G/TFA/W/55  
 
19 July 2021  
(21-5728) Page: 1/2 
Committee on Trade Facilitation  Original: English  
 
 
TRADE FACILITATION AGREEMENT FOUR YEAR REVIEW  
ARTICLE 23.1.6 OF THE TFA  
PROPOSAL ON THE REVIEW OF TRADE FACILITATION POLICIES AND TFA 
IMPLEMENTATION IN TRADE POLICY REVIEW (TPR) REPORTING  
COMMUNICATION FROM THE UNITED KINGDOM  
The following communication, dated 16 July 2021, is being circulated at the request of the delegation 
of the United Kingdom.  
 
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1  BACKGROUND  
1.1.  The United Kingdom believes that notifications and experience s haring are core activities of the 
Trade Facilitation Committee (the "TFC"). Through these core activities, Members have the 
opportunity to highlight challenges, present successes and share practices. In the United Kingdom 's 
view, the TFC elicits collaborat ion and promotes further mutual understanding between Members in 
terms of their individual experiences with implementation of the Trade Facilitation Agreement (the 
"TFA"). However, to date, discussions of notifications remain limited, and experience sharin g, while 
extremely helpful, is irregular and narrow in scope. As a result, particular issues may not be 
discussed, overall levels of implementation of the TFA can be unclear, and trade facilitation is not 
always contextualised within Members ' wider interna l trade policy efforts and initiatives.  
1.2.  The United Kingdom's view is that Members would benefit from a broader mapping of each 
other's trade facilitation policies and practices, including their overall implementation of the TFA, at 
regular intervals, for example through the Trade Policy Review (the "TPR") process. Without adding 
another layer of complexity to the TPR exercise, this could be achieved by the inclusion, on a 
voluntary basis, of a dedicated section within the reports that deals with trade facilitation policies, 
implementation and practices. This could then lead to, for instance, a discussion of that section of 
each Member's TPR report in the TFC. It could also result in more engagement and discussion on 
Members' trade facilitatio n policies within the auspices of the TPR process.  
1.3.  The TPR process is a valuable mechanism within the WTO 's regular business, producing 
consolidated and relevant regulatory information in condensed reports which provide a "snapshot" 
of a Member 's trade pol icy within a given timeframe. TPRs act as a point of reflection and a repository 
of information for policy makers and a range of other stakeholders. Making the TPR process more 
complete by incorporating information relating to trade facilitation would enha nce the "user -
friendliness" of the reports. The level of trade facilitation reporting in TPRs is currently mixed: for 
some Members, reporting is sporadic; for others, there are entire sections dedicated to trade 
facilitation measures. Regularising how trad e facilitation policies and implementation are reported 
would provide opportunities for Members to support and learn from each other and would increase 
understanding of the benefits of TFA implementation in the context of wider trade policy and data. 
This would complement the existing work carried out within the TFC.  G/TFA/W/55  
 
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  2  PROPOSAL  
2.1.  The United Kingdom proposes that Members have the option, on a voluntary basis, to include 
a section for review of trade facilitation policies and implementation of the TFA as part of the existing 
TPR process  in order to elevate trade facilitation reporting. Mindful of the need to avoid burdens on 
Members, this should primarily be a compilation of the relevant material that already exists 
throughout that Member 's most recent TPR, which would be included in a clearer, distinct section on 
Trade Facilitation. Members would, of course, be free to add in further detail or context on trade 
facilitation measures at their own discretion.  
2.2.  The United Kingdom proposes that where a Member has recent ly submitted a TPR, a discussion 
on the trade facilitation aspects of that TPR will be included as a new agenda item at the next TFC. 
The Member would then present their trade facilitation policies and practices and begin a dialogue 
on these with Members i n a similar format to presentations which already occur in the TFC. That 
change would apply to upcoming TPRs following the completion of this four year review process, and 
not apply retrospectively.  
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