/08/2020  Donor Arrangements + Progress  
Ukraine  G/TFA/N/UKR/4  18/02/2020  Donor Arrangements + Progress  
Maldives  G/TFA/N/MDV/4  16/01/2020  Donor Arrangements + Progress  
Bangladesh  G/TFA/N/BGD/2/Rev.1  15/01/2020  Donor Arrangements + Progress  
 
2  NOTIFICATIONS UNDER ARTICLES 1:4, 10:4:3, 10:6:2 AND 12:2:2 OF THE TRADE 
FACILITATION AGREEMENT  
Member  Symbol  Date  of 
issuance  Areas covered  
1.4 10.4.3  10.6.2  12.2.2  
European Union  G/TFA/ N/EU/1/Add .1/Rev.1 14/10/2020  X X X X 
Malaysia  G/TFA/N/MYS/2  14/10/2020  X X X X 
Switzerland  G/TFA/N/CHE/2/Rev.1  08/10/2020  X X X X 
Thailand  G/TFA/N/THA/2/Rev.1  08/10/2020  X X X X 
Argentina  G/TFA/N/ARG/2/Rev.3  05/10/2020  X X X X 
Armenia  G/TFA/N/ARM/3  23/09/2020    
X  
China  G/TFA/N/CHN/2/Rev.4  18/09/2020  X  
X  
Antigua and 
Barbuda  G/TFA/N/ATG/3  17/09/2020    
X  
Vanuatu  G/TFA/N/VUT/2/Rev.1  15/09/2020  X    
Norway  G/TFA/N/NOR/2/Rev.1  09/09/2020  X X X X 
Senegal  G/TFA/N/SEN/3  07/09/2020   
X X X G/L/1375  
 
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  Member  Symbol  Date  of 
issuance  Areas covered  
1.4 10.4.3  10.6.2  12.2.2  
Ecuador  G/TFA/N/ECU/2/Add.1/Rev.1  26/08/2020  X    
Chile G/TFA/N/CHL/2/Rev.2  24/08/2020  X X X X 
Mauritius  G/TFA/N/MUS/2/Rev.1  18/08/2020  X X X X 
Uruguay  G/TFA/N/URY/2/Rev.1  18/08/2020  X X X X 
Honduras  G/TFA/N/HND/3/Rev.1  12/08/2020  X X X X 
Moldova, Republic of  G/TFA/N/MDA/2/Rev.1  04/08/2020  X  
X X 
North Macedonia  G/TFA/N/MKD/1/Rev.3  31/07/2020  X X X X 
Kyrgyz Republic  G/TFA/N/KGZ/1/Rev.1  21/07/2020  X X X X 
Israel  G/TFA/N/ISR/1/Rev.1  15/07/2020  X X X X 
Cote d'Ivoire  G/TFA/N/CIV/3  10/07/2020  X X X X 
Korea, Republic of  G/TFA/N/KOR/1/Rev.1  10/07/2020  X X X X 
Macao, China  G/TFA/N/MAC/2/Rev.1  10/07/2020  X X X X 
Chinese Taipei  G/TFA/N/TPKM/1/Rev.2  10/07/2020  X X X X 
Tajikistan  G/TFA/N/TJK/2  10/07/2020  X X X X 
European Union  G/TFA/N/EU/1/Rev.4  09/07/2020  X X X X 
Australia  G/TFA/N/AUS/1/Rev.2  29/06/2020  X X X X 
Guyana  G/TFA/N/GUY/2/Rev.1  29/06/2020  X X X X 
Argentina  G/TFA/N/ARG/2/Rev.2  22/06/2020  X    
Turkey  G/TFA/N/TUR/2/Rev.1  10/06/2020  X X X X 
Dominican Republic  G/TFA/N/DOM/3/Rev.1  05/06/2020  X X   
Chinese Taipei  G/TFA/N/TPKM/1/Rev.1  26/05/2020  X    
Sri Lanka  G/TFA/N/LKA/3  08/05/2020    
X  
European Union  G/TFA/N/EU/1/Rev.3  08/05/2020  X    
Cambodia  G/TFA/N/KHM/2  30/04/2020    
X X 
China  G/TFA/N/CHN/2/Rev.3  30/04/2020  X  
X  
European Union  G/TFA/N/EU/1/Rev.2  09/04/2020  X    
Central African 
Republic  G/TFA/N/CAF/2  04/03/2020    
X  
Vanuatu  G/TFA/N/VUT/2  02/03/2020  X    
Honduras  G/TFA/N/HND/3  28/02/2020  X    
Thailand  G/TFA/N/THA/3  26/02/2020     
X 
Guatemala  G/TFA/N/GTM/3  05/02/2020   
X X X 
Saudi Arabia, 
Kingdom of  G/TFA/N/SAU/2  23/01/2020  X X X X 
Chile G/TFA/N/CHL/2/Rev.1  20/01/2020  X X X X 
China  G/TFA/N/CHN/4  10/01/2020   
X  
X 
Ecuador  G/TFA/N/ECU/4  09/01/2020     
X 
Nicaragua  G/TFA/N/NIC/3  06/01/2020  X X X X 
Ecuador  G/TFA/N/ECU/2/Add.1  20/12/2019  X    
Tunisia  G/TFA/N/TUN/2  17/12/2019    
X  
Mongolia  G/TFA/N/MNG/2/Add.1  12/12/2019    
X X 
Argentina  G/TFA/N/ARG/2/Rev.1  11/12/2019  X X X X 
Saint Lucia  G/TFA/N/LCA/3  02/12/2019     
X 
Oman  G/TFA/N/OMN/2  07/11/2019  X X X X 
Pakistan  G/TFA/N/PAK/2/Add.1  04/11/2019     
X G/L/1375  
 
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  Member  Symbol  Date  of 
issuance  Areas covered  
1.4 10.4.3  10.6.2  12.2.2  
Colombia  G/TFA/N/COL/2  30/10/2019  X X X X 
Botswana  G/TFA/N/BWA/2  22/10/2019    
X X 
Paraguay  G/TFA/N/PRY/3  22/10/2019   
X X X 
Albania  G/TFA/N/ALB/2  18/10/2019  X  
X X 
 
3  NOTIFICATIONS UNDER ARTICLE 22  OF THE TRADE FACILITATION AGREEMENT BY 
DONOR MEMBERS  
Donor  
Member  Document symbol  Date  of 
issuance  Notification type  
Canada  G/TFA/N/CAN/4  08/10/2020  (Articles 22.1 and/or 22.2)  
United States of America  G/TFA/N/USA/4  08/10/2020  (Articles 22.1 and/or 22.2)  
Australia  G/TFA/N/AUS/4  21/07/2020  (Articles 22.1 and/or 22.2)  
Japan  G/TFA/N/JPN/5  27/03/2020  (Articles 22.1 and/or 22.2)  
China  G/TFA/N/CHN/3  18/10/2019  (Articles 22.1 and/or 22.2)  
 
Developing and least developed country Members  
Member  Document symbol  Date  of 
issuance  Notification type  
Antigua and Barbuda  G/TFA/N/ATG/2  17/09/2020  Article 22.3  
Honduras  G/TFA/N/HND/2/Rev.1  15/09/2020  Article 22.3  
Senegal  G/TFA/N/SEN/2  07/09/2020  Article 22.3  
Cote d'Ivoire  G/TFA/N/CIV/2  10/07/2020  Article 22.3  
Tanzania  G/TFA/N/TZA/1  01/07/2020  Article 22.3  
Sri Lanka  G/TFA/N/LKA/2/Rev.1  08/05/2020  Article 22.3  
Cambodia  G/TFA/N/KHM/3  30/04/2020  Article 22.3  
Jamaica  G/TFA/N/JAM/2/Rev.1  02/04/2020  Article 22.3  
Tonga  G/TFA/N/TON/2/Rev.2  19/03/2020  Article 22.3  
Eswatini, Kingdom of  G/TFA/N/SWZ/3  17/03/2020  Article 22.3  
Honduras  G/TFA/N/HND/2  28/02/2020  Article 22.3  
Angola  G/TFA/N/AGO/2  19/02/2020  Article 22.3  
Nepal  G/TFA/N/NPL/3  19/02/2020  Article 22.3  
Jamaica  G/TFA/N/JAM/2  13/02/2020  Article 22.3  
Benin  G/TFA/N/BEN/1  30/01/2020  Article 22.3  
Burkina Faso  G/TFA/N/BFA/2  04/12/2019  Article 22.3  
Nicaragua  G/TFA/N/NIC/2  20/11/2019  Article 22.3  
Pakistan  G/TFA/N/PAK/3  04/11/2019  Article 22.3  
 
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