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G/TFA/M/ 26 
 
1 September  2023 
(23-5881) Page: 1/53 
Committee on Trade Facilitation   
 
  
MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE COMMITTEE ON TRADE FACILITATION  
15-16 JUNE  2023  
CHAIRPERSON: MR . CARLOS GUEVARA  (ECUADOR ) 
Contents  
1   MATTERS RELATING TO THE IMPLEMENTATION AND ADMINISTRATION OF 
THE TRADE FACILITATION AGREEMENT (TFA)  ................................ ................................ . 2 
1.1   Notifications from Members  ................................ ................................ .........................  2 
A. Notifications under Article 16  of the Trade Facilitation Agreement  ................................ .... 2 
B. Notifications under Article 17 of the Trade Facilitati on Agreement  ................................ .... 5 
C. Notifications under Article 1.4, 10.4.3, 10.6.2 and 12.2.2 of the Trade Facilitation 
Agreement  ................................ ................................ ................................ .......................  5 
D. Notifications under Article 22 of the Trade Facilitation Agreement  ................................ .... 7 
1.2   Status of Ratification and Notification Process  ................................ ................................  9 
1.3   Voluntary Update by Members of Status of Definitive Date Implementation 
(G/TFA/2 , para.  9.2(vi))  ................................ ................................ ................................ ... 10 
2   DEDICATED SESSION ON TRANSIT ISSUES OF LANDLOCKED  COUNTRY 
MEMBERS ( G/TFA/2 , PARA . 9.3(VIII))  ................................ ................................ ..........  11 
3   EXPERIENCE SHARING/THEMATIC DISCUSSIONS  ................................ .....................  12 
3.1   "Improving Small Package E -Trade for SMEs" – Presentation by Cambodia ........................  12 
3.2   "Streamlining Agri -Food Export Control Certification" – Presentation by Tunisia  .................  12 
3.3   Experience Sharing by the United States - "Trade Facilitation Improvements Under 
the NTFC  in El Salvador" - Presentation By El Salvador  ................................ ..........................  12 
4   GOOD PRACTICES THE AND BUILDING BLOCKS OF SUCCESSFUL NTFCS 
(G/TFA/2 , PARA . 9.3(V))  ................................ ................................ ...............................  13 
5   REQUEST BY THE UNITED STATES REGARDING INDONESIA'S CUSTOMS 
PROCEDURES  FOR INTANGI BLE PRODUCTS  ................................ ................................ ... 16 
6   PROMOTING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF WTO TRADE FACILITATION 
AGREEMENT THROUGH DIGI TAL REVOLUTION AND INTELLIGENCE 
TECHNOLOGIES – COMMUNICATION FROM CHINA (G/TFA/W/90)  ................................  19 
7   MC12 IMPLEMENTATION MATTERS  ................................ ................................ ...........  24 
8   THE TRADE FACILITATION AGREEM ENT FACILITY – ITEMS RELATED TO THE 
FRAMEWORK (G/TFA/3)  ................................ ................................ ................................  29 
9   REPORT BY THE UNITED STATES AND T HE LLDC GROUP ON THE INFORMAL 
TRANSIT SESSION  ................................ ................................ ................................ .........  32 
10   OTHER BUSINESS  ................................ ................................ ................................ .... 34 
ANNEX 1  ................................ ................................ ................................ ........................  36 
ANNEX 2  ................................ ................................ ................................ ........................  52 G/TFA/M/ 26 
 
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  ANNEX 3  ................................ ................................ ................................ ........................  53 
 
1  MATTERS RELATING TO THE IMPLEMENTATION AND ADMINISTRATION OF THE TRADE 
FACILITATION AGREEMENT (TFA)  
1.1.  The Chair welcomed delegations and thanked Members for electing him as the Chair of the 
Committee on Trade Facilitation (CTF, the Committee , TF Committee ). He said that it was his 
intention to make the most out of his role as Chair. The Committee already knew him a s a delegate 
of Ecuador to this Committee, who tried to make any possible contribution to the Committee's work. 
The Committee could count on the same proactive attitude in his new role. He was looking forward 
to hearing from delegations in formal meetings,  as well as informal settings. There was a lot of work 
that the Committee could do in between sessions, and he encouraged delegations to take that 
approach . 
1.2.  The agenda for the meeting had been circulated in document  WTO/AIR/TFA/26/Rev.1 .  
1.3.  The Co mmittee agreed  to hold Items 2 (Dedicated Session on Transit Issues of Landlocked 
Country Members ( G/TFA/2 , para. 9.3( viii)) and  3 (Experience sharing/ thematic  discussions)  of the 
agenda in informal mode, to allow for frank and interactive exchanges. The Committee also agreed  
that observers to the meeting could remain throughout these two agenda items . 
1.4.  The Chair added two points  under the agenda item Other Business . First , the dates for the 
Committee's October 2023 meeting and the Committee meetings in 2024, and second,  the invitation 
to the Annex D partners and the Global Alliance for Trade Facilitation to the next Committee meeting.  
1.5.  The agenda was adopted  with the proposed  changes.  
1.1  Notifications from Members  
1.6.  The Chair informed the Committee tha t since the closing of the agenda, two additional 
notifications ha d been circulated  and these notifications would  be taken up at the next meeting of 
the Committee .  
1.7.  The delegate of Switzerland  indicated the following:  
1.8.  First, I would like to congratulate you on your election as Chairperson of this Committee. 
We are looking forward to working with you. Switzerland has submitted a revised notification to the 
Secretariat that was circulated very recently. The notification informs about certain trade facilitating 
measures taken during the COVID -19 pandemic that will s tay in force and provides updated links to 
relevant websites.  
A. Notifications under Article 16 of the Trade Facilitation Agreement  
1.9.  The Chair drew the Committee's attention to the first group of notifications, namely those under 
Article 16 of the Trade Facili tation Agreement (TFA, the Agreement). Since the last meeting of the 
Committee, five notifications had been circulated under this article.  
1.10.  The first notification was from Albania , circulated  in document G/TFA/N/ ALB/3. 
1.11.  The delegate of the European Union  indicated the following:  
1.12.  Congratulations  on your election  as Chair of the Committee . The European Union welcome s 
the notifications made by Albania, Malawi, Paraguay,  and Tanzania  on the provision of te chnical 
assistance and capacity building support . We appreciate the transparency provided by the Members.  
1.13.  The delegate of the United States  indicated the following:   
1.14.  Congratulations , Chair,  on your appointment. We look forward to a great year with you at the 
helm. We thank Albania for providing the additional information on its technical assistance and G/TFA/M/ 26 
 
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  capacity building needs. And we do take note of the progress they  have shared on the devel opment 
of their national single window . 
1.15.  The delegate of Mozambique , on behalf of the LDC Group , indicated the following:  
1.16.  The LDC Group commen ds the LDC Members for their notification s under this agenda item . 
One Member has notified progress in support to their notified provisions, whil st another notified 
mixed results , with some donors stepping in  and other provisions with  no donor. One Member had 
to notify the modification of implementation dates due predominantly to the advent and lingering 
impact of COVID -19 and also due to lack of donors to support their category C provisions. It  is 
extremely difficult for the LDCs if donors are not proactively supporting the  notified category C 
provisions  so that implementation date s can be met. These are notified dates with sufficient 
transparency for donors to come forward to identify category C requirements.  
1.17.  The delegate of Congo , on behalf of the ACP Group , indicated the  following:  
1.18.  The ACP  Group welcomes your appointment to lead this Committee and assures you of its 
cooperation  to move the work of this Committee forward . The Group also welcomes the excellent 
work done by the outgoing Chairman, Ambassador Abdulhamid . The Group  takes note of the number 
of notifications submitted by the ACP Group Members  to this meeting and consequently supports the 
efforts for the implementation of the Trade Facilitation Agreement. The Group  urges all Members to 
show flexibility and to support the requests of those Members  that have asked for an extension of 
the deadline of the implementation period for the Agreement . 
1.19.  The next notification was from Malawi, circulated in document G/TFA/N/MWI/4/R ev.1.  
1.20.  The delegate of the United States  indicated the following:  
1.21.  We wanted to thank Malawi for providing an update on its technical assistance capacity 
building needs and we do take n ote of the areas where donors have not yet been identified.  
1.22.  The Committee took up the notification from Paraguay , circulated in document 
G/TFA/N/ PRY/4 .  
1.23.  The delegate of Paraguay  indicated the following:  
1.24.  First, my delegation would like to take this opportunity to congratulate you on your election 
as Chair. It is truly a source of pride to have a delegati on from GRULAC heading a committee which 
is so important for us.  
1.25.  My delegation would like to share a few brief thoughts about the presentation of this 
notification. First, we wish to mention that  drafting this notification required considerable 
coordination with the National Trade Facilitation Committee  (NTFC) of Paraguay, comprising 27 
public institution s and 14 of the main trade unions and guilds in Paraguay.  
1.26.  The notification has been validated by the NTFC. This involved a n important and  detailed  
evaluation  exercise  which allowed us  to take note of the work done and what remains  outstanding . 
We would  like to thank donors that have helped us to implement the Agreement . Despite the efforts 
made , which we reflected in our notification concerning progress with d onors, we do need further 
assistance for technical and capacity building to move towards the sustainable development of 
certain provisions .  
1.27.  In connection with the provisions on transparency and the publication of information  we have 
developed a number of digital platforms such as the Global Trade Helpdesk  with the help of the 
International Trade Centre  (ITC) and UNCTAD . Similarly,  the T-Fast project  with the US Department 
of Agriculture  through which we are developing the web page of the National Trade Facilitation 
Committee  (NCTF) and other digital tools for tra de intelligence require s constant updating  and 
ongoing training of human resources dealing with these platforms in order to broaden their scope 
and support trade .  G/TFA/M/ 26 
 
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  1.28.  In connection with certain provisions which are still being implemented , we wish to highlight 
the effort made by the national government in achieving full implementation of the Agreement. 
As you can see in the TFA Database  website , the current perce ntage of implementation commitments 
for Paraguay is 9 6.2% for the period between February 2017 and 2024. We would like to reiterate 
that the efforts by the national government in reaching  full implementation of the Agreement are 
going in the right directio n. Paraguay is dealing with 267 internal bottlenecks that have been 
identified thanks to the mapping and systemati zation of  external trade  procedures , of which 47 
relate to opportunities  for improvements in export and imports  of air cargo  in Paraguay . In other 
words, our trade r elations are affected by structural challenges aggravated by the fact that we are 
a landlocked developing country. I will not deal with all the technical details because delegates have 
the information available to t hem in the notification , which is  exhaustive . However,  I would like to 
ask Members  to continue to support us through cooperation initiatives . We hope that this notification 
can help Paraguay to identify possible donors  to continue with the lengthy process of implementation 
which will help us overcome problems such as additional costs and other problems that we have as 
a landlocked country . We remain availabl e to Members to answer any questions or receive any 
comments regarding the notification.  
1.29.  I would lik e to take this opportunity  to issue two invitations . First, to call upon delegations to 
participate in the dedicated sessions on transit  and landlocked developing countries  which will take 
place on 16 June  and during which we will share experiences and challenges in connection with 
transit matters. Secondly, I would like to announce that Paraguay  will host the Preparatory Regional 
Conference for Latin America , to prepare the Third United Nations Conference  on Landlocked 
Developing Countries , which will take place on the 27 and 28  of July 2023. W e will share the results 
of the evaluation  concerning the implementation of this Agreement.  
1.30.  The delegate of the United States  indicated the following:   
1.31.  We thank Paraguay for their intervention and providing all the additional information on 
technical assistance and capacity building that was part of their notification . We appreciate the 
thoroughness of the notification and the work that went into putting it together. That  is quite a few  
different organi zations you had to work with in order to put together s uch a fulsome notification . 
As Paraguay said, we are looking forward to continuing to work with Paraguay  on TFA 
implementation, especially through projects related to publica tion of information, notice and 
comment, tests proce dures, authorized economic operators , express shipments, border agency 
cooperation and NTF Cs. We too are very excited about the progress Paraguay has made in 
implementing the TFA and the success of the Fo od for Progress programme (T-Fast). We look forward 
to more years of working together with Paraguay . 
1.32.  The following notification s were from Tanzania , circulated  in document s 
G/TFA/N /TZA/2/A dd.3 and G/TFA/N/TZA/4 .  
1.33.  The delegate of Japan  indicated the following:   
1.34.  I would  like to  congratulate you  Chair on your appointment , and w e are looking forward to 
working with you . Japan appreciate s Tanzania's notif ication  of the definitive dates for its category C  
commit ments . We note that the deadline for the notification was extended until 22 August 2023  
based on the request from Tanzania. We welcome the fact that Tanzania has completed its 
notification before the deadline that it set out itself for its notification. We would like to encourage 
other LDC members whose deadline for notifying their definitive dates for category C provisions are 
extended and approaching to follow suit and submit  the notification in a timely manner .  
1.35.  The delegate of Tanzania  indicated the following:  
1.36.  Let me join other colleagues in extend ing our congratulation to you , Chair,  on leading this 
Committee . We pledge our commitment  to work hand in hand with you in this endeavour . We want 
also to share with the Members that the United Republic of Tanzania continues  to adhere to its 
commitment to implement the TFA. Therefore , we notified the definitive dates for all 16 category C 
measures, as already alluded  to by our colleagues from Japan. We would like to take this opportunity 
to express our appreciation to Trademark Africa  for having worked hand in hand with the NTFC in 
coordinating stakeholders and deliberat ing on those measures. Trademark Africa is supported by 
development par tners and has continued to support the implementation of NTFCs  work and a number 
of other projects related to trade facilitation in the country . Subsequent to that notification, the G/TFA/M/ 26 
 
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  United Republic of Tanzania has also  notified information on the arrangeme nts and progress made 
in the provision of technical assistance and capacity building support for category C measures , as 
required in paragraph 16 of the TFA. We would like also to express our appreciation to the donor s 
for the demonstrated commitment throu gh ITC and UNCTAD  in supporting our government 's 
endeavour to implement those measures, particularly on publication,  single window , and authori zed 
operators .  
1.37.  The delegate of the United States  indicated the following:  
1.38.  We want to share our appreciation  to Tanzania for the information they provided in the 
notification , for utilizing the extension so well and submitting their definitive category  C 
commitments  within the timeline that they themselves identified. We look forward to continuing to 
work with Tanzania in the future.  
1.39.  The Committee took note of the notifications and of the statements  made .  
B. Notificatio ns under Article 17 of the Trade Facilitation Agreement  
1.40.  The Chair drew the Committee's attention to notifications under Article 17 of the TFA which 
cover the Early Warning Mechanism and the extension of implementation dates for provisions in 
categories B and C. There w as one notification under this item.  
1.41.  The notification was from Angola , circulated  in document G/TFA/N/ AGO/4 . 
1.42.  The delegate of Japan  indicated the following:   
1.43.  Japan appreciates Angola's  efforts to implement the relevant provisions of the TFA. 
We welcome Angola's  timely notification of its need to extend the deadlines.  
1.44.  The delegate of Angola  indicated the following:  
1.45.  Angola reiterates its commitment to apply the TFA and it invokes Article  17 for the  extension 
of implementation  deadlines  for the provisions in categor ies B and C. There  are some challenges and 
lack of some technical assistance and  donors . Once again, Chair, we want to enforce the commitment 
to implement these measures , and in  this sense,  the trade facilitation road map is also being 
developed together with in the UNCTAD TRAINFORTRADE programme . This programme aims to 
enhance the NTFC of Angola that started in 2018 .  
1.46.  The delegate of the European Union  indicated the following:  
1.47.  The European Union welcomes the timely notifications by Angola for extension of the deadline 
to implement commitments on category C provisions and takes note of the specific circumstances 
explained.  
1.48.  The delegate of the United States  indicated the following:  
1.49.  We thank Angola for its timely notification. The United States supports this three-year 
extension request.  
1.50.  The Committee took note  of the notification under Article  17 and the statements made.  
C. Notifications under Article 1 .4, 10 .4.3, 10 .6.2 and 12.2.2 of the Trade Facilitation 
Agreement  
1.51.  The Chair drew the Committee's attention to transparency notifications under Articles 1 .4, 
10.4.3, 10 .6.2 and 12 .2.2 of the TFA. They have the objective of providing transparency, either in 
a broader context – providing information on publication sources – or providing information on the 
specific items, such as a single window operation, the use of c ustoms brokers, and customs 
cooperation.  
1.52.  The first notification was from Armenia in document G/TFA/N/ARM/2/Rev.1 . G/TFA/M/ 26 
 
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  1.53.  The delegate of the United States  indicated the following:  
1.54.  We thank Armenia for updating its customs cooperation point s of contact and we also urge 
Armenia to submit its overdue Article 1.4 and 10.4.3 transparency notifications.  
1.55.  The next notification was from Brunei Darussalam , circulated in document G/TFA/N/ BRN/2 .  
1.56.  The next notification was from Japan in document G/TFA/N/ JPN/2/Rev.2 . 
1.57.  The delegate of Japan  indicated the following:  
1.58.  We revised our previous notification and notified the Committee of the updated version, in 
which all the broken links had been corrected. We understand that transparency notifications are 
important to maintain transparency of information of Members' trade -related measures. We will keep 
the Committee updated through fulfilling our notification obligations under the TFA.  
1.59.  The Committee took up th e notification from Norway in document G/TFA/N/NOR/2/Rev.3 . 
1.60.  The delegate of Norway  indicated the following:  
1.61.  Congratulations , Chair, on your election. Norway's notification replaces earlier notifications in 
accordance with Article 1. 4, 10.4 .3, 10.6 .2, 11.17 and article 12.2.2. It regards updates to the 
transparency information that is required in those articles.  
1.62.  The next notification was from Panama, circulated in document G/TFA/N/ PAN/3 . 
1.63.  The delegate of the United States  indicated the following:  
1.64.  We appreciate the Panama updated information on use of its single window, but we do urge 
them to submit their overdue notification on import, export and transit procedures on Article 1.4 
and provi de that information promptly.  
1.65.  The Committee took up the notification from Tonga in document G/TFA/N/TON/3/Rev.2 . 
1.66.  The delegate of the European Union  indicated the following:  
1.67.  The European Union thanks the Members who notified the ir updates related to import, export 
and transit procedures, single window , customs brokers , and exchange of customs information , 
notably, Armenia;  Brunei Darussalam;  Japan;  Norway;  Panama;  and Tonga. The European Union 
has also notified updates and transp arency notifications pursuant to Articles 1.4, 10.4.3, 10.6.2 and 
12.2.2 of the Agreement at EU Member State level . This notification updates the notification of 
5 May 2021. The  European Union recalls the importance of such information, particularly on 
legislation applied, fees and charges, brokers , and contact points for customs cooperation.  
1.68.  The delegate of the United States  indicated the following:  
1.69.  We thank the previous speakers for their notifications and their updates, including 
Brunei  Darussalam ; Japan ; Norway ; and Tonga for their work in updating their links.  
1.70.  The delegate of Australia  indicated the following:  
1.71.  Chair, let me join with others in congratulating you on your election, and we will look forward 
very much to working closely wi th you. I  would  like to thank those Members who have notified today, 
but particularly Tonga for its notification that includes comprehensive contact details and links to its 
provisions under the various articles . We appreciate Tonga as a close regional par tner meeting its 
transparency obligations.  
1.72.  The delegate of Zimbabwe  indicated the following:  
1.73.  We also join the others in congratulating you on this position . Zimbabwe will be very happy 
to work with you. We have just received notifications from capital,  but they were late in terms of G/TFA/M/ 26 
 
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  meeting the agenda for this meeting. We will be submitting a notification under Articles  1.4, 10.4.3, 
10.6.2 and 12.2.2, as well as our notification in terms of categories C where the two programmes 
that we were doing together with the donors operationalizing a risk management unit and post 
clearance audit have now been fully implemented . We would like to thank the donors that have 
assisted Zimbabwe an d we will continue to work in the other areas.  
1.74.  The Committee took note of the notifications and of the statements made.  
D. Notifications under Article 22 of the Trade Facilitation Agreement  
1.75.  The Chair drew the Committee's attention to the last cluster of notifications which had been 
made under Article 22.  
1.76.  The first notification s were from Australia  and circulated in document s G/TFA/N/AUS/6  and 
G/TFA/N/AUS/7 . 
1.77.  The delegate of Australia  indicated the following:  
1.78.  I want to provide some further context around Australia's recent update of our previous 
notification from 2021 , basically an update of our disbursements on trade facilitation, technical 
assistance and capacity building over the l ast two financial years . Members will note that we have 
got a range of a range of different programmes and a range of disbursements to our Annex D 
partners, but also to our regional infrastructure, particularly around ASEAN  and PACER Plus , which 
is specific to the Pacific region regional trade agreement.  
1.79.  The delegate of the European Union  indicated the following:  
1.80.  The European Union  has updated its notification under Article 22  (G/TFA/N/EU/2/Add.4 ) 
1.81.  The original notification  was initially made on the 16  December 2021 and subsequently 
corrected  to inform Members of the assistance provided by the European Union 
(G/TFA/N/EU/2/Add. 3/Corr.1 ). The notification contains an update on assistance provided at the EU 
level by country and by region, as well as bilateral aid from individual EU member States from 2019 
onwards.  
1.82.  The European Union would also l ike to use the opportunity to thank the donor members 
assisting developing Members and least developed Members, as well as the developing Members for 
the notifications in line with article 22.  
1.83.  The next notification was from Nepal , circulated  in document G/TFA/N/ NPL/3/Rev.1 .  
1.84.  The next notification was from Tonga, circulated in document G/TFA/N/TON/2/Rev.3 .  
1.85.  The delegate of Australia  indicated the following:  
1.86.  I want to thank our regional partner, Tonga for its updated contact information.  
1.87.  The Committee turned to the notification from the United States in document G/TFA/N/USA/7 . 
1.88.  The delegate of the United States  indicated the following:  
1.89.  I would like to t ake this opportunity to provide some additional information related to our 
notification in fiscal year 2020  that the US government provided USD  352 million of trade capacity 
building assistance. Approximately 75 million was committed and disbursed in calen dar year 2021 
to support our capacity building initiatives on post clearance audits and risk analysis, advanced 
rulings and border agency coordination, private sector engagement, public consultations, 
administrative procedures and trade promotion and third -party beneficiary countries around the 
world.  
1.90.  Let me touch on some examples from around the world. In Georgia, USAID 's Economic 
Governance Programme has been closely collaborating w ith Georgia's Revenue Service on tax and G/TFA/M/ 26 
 
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  customs reforms. In the area of trade facilitation, the programme issued small grants to the EU 
Georgia Business Council and European Business Association  (EBA) to work with the National Trade 
Facilitation Committee established at the revenue service. The NTFC is comprised of private sector 
associations, uniting businesses engaged in transit, import and export operations. This group will 
work on strengthening the capacity of the NTFC to promote the Authorized Economic Operators 
(AEOs) programme through relevant businesses. AEO status grants businesses simplified customs 
procedures, few goods inspections and priority status at customs checkpoints. Overall cross -border 
good movement is simpler and quicker for businesses with AEO status. The EBA will work on 
strengthening the capacity of the NTFC to design and carry out campaigns to increase business 
awareness of rules of origin, which should increase  exports to new markets, leading to more 
domestic production and jobs.  
1.91.  Another example of USAID 's work is in the Kyrgyz Republic, where USAID  is helping the 
government's efforts in using digital navigation seals to track goods movements at the 
Kyrgyz -Kazakh border. Kyrgyz truckers encounter multiple cargo inspections and other control 
measures at the border with Kazakhstan, thereby increasing the time and cost of trade between the 
two nations. The Kyrgyz government hopes to overcome this barrier to trade by piloting the use of 
navigation seals. These seals use digital technology to confirm the legality of goods an d to track 
their movement across borders, thereby reducing illegal imports and corruption activities. 
The Kyrgyz government hopes that if the pilot is successful and the use of navigation seals is widely 
adopted, they can help to streamline border procedur es and ensure uninterrupted movement of 
goods.  
1.92.  In September of 2022, USAID 's Trade Central Asia activity, in partnership with the Association 
of International Road Transport Operators of the Kyrgyz Republic , trained 170 national tax service 
officers on how to code and decode navigation seals. Subsequently, the state tax service under the 
Ministry of Finance of the Kyrgyz Republic discovered illegal imports worth about USD  230,000. 
To date, 411 pilot navigation seals have been successfully utilized and there's an identified need to 
implement a permanent transportation tracking system using such seals. The result will  be that the 
Kyrgyz government's efforts in introducing navigation seals will substantially improve the tracking 
and monitoring of goods, making the national transport and logistics sector more efficient and 
transparent.  
1.93.  In Viet Nam, USAID 's Trade Facilitation Programme has worked to address burdensome 
import export procedures that are a significant barrier to trade. Specialized inspections and import 
and export procedures that ensure  goods meet required quality standards are particularly time 
consuming because specialized inspections involve multiple ministries, causing major delays to 
border clearance time. These delays cost traders time and money, hurting small and medium 
enterprise s particularly. The USAID Trade Facilitation Programme has supported the government of 
Viet Nam to simplify customs procedures, minimizing the need for multiple specialized inspections. 
The aim of the programme has been to support Viet Nam to develop a mor e attractive trade and 
investment climate for enterprises, traders, and investors.  
1.94.  In Central America, USAID 's Central American Re gional Trade Facilitation and Border 
Management Activity  has been a five -year initiative that supports the implementation of key 
elements of the WTO's TFA and the Central America's trade facilitation and competitiveness s trategy. 
These activities have been divided into two components. The first component works to enhance 
regional integration, help reduce the costs of trade by optimizing border control systems and 
infrastructure and supports the customs union. The second co mponent supports the implementation 
of the WTO TFA, strengthens the National Trade Facilitation Committees, as well as the authorized 
economic operator programmes in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. To advance activities 
under these components, the pr oject has worked with both national and regional institutions such 
as Customs and ministries of economy, health and agriculture in El Salvador ; Guatemala ; and 
Honduras, as well as with the Central American Secretariat f or Economic Integration  (SIECA). 
Furthermore, the project has engaged closely with the private sector as transparency and dialogue 
between the public and private sectors is critical to achieving buy -in and targeted resul ts. All these 
activities aim to support USAID 's overall efforts to facilitate economic growth and stability in the 
three countries, and as a result create job opportunities and generate hope in the region and reduce 
irregular migration.  G/TFA/M/ 26 
 
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  1.95.  And last but certa inly not least, USAID  continues to support global initiatives to support 
implementation of the TFA through its ongoing support for the Global Alliance for Trade Facilitation , 
as well as the  World Bank's Trade Facilitation Support Programme .  
1.96.  The Committee took note  of the notifications and of the statements made.  
1.2  Status of Ratification and Notification Process  
i. Update by the WTO Secretariat  
1.97.  The representative of the WTO Secretariat  presented an update since the Committee meeting 
held on 21-22 March 2023 . The presentation is attached as Annex 1 to this document  and is also 
available at https://www.tfadatabase.org .  
1.98.  A new functionality of the TFA Database  website was announced, whereby Members could  
subscribe to receive automatic reminders of their upcoming implementation dates  by email . This 
feature had been added as a response to Members’ requests . It allowed Members to receive alerts 
on their e -mail whe n an implementation date was due in six m onths, and it would alert Members to 
the timelines they should bear in mind when triggering a notification under article 17 (Early Warning 
Mechanism).  
1.99.  To subscribe, Members should go to the "Member Profile " page an d select the Member for 
which reminders are requested. From there, Members should direct themselves to the 
implementation schedule , where a red icon had been added to highlight the link to subscribe for the 
desired reminders  at the bottom of the list . After clicking on the list, Members should complete the 
form and click on send. An e-mail would be sent to  confirm the subscription, which would be done 
by clicking on the link.  This would complete the subscription process. It was important for the user 
to che ck their spam folder, when the confirmation e -mail has not been received.  It was possible to 
subscribe to receive reminders regarding other  Members . The functionality would not appear on the 
profile of Members  with all implementation dates in the past  or for those with implementation dates  
due in less than six months . 
1.100.   Members were encourage d to subscribe to this new functionality and provide any feedback 
for improvement. The Secretariat would b e available to address any questions.   
1.101.   The Chair recalled that this presentation, as well as those from past meetings, were available 
on the TFA Database  website. He encouraged Members to test  the new functionality and reach out 
to the Secretariat if any details of interest to them had not been addressed during the meeting. 
He highlighted the feature regarding the alerts for deadlines related to the application of Article 17, 
which he had identified was of interest to Members.  
1.102.   The delegate of the United States  indicated the following:  
1.103.   First, let me thank the Secr etariat  for on ce again a great presentation o f information, very 
digestible. Maybe the Secretariat could consider having a booth at the next Ministerial  Conference  
to get people to sign up for the alerts because you  will have so many people from capital. It  is an 
opport unity for both the private sector and capital -based officials to know the work that  is going on 
and that they can sign up for. I know you send out alerts for anything that changes on the database  
so it would  be helpful  for a lot of others . You have invente d these tools  and the wider  they go , the 
more inclusive it becomes, the greater the reach , and the more responsive we are to our citizens 
and our government s.  
1.104.   Based on the information that you just provided , in our review of the notifications we just 
wanted to reiterate that we really consider transparency critical to enable  traders to really 
understand what customs formalities are required and providing certainty at the border, which is 
why we put so much  emphasis on the transparency notifications . By our calculations, 33 Members 
have self-identified  a definitive implementation deadline prior to this meeting for one of the four TFA 
transparency provisions and  have yet to submit the necessary information to the WTO Secretariat.  
1.105.   Each of these Members ha ve identified one or more of the TFA Articles, 1.4 , 10.4.3 , 10.6.2 , 
and 12.2 as either category A , B or category C with a definitive date that has already passed. G/TFA/M/ 26 
 
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  The definitive dates are binding as they become a central part of the TFA itself, and we urge  Members 
to submit the required information as soon as possible to fulfil these TFA commitments , in particular , 
Afghanistan ; Armenia ; Bahrain ; Benin ; Bolivia ; Burkina Faso ; Burundi ; Cabo Verde ; Cameroon ; 
Central African Republic ; Chad; Dominica ; Djibouti ; Fiji; Ghana ; Grenada ; Guatemala ; Guinea ; 
Guyana ; Jordan ; Kuwait ; Liberia ; Mozambique ; Panama ; Papua New Guinea ; Paraguay ; Philippines ; 
Qatar ; Seychelles ; Sierra Leone ; Solomon Islands ; Uganda ; Vanuatu and Zimbabwe.  
1.106.   The delegate of the European Union  indicated the following:  
1.107.   The European Union would like to thank the Secretariat for their comprehensive updated 
report, this is extremely useful.  
1.108.   The Committee took note  of the information and the statements made.   
ii. Updates by Members on Overdue Section I and Section II notifications ( G/TFA/2 , 
para. 9.3( ii)) 
1.109.   The Chair recalled that according to the update provided by the Secretariat, there were  
72 overdue transparency notifications and 21 overdue implementation notifications.  The Secretariat 
was always availabl e to provide information and assistance regarding  the notification process.  
1.3  Voluntary Update by Members of Status of Definitive Date Implementation ( G/TFA/2 , 
para. 9.2(vi))  
i. Review of the effectiveness of G/TFA/INF/1/R ev.2 (G/TFA/2 , para. 9 .2(iv)) 
1.110.   The Chair recalled that document G/TFA/INF/1  had been  created as a useful tool to help 
Members keep track of their implementation dates falling due over the following two years. It was 
revised on a rolling basis at the start of every year.   
1.111.   The Comm ittee had agreed to review the effectiveness of the document G/TFA/I NF/1, and 
"as appropriate, improve the list and the methods for circulating it by reflecting feedback from 
Members, in order to promote better self -management by Members of their own implementation 
status and allow adequate monitoring by the Committee".  
1.112.   The airgram for the meeting ha d an incorrect reference to the previous version 
G/TFA/INF/1/Rev.1 . The current version of the document which covers 2023 and 2024 is 
G/TFA/INF/1/Rev.2 . 
1.113.   The delegate of Japan  indicated the following:  
1.114.   We consider it important for Members to keep track of their deadlines, and fo r the Committee 
to follow up on the implementation dates.  We appreciate the Secretariat 's help to compile the 
essential information and to keep it updated. We would like to encourage Members to utilize the 
document G/TFA/INF/1/Rev.2  to manag e their own implementation dates. In this regard, we 
appreciate that Angola has requested the extension of deadlines in a timely manner.  I would also 
like to thank the Secretariat  for your hard work, for your presentation and especially for the reminder 
that I think is very helpful.  
1.115.   The delegate of Argentina  indicated the following:  
1.116.   I take this opportunity to congratulate you on your election , Chair, and I would  like to thank 
the Secretariat for drafting and distributing this document which we feel is very useful for Members. 
I also take this opportunity to express my thanks for the introduction to the new alert system that 
was presented by the Secretariat. We ex pect to have a look at this more closely and to give you 
feedback if we deem that necessary.  G/TFA/M/ 26 
 
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  ii. Voluntary update by Members of the status of their definitive date implementation 
(G/TFA/2 , para. 9.2(vi))  
1.117.   The second issue under this item regards voluntary updates by Me mbers of the status of 
their definitive date implementation.  
1.118.   There were no interventions under this agenda item.  
1.119.   This concluded  agenda item 1.  
2  DEDICATED SESSION ON TRANSIT ISSUES OF LANDLOCKED  COUNTRY MEMBERS 
(G/TFA/2 , PARA . 9.3(VIII) ) 
2.1.  This item was conducted in informal mode .  
2.2.  The Chair indicated the following:  
2.3.  Members will recall that under the review of the TFA, in a communication in document 
G/TFA/W/53 , the Group of Landlocked Developing Countries provided specific information regarding 
the status of implementation of the Agreement in their countries. The document highlighted that 
considering the importance of international trade to LLDCs, addressing their trade related challenges 
and building their trade capacities was vital for their integration into the global supply cha in.  
2.4.  At a meeting of the Committee on Trade Facilitation in November 2021, the LLDC Group made 
a proposal to hold an annual dedicated session on transit under the conclusion of the next TFA 
review. This was agreed by the Committee and included in the revie w report.  
2.5.  The intention is to take this dedicated time for the Committee to highlight the importance of 
transit and to work to identify means of addressing the constraints and challenges being faced by 
landlocked developing countries.  
2.6.  Today, the rate of i mplementation commitments of LLDCs stands at 60% compared to global 
rate of 76% and the rate of 69% for developing and least developed  country members. This shows 
very clearly that there is much work to be done to reduce the lag in implementation of the TF A in 
LLDCs.  
2.7.  The programme  for the session  consisted of two items:  
i. Disaster Preparedness: A View from the Border on Land-locked Developing Countries  – 
Request by the United States .1 
2.8.  On 21 March 2023, the US  organized a panel discussion to share experiences and highlight the 
challenges that WTO Members, aid agencies, and non -governmental organizations face in moving 
humanitarian aid and relief supplies across international borders during times of disaster, wh atever 
form it may take. The intent of the panel discussion was to identify future work the TFC could 
undertake to streamline and expedite humanitarian shipments.   
2.9.  This follow -up panel discussion examine d the specific challenges LLDCs, aid agencies, and 
non-governmental  organizations face in moving humanitarian aid and relief supplies across 
international borders during times of disaster.  
ii. Land-locked Developing Countries  - Overcoming Challenges in Trade and Transit 
Operations  – Request by LLDCs .2 
2.10.  The WTO group of landlocked developing country Members, in cooperation with the TFAF, 
organized a workshop on 13 to 14 June 2023 to bring together landlocked developing and transit 
country Members to identify key transit issues and possible solutions to pr epare for the second WTO 
Trade Facilitation Committee dedicated session on transit under the theme "Overcoming Challenges 
 
1 See Annex 2 for programme . 
2 See Annex 3 for programme . G/TFA/M/ 26 
 
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  in Trade and Transit Operations".  The workshop also included an overview of support programmes 
for LLDCs from international organizati ons.  
2.11.  The specific topics covered during the workshop included transit coordination, corridors, 
guarantees, tracking and formalities.  
2.12.  Presentations  are available on the TFA Database  website (https://www.tfadatabase.org/ ).  
2.13.  See agenda item 9  for reports on the session to the Committee from t he United States and 
Botswana as Coordinator of the LLDC  Group.  
2.14.  This concluded  agenda item 2.  
3  EXPERIENCE SHARING/THEMATIC DISCUSSIONS  
3.1.  This segment of the meeting was conducted in informal mode, with the understanding that 
information Members were willing to share would be made available on a dedicated website 
(https://tfadatabase.org ) with related links also being included in the minutes of the meeting. If a 
delegation requested it, their intervention would also be recorded in the minutes of the meeting.  
3.2.  Members addressed the following issues:  
3.1  "Improving Small Package E -Trade for  SMEs" – Presentation by Cambodia  
3.3.  Information on Cambodia's presentation can be found under the following link: Improving small 
package e -Trade for SMEs  
3.2  "Streamlining Agri -Food Export Control Certification" – Presentation by Tunisia  
3.4.  Information on Tunisia's presentation can be found under the following link: Streamlining agri -
food export control cer tification  
3.3  Experience Sharing by the United Sta tes - "Trade Facilitation Improvements Under 
the NTFC in El Salvador" - Presentation By El Salvador  
3.5.  Information on El Salvador's presentation can be found under the following link:  Trade 
Facilitation improvements under the NTFC in El Salvador (in Spanish)  
3.6.  The Chair indicated the following:  
3.7.  Before leaving this item, I have a number of thoughts that I would like to put out there for 
consideration by Members.  
3.8.  I think it is correct to say that these experience -sharing sessions have become one of the pillars 
of the committee's work since 2018.  Over the past five years, approximately 50 Members have made 
up to 130 presentations. In addition, presentations have been made by international organizations, 
regional organizations, regional and economic communities, and deve lopment partners.  
3.9.  These presentations constitute a very rich and valuable resource of information, of real -life, 
practical experiences of implementing provisions of the TFA.  
3.10.  The lessons learnt that have been shared with the Committee provide an opportunit y for other 
Members to incorporate some of those lessons into their own implementation processes, perhaps 
helping them to address similar challenges and speed up implementation of the TFA.  
3.11.  However, I believe that the Committee could make better use of both  the sessions themselves 
and of the  information shared. I see two possible actions that the Committee could consider:  
• better structure the design of the session with a view to making the experience -sharing more 
targeted, for example, by identifying specifi c themes to be covered on an annual basis;   G/TFA/M/ 26 
 
- 13 - 
 
  • consider possible steps towards achieving more tangible outputs to capitalize on the 
experience -sharing exercise.  
 
3.12.  In the upcoming weeks, I will organize informal discussions to allow for further exchanges, 
with the view to identifying concrete next steps. In the meantime, if any Member has any specific 
interest or comments, please reach out to me at any time.  
3.13.  This concluded  agenda item 3.  
4  GOOD PRACTICES THE AND BUILDING BLOCKS OF SUCCESSFUL NTFCS ( G/TFA/2 , 
PARA . 9.3(V)) 
4.1.  The Chair recalled that the drafting of a document containing good practices and building blocks 
of successful National Trade Facilitation Committee  (NTFCs) was a decision arising from the  first 
four-year review of the  TFA ( G/TFA/2 , para . 9.3(v)).  
4.2.  The paper Good  Practices and Building Blocks of Successful NTFCs had originated from the 
four-year TFA review exercise that had been  carried out in 2021. Among a total of 13 proposals 
submitted by Members during that exercise , there had been  a joint proposal by the United States 
and Türkiye for a consensus document that contain ed good practices and building blocks of 
successful NTFCs.   
4.3.  The Committee had adopted the proposal and the four-year review report ( G/TFA/2) 
paragraph  9.3(v) describes the decision as follows: "The Committee decides to draft a document 
that contains good practices and building blocks of successful NTFCs, and identifies a minim um of 
three concrete elements on which all Members agree and which are essential for implementing a 
successful NTFC: full government agency participation, clear leadership with political imperatives, 
and strong links to the private sector. " 
4.4.  As a first step  in the exercise, the United States undertook to prepare a first draft of the NTFC 
document  which was c irculated in document G/TFA/W/91 .  
4.5.  The Committee  held a first exchange of views on  document  G/TFA/W/91  at its 21 March 2023 
meeting and at the conclusion of the exchanges, the Chair proposed that the Committee continue 
to work on the document.  
4.6.  In accordance with the Committee's decision from 2021, and as repeated by the United States, 
the NTFC document was intended to be a Committee on Trade Faci litation  consensus document . The 
NTFC document was non-binding. Its purpose was to draw on the experiences shared by over 20 
Members of their own NTFCs, plus presentations and papers about NTFCs submitted by international 
organizations , and identify good p ractices and building blocks of successful NTFCs.  
4.7.  The delegate  of the United States  indicated the following:  
4.8.  Thank you, Chair for a great summary and for reminding us all how we got here and what is 
before us . It was a great segue  from your intervention a bout what are the next steps with experience 
sharing . How do we  capture th e experience sharing  and the lessons learned , and how to memoriali ze 
it in moving forward as the Committee delegates change  and we move on ? Is there a way to preserve 
that? When you go back and look at the  Committee's experience sharing , so much of it was done by 
developing countries and LDCs and it  is a great example of that cross-sharing  and learning , and not 
a North-South but a S outh-South discussion . I will remind Members too that since 2017 , Members 
and international organi zations have submitted over 25 presentation s and papers about NTFCs , and 
following the review of all these source materials  we shared a paper on what we considered the 
cross-cutting principles , shared by most of those NTF C's, and we circulated that as document 
G/TFA/W/91  back in March.  
4.9.  I just wanted to remind delegates that the principles highlighted were almost universal among 
all the experience sharing ; that you need high-level political support, wide participation and 
representation of all agencies , and robust private sector involvement  and avenues for  input. 
The other key principles we heard highlighted were communication and information sharing between 
government of ficials and the private sector, which includes not only companies but NGOs and G/TFA/M/ 26 
 
- 14 - 
 
  development partners, clear goals and priorities , and finally, a way to track, monitor and designate 
responsibilities among the NTFC coordination.  
4.10.  Those were the six  principles that we have taken  away from all these source materials and 
discussion s. We asked the Committee to consider endorsing these six key principles as shared 
practises of NTFCs. We are  not looking for any presidential or binding  effect. We see this as a step 
forward of being able to  make some conclusions from the experience sharing and  memoriali zing 
them, drawing a road map for our development partners as they continue to support NTFCs that 
these are the principles that should guide that development. We look for ward to hearing from other 
Members and look forward to a committee decision on  this.  
4.11.  The delegate of the European Union  indicated the following:  
4.12.  The European Union would like to thank the United States for its communication on good 
practises and the building blocks of successful NTFCs. From a customs viewpoint as well as from a 
general assessment of the US recommendations, the European Union supports this communication 
and therefore can endorse the six principles as shared practises of NTFCs.  
4.13.  The delegate of the United Kingdom  indicated the following:  
4.14.  Please  allow me to congratulate you , Chair,  on your appointment . We look forward to working 
with you . The UK remains supportive of an NTFC best practi ce document which serves to support 
and assist Members in implementing, reviewing,  or improving their own NTFCs. The UK, along with 
other  Members and organi zations , has highlighted t he importance of secretariats, which links well 
with principle  six, tracking monitoring and responsibility. We would also support this document being 
iterative for it to be updated following any future Member -led presentation s about NTFCs . This would 
allow Members who have not yet shared their valuable experiences with the Committee to bring 
forward additional best practi ce in this area. We think further input from LDCs would be particularly 
valuable and worth including.  
4.15.  The delegate of Japan  indicated the  following:  
4.16.  Japan re cognizes that NT FCs play an important role in domestic coordination and 
implementation of the TFA . We consider that the principles proposed by the United States are key 
for a successful NTFC and will help Members facilitate the impleme ntation of the TFA. We  therefore 
appreciate the proposal and the initiative by the United States.  
4.17.  The delegate of Chinese Taipei  indicated the following:  
4.18.  First, I want to congratulate you , Chair,  on your new appointment . I hope that we can work 
very closely together  in the future . We would like to thank the United States for their wonderful work 
on this document G/TFA/ W/91. The six principles and shared practi ces of successful N TFCs outlined 
in this communication are pragmati c and useful  and include many valuable elements to realise the 
objective of Article 23.2, which requires  the NTFC to facilitate both domestic coordination and 
implementation of Members . We welcome the coherent principles revealed in this proposal to take 
us to the next step and look forward to more discussion with Members on their practical suggestion s. 
4.19.  The delegate of Australia  indicated the following:  
4.20.  I would  also like to thank the US for their dra ft. We  have shared it with line agencies back in 
capital  and we look at it very favourably. I  have instructions to announce co-sponsorship of the 
paper, but given the previous discussion , the contextual discussion , I am not sure whether the 
concept of co-sponsorship is correct , but we  are very supportive of the  directions and we look forward 
to working with Members on any text  or refinements as appropriate and taking it forward.  
4.21.  The delegate of Canada  indicated the following:  
4.22.  Thank  you, Chair for providing that context at the outset. I think it  is important th at we recall 
where this document comes from. I think it  is also important that we recall that three  of the six 
principles  were already identified in the TFA first  four-year review. That was a good start . I appreciate 
the US pulling this paper together. I t hink it  is a great contribution to the Committee 's work and G/TFA/M/ 26 
 
- 15 - 
 
  based on the conversation here today, I do  not think it will take us too long  to get to a Committee 
document that we can endorse . 
4.23.  Just for reference, the Market Access Committee recently did a document with lessons learned 
around COVID -19 experience sharing. This exercise  is not an uncommon practice  for Committees to 
come up with and agree to. In terms of the six principles that are in the document b efore us , they 
make sense to me as well. I agree with the comment from the UK about making it iterative. It will 
be important to hear from other voices, especially LDCs . I would also like to refer to the large amount 
of work that UNCTAD  has done around  NTFCs, and I think they have some documents that Members 
may want to look at going forward . Perhaps a suggestion to you  Chair,  is to ask the Secretar iat to 
take the US paragraphs around what we  are talking about here in terms of the principles and  put 
together a draft that we can work from,  and that Members can then provide written comments if 
any. This could then  be potentially agreed upon at the next meeting in the fall by the Committee.  
4.24.  The delegate of India indicated the following:  
4.25.  Like my other colleagues, I would like to congratulate  you, Chair,  on your election to this post 
and as mentioned in your communication, while we count on you, you can always count on us.  
4.26.  We would like to thank the United States for enunciating high level principle s for NTFCs, which 
are very important bodies  for domestic coordination . We have relayed this document to the capital , 
and we  are waiting to hear from the m. Having said that, some more clarification and information 
may also be required to discuss this issue further. For example, one of the principles  is that  there 
should be a mechanism and methodology to track and monitor the progress. What exactly is 
envisaged here? Otherwise , countries have their own tracking and monitoring mechanism . Similarly , 
there  are few other things like  what is a successful NTFCs and what criteria is being considered . 
However, we are  looking at it and we are waiting for the capital response to give our formal 
comments on the paper.  
4.27.  The delegate of Switzerland  indicated the following:  
4.28.  Thank you, Chair for providing backgroun d to this agenda item. That was certainly helpful 
also for us. We would like to thank the US for their paper , and we appreciate the efforts put into this 
to provide a follow -up to experience  sharing. A s Switzerland does not have specific comments for 
today 's meeting, we were wondering whether there would be another opportunity for Members to 
provide comments , in small groups or in an informal meeting. In any case, we are looking forward 
to engaging  with the US and other interested Members.  
4.29.  The delegate of Singapore  indicated the following:  
4.30.  I would like to join others in welcoming you , Chair,  and affirming  your leadership over the 
Committee . Rest assured that you have our full support on your Chairmanship. Singapore would like 
to join the previous speakers in thanking you for your  summary which provided good context  for the 
discussions. We note that there  are several interests in taking the work forward, and we thank the 
US for its proposal , and we are broadly supportive of the principles . We take special interest in the 
remarks that ha ve been made by the United Kingdom and we would be supportive of the suggested 
approach from Canada.  
4.31.  The delegate of Congo,  on behalf of the ACP Group , indicated the following:  
4.32.  The ACP Group takes note of this document introduced by the United States  and looks forward 
to discussing it further.  
4.33.  The Committee took note  of the information and the statement s made.  
4.34.  That concluded  agenda item 4. G/TFA/M/ 26 
 
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  5  REQUEST BY THE UNITED STATES REGARDING INDONESIA'S CUSTOMS PROCEDURES 
FOR INTANGIBLE PRODUCTS  
5.1.  The Chair recalled that i tem 5 was a request by the United States regarding Indonesia's 
customs procedures for intangible products.  
5.2.  The delegate of  the United States  indicated the following:  
5.3.  The United States is very concerned with Indonesian Regulation No. 190/PMK.04/2022 dated 
14 December 2022 entitled "The Transfer of Self -Consumed Goods". The US government  has 
received hundreds of complaints from US private sector companies about this regulation and have 
been involved in innumerable meetings to discuss th e regulation and the concerns about 
implementation, how to comply , and the potential liability for the inability to comply since there is a 
lack of understanding about how exactly to comply.  
5.4.  The regulation attempts to make intangible goods  – and this is ju st data  - subject to a customs 
operation, including through procedural requirements, under Chapter 99 of the Indonesian tariff 
schedule. The regulation states it will be enforced through customs audit procedures. On 
20 March  2023, we circulated written que stions to Indonesia (G/TFA/Q/ IDN/1 ) and have not yet 
received a reply. We note that Indonesia notified Article 7.5 customs audit as a category A  provision  
so we would therefore be interested in how Indonesia will be using customs audit to enforce this 
regulation. We are interested in reviewing Indonesia's customs audit procedures  and also  their 
document retention laws and requirements.  
5.5.  With regard to  article 2 of the TFA, we would also request information about how Indonesia 
consulted with the traders and public about this new regulation. Remember this new regulation is 
equally applicable to anybody with a smartphone as they are to anybody in a company , and we know 
that there are over 210 million smartphones in Indonesia. We would be interested in exactly how 
that consultation took place .  
5.6.  We would like to know if there was a notice and comment period provided where consultations 
held with interested parties  with software developers, app developers, IT companies, users, 
consumers of minimum 210 million. We appreciate any understanding of what efforts were 
undertaken and how those discussions went.  
5.7.  We have submitted a number of questions also in regard to TFA  article 3.2 on penalty disciplines  
and Article 10.1.1 on formalities and documentation requirements because we think  they are all  
pertinent to the discussion of this regulation . We know we  have put forward a number of questions 
and it will take time for responses , but we do hope that our intense focus on this topic and our many 
questions on how we  are reviewing it and looking at it reflects the great upheaval this regulation 
has created with our stakeholders. I repeat again that I request this because of t he enormous impact 
this regulation is already having by being on the books and being enforceable  and that it will have 
on millions of people. We request that Indonesia voluntarily  not enforce this regulation and suspend  
it at this time until Indonesia can answer some of the many questions around this regulation.  
5.8.  The delegate of the European Union  indicated the following:  
5.9.  The European Union would also like to thank the United States for bringing this issue to the 
attention of this Committee . Imposing new customs procedure s and reporting requirements will put 
an additional burden on users of digital services. Additional cust oms pro cedure s for electronic 
transactions have a negative impact on development of digital trade and the digital economy as they 
introduce uncertainties and additional costs.  
5.10.  It creates a negative signal for foreign investors in the digital economy. More over, the 
regulation contradicts the spirit of the WTO moratorium on customs duties on electronic transmission  
and goes against the efforts of the WTO membership to facilitate digital trade, including the Joint 
Initiative on Electronic Commerce and the WTO  Agreement on Trade Facilitation.  
5.11.  From a technical point of view, the regulation lacks clarity and basic definitions, including the 
exact scope of digital goods. It also lacks clarity in determining the country of origin or valuation. G/TFA/M/ 26 
 
- 17 - 
 
  We would welcome mor e information about the rationale behind this regulation and on how it would 
be implemented.  
5.12.  The delegate of Australia  indicated the following:  
5.13.  Australia joins other delegations in expressing our concern at Indonesia's application of the 
regulation as it  relates to intangible goods. The last two decades have seen exponential growth in 
data crossing borders, including via emails, video calls, digital movies , and other transfers.  
5.14.  Indonesia has capitalized on this boom in digital technology and e -commerce, with exceptional 
Indonesian companies  trading across multiple jurisdictions. With the introduction of this regulation, 
Indonesia becomes the only WTO Member requiring a customs procedure for intangible goods.  
5.15.  Australia is concerned that these additional p rocedures are inconsistent with efforts, including 
in this body, to streamline and reduce the burden of important import procedures. These additional 
burdens have the potential to negatively impact digital trade with increased costs for exporters and 
custo mers of intangible goods. We would welcome  further details on how Indonesia is applying and 
intends to apply this regulation , and the intention behind the introduction of these additional 
procedures. Australia is also interested to hear how Indonesia is en gaging with industry stakeholders 
on the regulation and responses from industry to its introduction.  
5.16.  The delegate of Switzerland  indicated the following:  
5.17.  Switzerland thanks the United States for putting this issue on the agenda of this Committee 
and for s ubmitting questions. Switzerland would like to express its continued concern with measures 
taken by Indonesia. We look forward to understanding better the current practise and future plans 
of the Indonesian authorities and their interactions with applicable WTO rules.  
5.18.  The delegate of the United Kingdom  indicated the following:  
5.19.  The United Kingdom shares the concerns of the United States and other Members regarding 
Indonesia's regulation. We welcome requests for greater detail on t his matter, referencing the impact 
of the regulation on the key components of the TFA highlighted in the written questions from the 
United States.  
5.20.  The delegate of Chinese Taipei  indicated the following:  
5.21.  We would like to once again share the United States ' concerns with regard to the matter and 
wish to raise the same points of principle. In addition to echoing the concerns raised by previous 
Members, we would  also like to raise the following questions . We would like to know how Indonesian 
customs  regulates t rade intangibles , and in particular , how it operates under the framework of the 
Trade Facilitation Agreement , as well as its consistency with related agreements of the WTO.  
5.22.  We are curious about the scope of customs supervision and authorization for transa ction of 
intangibles. Who are the importers that are considered to be engaged in this type of transaction and 
are obliged to report to the customs? We would also like to know more about how the Indonesia 
Customs implements auditing procedures to enforce th is regulation. We welcome hearing 
Indonesia's further clarification and response.  
5.23.  The delegate of Canada  indicated the following:  
5.24.  I would like to thank the US for raising this again here and express that we also have been 
having an engagement bilaterally with Indonesia on the issue. It is of great concern within Canada 
and we  are happy to see a number of other countries support the questions that are being asked of 
Indonesia as they are also of concern to Canada.  
5.25.  The delegate of Japan  indicated the following:  
5.26.  Japan thanks the United States for raising this issue again in this Committee. We share the 
concrete concerns and questions raised by the United States, such as the legal basis for considering 
the data as goods and applying Chapt er 99 of the Indonesian tariff schedule , and if and how the G/TFA/M/ 26 
 
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  data users are considered as importers and are subject to customs audit. We are also concerned by 
the possibility of a complex and arbitrary  implementation of the regulation. Indonesia should 
publicize the information in any of the official languages of the WTO in accordance with TFA Article 2. 
Japanese industries are concerned by Indonesia's Regulation No. 190/PMK.04/2022. We would like 
to request clear explanations from Indonesia on points put fo rward by the United States.  
5.27.  The delegate of Hong Kong, China  indicated the following:  
5.28.  Hong Kong, China has reservations on Indonesia's approach of classifying some electronic 
transmissions as goods. We think more clarification and discussions are necessary . 
5.29.  The delegate of Singapore  indicated the following:  
5.30.  We would like to thank the US as well for raising this agenda item again in this Committee. 
We would like to reiterate our concerns and interest in this issue and we would like to seek 
clarific ations from Indonesia regarding its regulation's compliance with the Trade Facilitation 
Agreement  specifically . 
5.31.  The delegate of China  indicated the following:  
5.32.  We thank the US  for raising this topic in the Committee and we look forward to further 
communica tion between Members. In the meantime, we call on Members to fully implement the 
important consensus of the work programm e on electronic commerce.  
5.33.  In MC12  we agreed to maintain the current practi ce of not imposing custom duties on 
electronic transmissions  until MC13 , and  in the meantime, to intensify the discussion on the 
moratorium, including on scope, definition , and impact of the mora torium o n custom s duties on 
electronic transmissions  so as to lay the foundation  for the subsequent formulation of rules .  
5.34.  We also suggest that Members fully recogni ze the objective differences and gaps between 
developed and developing Members in the digital industry development , in the import and export of 
electronic transmission s, as well as the uncertainty of future technological develop ment. So we need 
to take into account inclusiveness and sustainability in promoting the formulation of multilateral 
rules for e -commerce.  
5.35.  The delegate of Indonesia  indicated the following:  
5.36.  Since thi s is my first time taking the floor I would like to echo other Members and congratulate  
you as the new Chair of this Committee and our best wishes for your success in your duties.  
5.37.  Indonesia would like to thank the United States; European Union; Australia;  Switzerland; the 
United Kingdom; Chinese Taipei; Canada; Japan; Hong Kong, China; Singapore; and China for their 
interest in this agenda item as well as other Members who have engaged on this issue.  
5.38.  On that note, we would like to refer to Indonesia's pre vious statement made in this 
Committee3, which aimed to explain the objective and coverage of the Finance Minister Regulation 
No. 190 of 2022, and how the regulation provides additional certainty and simplification in the 
process and procedure in relation  to customs import declaration of intangible goods transmitted 
electronically.  
5.39.  In short , the importers are allowed to take advantage of certain facilities and or arrangements 
not available for importers of tangible goods, among others, the ability to submit the custom import 
declaration within 30 days of the transaction or payment. Indonesia also wishes to emphasize that 
the regulation only applies to legal entities, not to individual users of smartphones and computers.  
5.40.  It has never been in the interest of Indonesia to have in place a regulation with the intention 
to cause distortion or addit ional administrative burden in a regulation  that is not consistent with 
Article 10.1.1 of the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement. We are still coordinating with capital in 
 
3 G/TFA/M/25 . G/TFA/M/ 26 
 
- 19 - 
 
  preparing answers to the questions the US delegation has raised and we will submit the m to the 
Secretariat at the first opportunity.  
5.41.  The Committee took note of the information and of the statement s made.  
6  PROMOTING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF WTO TRADE FACILITATION AGREEMENT 
THROUGH DIGITAL REVOLUTION AND INTELLIGENCE TECHNOLOGIES – COMMUNICATION 
FROM CHINA ( G/TFA/W/90 ) 
6.1.  The Chair recalled that this item was also raised at the 21 March 2023 meeting of the 
Committee where the communication G/TFA/W/90  had been discussed.  
6.2.  The presenter s of China  indicated the following:  
6.3.  During the last Committee meeting on 21 -22 March  2023, China Customs made a presentation 
on "Promoting the Implementation of WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement through System Innova tion 
driven by Digitalization and New Technologies", which earned extensive attention and commen ts 
from the WTO Secretariat and many Members. They considered that digitalization and high -tech 
applications are the key content and proper means to the high -quality implementation of trade 
facilitation. Besides, narrowing the digital gap and discussing how to enhance capacity building and 
technical assistance is a topic of great concern to developing Members, especially the LDCs. Mongolia 
joined the initiative r ight after the meeting. We thank Mongolia very much for their support. We 
attach great importance to the feedback.  
6.4.  At this meeting, in order to further deepen the understanding of the "3S" initiative , we will 
introduce the status  of China's construction of smart customs,  and we will share a n example of how 
China Customs implements the "3S" initiative this year. It  is all about the experience of innovating 
regulatory measures through digitalization and new technologies in order to promote the 
construction of "Smart Customs".  
6.5.  "Smart Customs" is the point in the "3S" system that lays a solid foundation for "Smart Borders" 
and "Smart Connectivity". "Smart Borders" is the line connecting the "3S" system to extend "Smart 
Customs" to broa der cooperation across borders and other customs. "Smart Connectivity" builds on 
the basis of "Smart Customs" and "Smart Borders" to further extend the "3S" system and serves as 
the ultimate goal of international customs cooperation which is to achieve sma rt management of the 
global supply chain.  
6.6.  Nowadays , the rapid development of the global economy has demanded higher requirements 
for customs to promote smart development, exploring how to reshape customs management 
structure with technical application and  deepen international cooperation through smart -based 
control. Therefore, the construction of "Smart Customs"  is the practical implementation of the "3S" 
initiative and also the only route to the vision of customs modernization.  
6.7.  Currently, China is  focusi ng on technological innovation  and optimization of means of control 
in order to modernize customs management system s and capabilities, including smart infrastructure, 
smart customs control , and smart internal management. Relying on the "two -wheel drive" of  reform 
and technology, we strive to create an advanced customs supervision system and mechanism . 
Today, we take Tianjin Customs District as an example to introduce the role of "3S" Initiative in 
promoting trade facilitation and ensuring supply chain secur ity. 
6.8.  Tianjin Port, located in North China, is one of the top ten ports in the world, according to 
container throughput. In 2019, President Xi Jinping raised an expectation for Tianjin Port, which is 
to "build a world -class smart port and green port". To th is end, Tianjin Customs District has decided 
to conduct a reform of smart control at the port to ensure facilitation and security by utilizing digital 
and intelligence technologies and innovating regulatory measures.  
6.9.  We have introduced two new systems for facilitation. Firstly, Tianjin Customs District and 
Tianjin Port have jointly developed the "Smart Platform for Cargo Collection and Distribution". 
The data sharing among Customs, port authorities, importers/exporters, and logistics companies 
enables real -time checks  of cargo status. Through advanced declaration, Customs procedures can 
be completed during transportation, so that imported goods can be directly picked up upon off -G/TFA/M/ 26 
 
- 20 - 
 
  loading , while exported goods can be directly loaded upon arrival. As a successful experience, this 
innovative model has been replicated and promoted nationwide.  
6.10.  Secondly, Tianjin Customs District applies smart control system s at the port on the basis of 
utilizing Artificial Intelligence  technology in berths, quay bridges, containers, and storage areas. 
Images collected by machine vision will be analyzed so that Customs can be forewarned of potential 
risks. Therefore, the entir e container -handling process at the port is digitized, computerized, and 
transparent. As a result, smart control over four key links, namely port loading and unloading, en 
route supervision, storage, and checkpoint, has become possible.  
6.11.  For security, we r ely on a series of smart equipment. Nowadays, mobile inspection platforms 
are already deployed at terminal sites. Based on the smart "eyes", we have developed the smart 
"nose", which realizes the remote detection of containers with excessive radiation and the real -time 
collection and detection of gaseous risk factors such as dangerous goods in containers. We have also 
developed two portable solid waste inspection devices specifically designed for mineral products and 
recycled plastics. Rapid on -site screeni ng of goods at the port gives consideration to both safety and 
speed in terms  of Customs clearance.  
6.12.  Thanks to system s innovation driven by digitalization and intelligence technologies, the 
international trade business environment at Tianjin Port has been f urther optimized. In 2022, the 
border compliance time of import and export at Tianjin Port was compressed to 34.3 hours and 
48.8 hours respectively. The annual container throughput of Tianjin Port has exceeded 20 million for 
two consecutive years, and the average annual growth rate in the past three years ranks high among 
the top ten ports of the world. For special cargo such as frozen goods that have high requirements 
for transportation time and storage temperature, Tianjin Customs District has launched a "direct 
pickup alongside ship" pattern for them, and the clearance time has decreased from nearly 200  hours 
at the beginning to about 60 hours at present. According to Customs statistics, from January to April 
this year, the total import and export value o f Tianjin Port is 660.87 billion yuan, a year -on-year 
increase of nearly 17%, and the growth rate ranks first among the top ten ports of China.  
6.13.  Turning to  the cooperation of the "3S" program me between China and Singapore Customs , 
for more than two years b oth sides have been exploring bilateral cooperation measures regarding 
trade facilitation and supply chain security under the "3S" Initiative. We have explored the "Single 
Entry, Mutual Sharing" Customs clearance pattern between Tianjin Customs District an d Singapore. 
To achieve this, Tianjin Customs District has basically completed the development of its supporting 
system "China (Tianjin) -Singapore Demonstration Platform Project of International Trade Clearance 
Data Service". The good news is our tests of real shipments that Tianjin export to or import from 
Singapore are both successful. In addition, we regularly share information on intellectual property 
protection, risk monitoring, and epidemic situation. In the future, we will jointly hold the 
"Quadripar tite Meeting"  involving Customs Administrations and AEO enterprises from both sides. 
In 2022, driven by the two -way facilitation measures, the import and export trade value between 
Tianjin Port and Singapore has increased by nearly 50 % year -on-year. Tianji n Port has moved up 
two places in the ranking among the main domestic ports of China -Singapore trade, and Singapore 
has moved up 5 places in the ranking among the main trading partners of Tianjin Port.  
6.14.  The d igital revolution and intelligence technologies p resent new opportunities and challenges 
to the implementation of TFA. We believe that system innovation under "3S" Initiative can greatly 
improve the quality of TFA implementation by improving Customs control and administration, 
realizing connectivity amon g WTO Members across borders, upgrading transparency and 
predictability of the business environment for cross -border trade, as well as enhancing the facilitation 
and safety of the international supply chain. Therefore, China Customs welcomes WTO Members to 
take p art in the "3S" Initiative, and jointly share the achievements of trade facilitation to build a 
better future.  
6.15.  We raised this proposal at the last meeting. We really want to encourage communication and 
discussion on this topic in our Committee. We have a v ery similar idea to what our colleagues from 
Argentina and Canada already mentioned in this meeting. We are thinking that perhaps , thanks to 
the support of the Secretariat, the like -minded Member s would like to , in the future , have some kind 
of potential c ompilation or some evolving document with the Members'  experience sharing in this 
area.  G/TFA/M/ 26 
 
- 21 - 
 
  6.16.  In our presentation, w e already tr ied to find some examples that are already in our 
Committee. Many Members have already shared many good experience s in this Committee . We are 
thinking that maybe in the future like-minded  Members may want to accumulate all of this in some 
compilation and then do some kind of analysis and find some elements to share continually in this 
Committee for Members to learn from each other, to find maybe the best practice s or even in the 
future , some kind of guidance for Members to communicate  with each other.  
6.17.  The first suggestion is an evolving document regarding the experience sharing and maybe the 
next stage . Then , we are also thinking about an evolving document o n the capacity buildin g, 
particularly t he TFA -related technical assistance and  capacity building with a digital element. We 
already see that during today's experience sharing, we heard from our colleagues from Cambodia 
and El Salvador, on a very good case of how Members can support each other and how they are 
improving their IT syst ems.  
6.18.  Finally,  we want to share on the next stage . Case studies  already exist  in the  WCO/WTO Study 
Report on Disruptive Technologies  which was issued last year. The  report contains more than 42  
cases . All of these are connected to new technolog ies, how Members can use the technology to 
facilitate trade, and how to further implement the TFA. T hese are  some ideas from like-minded  
Members. So we want to share here and we look forward to your comments or suggestion.  
6.19.  Information on China's presentation can be found under the following link:  Promoting the 
Construction of "Smart Customs " by Innovating Regulatory Measures through Digitalization and New 
Technologies  
6.20.  The delegate of Kyrgyz Republic  indicated the following:  
6.21.  Let us first of all congratulate , Chair,  on your appointment and we  are very much looking 
forward to working with you . 
6.22.  The Kyrgyz Re public would also like to thank the Chinese delegation for communicating the 
document G/TFA/W/90  and for such an impressive presentation on the initiative on promoting the 
implementation of the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement through the digital revolution and 
intelligence technologies. Trade facilitation, simplification, modernization  and harmoni zation of 
export and import procedures is a vital issue for the Kyrgyz Republic as a small and landlocked 
country. It has been a subject of discussion raised on the WTO platform. The Kyrgyz  Republic is 
building high expectations for the vitality of the TFA, which  entails efficient mechanisms to facilitate 
and increase trade in the world by offering efficient provisions  for expediting the movement, release 
and clearance of goods, including goods in transit .  
6.23.  In this respect, the Kyrgyz  Republic fully suppo rts the communication  from China on the need 
for comprehensive and high-quality  implementation of the TFA which should be enhanced with new 
technologies such as digitalization, big data, smart algorithms , and other innovative technological 
tools. The document prop osed by China entails very effective and timely  propositions on the 
introduction of smart technologies across very important aspects of the TFA, such as reaching higher 
transparency through publication, accessibility of information, release of goods and cu stoms 
clearance, border agency cooperation , freedom of transit , and customs cooperation . It should be 
noted that the customs authorities of the Kyrgyz Re public are currently on the  verge  of major reforms 
and reorientation of principles and the implementati on of its activities . In particular , at this stage, 
as a part of the implementation of activities defined by the concept of Kyrgyz Re public custom s 
service, the Kyrgyz  government  is trying to simplify trade procedures and improve the efficiency of 
customs administration and the movement of goods and vehicles through the checkpoints to ensure 
transparency at all levels  of customs operation.  
6.24.  Following the implementation of the concept, the Kyrgyz  Republic has also change d the way 
customs authorities operate by optimi zing customs operations and creating  a modern information 
system that will allow the administration of customs processes and make key decisions automatically 
based on the results of analytical tools. To date, w ork has already begun on the development of the 
new information system. New mechanisms for fixing and controlling the movement of vehicles  are 
laying the groundwork to transition  to a completely paperless technology.  
6.25.  Taking into account the vast experienc e of the Chinese side in trade facilitation and measures 
to automate customs administration, as well as the fact that there is long -standing cooperation G/TFA/M/ 26 
 
- 22 - 
 
  between our customs authorities, the Kyrgyz Re public expresses  its interest  in joining the 3S  concept 
and to consider the application of this initiative at the checkpoints between the Kyrgyz Re public and 
the People's Republic of China . We have already sent the initiative and all the documents to capital 
and we  will get back to the  Chinese side  very soon . We are very confident that this will greatly reflect 
the provisions of the TFA and make a significant significant contribution to the development of 
international trade between our countries.  
6.26.  The delegate of the European Union  indicated the following:  
6.27.  The E uropean Union would like to thank China for their presentation on smart customs , and 
for bringing out some of the links with the work of other Members. The European Union agrees that 
digitalization and big data are changing international trade and presenti ng opportunities as well as 
challenges.  
6.28.  The European Union would like to use this opportunity to provide information on a related 
matter that is linked to some of the issues raised by my Chinese colleagues. In fact, last month, on 
17 May the European Comm ission put forward proposals for the most ambitious and comprehensive 
reform of the EU Customs Union since its establishment in 1968.  
6.29.  The key features of this reform are very much in line with the presentations made by China 
because the measures proposed present a world -leading data -driven vision for EU Customs , which 
will massively simplify customs processes for business, especially for the most trustworthy traders.  
6.30.  Embracing the digital transformation, the reform will cut down on cumbersome customs 
procedures, replacing traditional declarations with a smarter , data-led approach to import 
supervision. The proposed  new system, in a nutshell , will give customs authorities a bird's eye view 
of the supply chains and production processes of goods entering the European Union . All EU member 
States will have access to real-time data, and we  will be able to pull information to respond more 
quickly, more consistently , and more effectively.  
6.31.  Like the Chinese presentation, A rtificial Intelligence will be used to analyse and monitor the 
data and to predict problems before the  goods have even started their journey to the European 
Union and this will allow customs authorities to focus their efforts and resources where they are 
needed most.  
6.32.  The delegate of the United States  indicated the following:  
6.33.  Let me thank China for the gre at presentation. I thought it was terrific. I appreciate the slides 
and all the information that was shared. Let me start by saying I very much appreciate the 
compilation at the end that China introduced of all the different experience -sharing and creating  a 
compendium, I think that  is terrific.  
6.34.  From the information and the results that China has shared, it  has been very successful in 
reducing the wait times, lost time, and lost resources , and it certainly has worked there. There are  
many different threads that are of interest to Members as you start automation. For example, where 
all that information is going to the government , what are the rules around that? For example, e ach 
of us has different requirements about what data , when is the data due , how do you combine the 
data, what you can do with the data , how long do you hold on to the data , how do you dispose of 
the data , how do you keep the data safe , how do you keep the data from cross-pollinating , sending 
commercial data between a ll these different actors that are part of this conversation ? I do not have 
a conclusion there, there is no conclusion. We all are going to make our own, but I welcome the 
conversation. I  am glad China has raised it. I think we could have many fruitful the matic discussions 
about all these different issues that arise when you start automating the entire process here. It is 
not a one -off of a document or not. You  are bringing all the actors together in one space. What are 
the issues you need to become aware o f as you continue down this path? There  is no answer  I am 
reaching for. It just raises a lot of questions for me , and I think it is going to be a very interesting 
discussion as we move forward.  
6.35.  There are  two things that I would ask. How did you increase trade with Singapore 50% in one 
year? That was an amazing number . I wanted to say congrat ulation s to the EU on moving to a n G/TFA/M/ 26 
 
- 23 - 
 
  EU-wide platform. It is going to take a lot of rolling up sleeves and time but the results of that are 
going to be quite wonderful. Congratulations on that reform effort.  
6.36.  The delegate of the Philippines  indicated the following:  
6.37.  We would like to join others in congratulating you , Chair, and welcoming you to this 
Committee . We look forward to working with you on advancing the work on trade facilitation.  
6.38.  I would like to thank China for the presentation, p articularly on how they are using these new 
technologies and the work programme that they are proposing  to carry this forward. We do hope 
that we can eventually have more concrete initiatives on how we could really implement these kinds 
of new technologies  for developing countries like the Philippines.  
6.39.  We have some specific comments which I  would like to share. In G/TFA/W/90 , in paragraph s 
1.3 on page 1 and 1.5 on page 3, the term "institutional innovation " is unclear. What is that exactly ? 
We would request further  clarification from China on the definition of that term.  
6.40.  Secondly, on Article 1(i) of the communication there  is a term "established and maintained 
online, offline inquiry points ". We note that most, if not all of us, already have this inf ormation under 
the TFA, so we  are also unsure why we  are putting it in the document.  
6.41.  Lastly, regarding  customs cooperation , we would like to include micro , small and medium 
sized enterprises here because a lot of our companies  in the Philippines are very small and micro. 
They would indeed benefit from being included in this kind of paper.  
6.42.  The delegate of China  indicated the following:  
6.43.  Thank you very much the Kyrgyz Republic, European Union, the United States, and the 
Philippines for their comments to our presentation.  
6.44.  Thank you to the Kyrgyz Republic  for your positive comment. Maybe we can have closer 
cooperation in this area . If the Kyrgyz Republic is interest ed in the initiative, China can provide 
cooperation opportunities  and then we can enhance the bilateral cooperation in this area.  
6.45.  Thank you as well to the EU for your positive comment . I think we are at the same place 
because we use the technology, the smart customs , and use digitalization efforts to  streamline  
custom s procedure s to facilitate trade and the security  of trade . I think we are on the same road 
because  digitalization is the way to moderni ze the customs . I think we can share our experience in 
the future.  
6.46.  Maybe we will have more chance s to provide some more concrete examples in the  future . 
For further  clarification, I will  engage bilaterally with Members to provide clarification so as not to 
extend my time after this presentation. I yield the floor to my colleague for her to provide answers 
to the questions and comments from the United States and the Philippines.  
6.47.  Thank you very much for your thoughts and concerns , including about the safety of the 
information, its confidentiality,  and other  details. I will briefly answer your question. To  the best of  
my knowledge, this sharing of information is not about commercial information  but the status of the 
trade process . For example , there is a container of goods being transport ed from the United States 
to Tianjin, China, a nd on how they may already submit the declaration information to Customs so 
the owner of the container can check  on this platform, whether the customs procedures have been 
completed. And he can  decide  when the best time is  to book a truck  to transport this  container to  
its destination. For a logistic s company , they can che ck where there  is space available  in the port so 
they can find the best time to enter it and do not need to wait outside and waste time. These are a 
few examples . It is this kind of information sharing that takes place for the convenience of  all parties 
and allows them  to make the best decision.  
6.48.  The Chair indicated that there seemed to be  an interest in analysing this proposal in greater 
detail. This could be  a topic to be taken up under the thematic approach to experience sharing if the 
Committee decide d to take this approach.  G/TFA/M/ 26 
 
- 24 - 
 
  6.49.  The Committee took note  of the presentation and of the statements made.  
6.50.  That concluded  agenda Item 6. 
7  MC12  IMPLEMENTATION  MATTERS  
i. Improving the functioning of the Committee on Trade Facilitation – Report to the 
Council for Trade in Goods  (G/L/1474; G/TFA/W/88 ; G/C/W/824/Rev.1 ) 
7.1.  The Chair indicated the following:  
7.2.  The Chair of the Council for Trade in Goods ( CTG) underlined the "common understanding that 
each committee is free to organize its work as it sees fit. And it is up to each committee to decide 
the way in which they would like to improve their functioning, taking into account the interests of 
Members".  
7.3.  This Committee had a first  exchange on possible improvements to the functioning of the TF 
Committee at the 21 March 2023 meeting. As a follow -up to that exchange, the former Chair of the 
Committee circulated, on 3 April, a summary of the inputs from the March meeting, requesting 
additional ideas and suggestions which could be consolidated into a document as a basis for further 
discussions in the Committee.  
7.4.  I have requested the Secretariat to prepare a JOB document containing the consolidated list of 
suggestions identified by Members . I also asked them to include the current practice in the 
Committee on Trade Facilitation regarding  the suggestions made, and I have taken the opportunity 
to include some comments and identify a number of  the suggestions under my own responsibility  
that I believe the Committee could easily adopt in the short term. This information was circulated in 
document JOB/TF/234  on 13 June  2023. 
7.5.  I would like to say that since this document has just been circulated, I intend  to hold informal 
discussions on it in the coming weeks. My aim is for the Committee to be able to finalize its report 
to the CTG at our October meeting. This would include possible improvements to the functioning of 
the Committee.  
7.6.  The delegate of Colombia  indicated the following:  
7.7.  First, I would like to congratulate you  Chair on your election to this important post  and offer 
the support of the delegation of Colombia as you carry out this role. Thank you  for the  report of the  
documen t JOB/TF/234 , which we consider to be in line with the proposal on the functioning of  the 
CTG and its subsidiary bodies circulated  by Argentina, Paraguay , and Ecuador and co -sponsored by 
Colombia, Uruguay , and Brazil. The delegation of Colombia is pleased that the WTO is paying  
attention to this exercise , particularly for small delegations. More specifically, we wish to support 
this exercise highlighting points 1  (a), (c) and (d) , point s 2 and 3, as well as points 4 (a) and (b) . 
They are timely and they converge with the debates held in other bodies. Consequently, we endorse 
your proposal, including that of taking time to think about these issues. Finally, we are also grateful 
for the statements made for instance, by Arg entina, Canada, China , and others, which show an 
interest in improving the procedures in the organization which seek to empower work done in the 
WTO.  
7.8.  The delegate of Mozambique, on behalf of the LDC Group , indicated the following:  
7.9.  The LDC group appreciates the document provide d for this agenda item. Your matri x and 
recommendation s in JOB/TF/234  are very helpful. We would like to draw the Committee 's attention 
to the LDC submission on  WTO reform at the General Council , JOB/GC/223 /Rev.1 circulated in April 
2022, which includes suggestions from the perspective of LDC s on practical improvements for the 
function of WTO bodies and committees.  
7.10.  We take note of the improvements and workings of the Trade Facilitation Committee. We 
would like to add that it would be helpful  to LDC's to see annotated agendas for the meetings as 
much as possible , where feasible. You have referred to this in your matrix (item 3 (a)). We would 
like to see efforts to avoid the overlapping of meetings which  LDCs must follow.  G/TFA/M/ 26 
 
- 25 - 
 
  7.11.  The LDC submission refers to summaries of the meetings , one week after the meetings. 
The news reports with highlights of the meetings are useful. You mentioned  the circulation of 
summary notes in your matrix , item 3  (d). However, LDCs are requ esting at least summaries for 
LDCs with highlights of the meetings,  if possible,  soon after  the meeting. The LDC submission also 
refers to short ened time frames for completing and circulating minutes of the meetings. We have 
registered these sugges tions in  all WTO bodies and our submission is c ross-cutting.  
7.12.  The delegate of Switzerland  indicated the following:  
7.13.  Switzerland would like to thank you for putting forward the table on areas of possible 
improvement in the Trade Facilitation Committee. This format l ooks somewhat familiar, so  we 
believe this is a good approach to these discussions  and we are supportive of your suggestions. 
Experience from other committees showed that some suggested elements like information sessions 
and manuals provided by the Secreta riat, circulation of Chair and Secretariat reports, as well as 
annotated agenda could already be implemented. Also, the introduction of eAgenda received broad 
support in other committees. We therefore encourage you, subject to today's discussion , of course, 
to go ahead with the implementation of these and possibly more elements to make a positive 
contribution to the functioning of this Committee. A possible informal session as you said, if needed, 
could focus on elements that could be implemented at the level of this Committee, but require 
further discussion.  
7.14.  The delegate of Hong Kong, China  indicated the following:  
7.15.  Thank you, Chair, for circulating the table listing possible improvements and sharing your 
comments. Hong Kong, China supports having an informal meeting later to discuss the table with 
greater details. Just to share our initial reactions. First , we support the implementation of eAgenda 
on a trial basis. We welcome the introduction of an annotated agenda,  and we suggest finding ways 
to help the Secretariat prepare minutes more efficiently.  
7.16.  The delegate of the United Kingdom  indicated the following:  
7.17.  The United Kingdom  welcomes the discussions taking place in this Committee on improving 
its functioning. As we said at the last meeting , we b elieve this Committee functions really well. 
This is in part down to the Chairpersons that we  have been fortunate to have , the quality of the 
secretariat and the engagement from the membership. The day -to-day work of the WTO Councils 
and committees is, of course, the lifeblood of this organi zation and is at the heart of the WTO reform 
agenda. Activity to revitalize  the monitoring and deliberative function is happening throughout WTO 
bodies  and we have already seen great interventions and reform in this Committee. We continue to 
encourage Members to continue engaging constructively and share ideas on how to make the 
everyday work of the organi zation as relevant, inclusive,  and effective as possible.  
7.18.  The UK is actively engaged in these discussions and at the recent May General Coun cil, we 
presented together with more than 20 co-sponsors the paper WT/GC/W/877 "Improving the 
Operation of WTO Bodies to Revitalize the WTO's Monitoring and Deliberative Function ". 
This document aims to be an umbrella paper bringing together a number of different proposals  we 
have seen across the different papers presented by Members into one place. The paper covers the 
different issues being discussed on the procedural and deliberative elements of reform and  intends 
to complement and support the work already underway throughout WTO bodies.  
7.19.  We have been contributing to discussions taking place at the CTG and its other subsidia ry 
bodies , the Council on Trade and Services , and the Committee on Trade and Environment  to name 
a few. And we are continuing to work  with Members and calling the membership to continue 
prioriti zing this reform -by-doing  process . We should now focus on the pragmatic ideas that we can 
put into practi ce and that could have a real impact on how all Members, especially those with capacity 
constraints, participate in the work in this Committee. We would  like to offer a great thanks to the 
Secretariat for thei r work to date  and note that earlier today they provided a very good example of  
continuous improvements, the functionality of this Committee and the TFA Database  websi te, 
sharing an update on the automatic reminders for notifications. The easier and more inclusive the 
system is to interact with, the more you  will benefit from the considered input from more delegations.  G/TFA/M/ 26 
 
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  7.20.  The delegate of India indicated the following:  
7.21.  We welcome these discussions on reform -by-doing . Members have already made significant 
suggestions  and w e have a good pool of them available to us. India also made suggestions  in 
document WT/GC/W/ 874 at the General Council . We would like to compl iment the Secretariat for 
this document and specifically compliment you , Chair,  for making the  effort to provide your 
comments in the document . We consider that these incremental changes, though small , are very 
useful . Some of Members have said that they do not have the kind of  capacity required to attend  
many meetings and measures like an annotated agenda, timely issuance of minutes, advance 
scheduling of meetings, avoiding clashes of the meetings, advanced airgrams, efficient use of digital 
tools, user -friendly dissemination o f information and documents, training of new delegates, are all 
example s of improvements  which could go a long way . We are sure we will hear more on this in 
tomorrow's informal discussion  on institution al matters. While  the CTG and its subsidiary bodies 
have been commendable in implementing these new suggestions, w e look forward to more 
discussions on further improvements . We see the effort coming from your side and going forward, 
we consider  that these informal discussion s would be very useful and would make a significant  
difference when all these suggestions  are implemented to the benefit of all of us.  
7.22.  The delegate of Australia  indicated the following:  
7.23.  I would  also like to thank you and the Secretariat for this document, a nd particularly for your 
comments, which I  think are very useful. I note from your e -mail communication  dated 13 June  
2023, that there will be informal sessions and informal discussions. I also note item 4 (a) on the 
implementation of eAgenda that reference s to the next formal meeting. I am interested in how this 
may go forward . Based on  what has happen ed in other committees, there  has been widespread 
support for eAgenda and for Australia , I can say that  we are a big fan of the eAgenda. In the CTG 
discussion  we spoke about low hanging fruit , and we decided on the adoption of the eAgenda through  
written procedure s. I wonder if  it is possible for th is Committee today to agree to implement the 
eAgenda on trial basis, or would it be necessary to have form al discussions in the next session? 
Do we need to wait for the next formal meeting to adopt that decision? Can we reach it today or do 
we go to written procedure after that formal meeting?  
7.24.  The Chair indicated the following:  
7.25.  In relation to those consultati ons, the aim is to have an informal meeting on 26 July 2023 at 
which we will tackle a number of topics, including the table with the various steps for improving the 
function ing of the Committee . That meeting will be an opportunity for us to think about following 
the same process as the CTG , as has already been raised, but it will also be an opportunity for us to 
thoroughly discuss the document and to compile these suggestions, if that is the will of the 
Committee and of the Members. We will have th at space on 26 July 2023 and based on those 
discussions , we can agree on what the next steps will be.  
7.26.  The delegate of Argentina  indicated the following:  
7.27.  Thank you for your initiative , Chair, and  thank you to the Secretariat  for the excellent work . 
I echo  my colleague from Colombia in his comments and I support the proposal to hold an informal 
meeting on 26 July  2023 to discuss this document and its different  aspects . We not e that some 
aspects have already been discussed , as Australia has said , and they ha ve been identified as feasible  
outcomes . In line with our own proposal in the Goods Council , we see value in each of the subsidiary 
bodies  discussing the suggestions in the light of  their specificities, their mandates , and their 
procedures , what has been done and what can be improved, and identify  the best way in which each 
of those suggestions can be implemented, which may be different than how it is done in other bodies . 
Therefore,  we see value in holding such a discussion  so that the mecha nism that we decide upon is 
the most appropriate and relevant to improve our work  in this Committee .  
7.28.  The Chair indicated that the suggestions in JOB/TF/234  consider p rogress in the discussions 
in other committees , which he had followed and thought would be relevant to this Committee.  G/TFA/M/ 26 
 
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  7.29.  The delegate of the United States  indicated the following:  
7.30.  I appreciate your work and the work of the Secretariat ; the document is  very easy to follow  
and very clear. We are certainly willing to participate in an informal discussion on this. However, let 
me already provide some feedback . The main one is that  I am not interested in using eAgenda in 
this Committee . I understand the use of the agenda , I follow other committees , and when you have 
several  statements and interventions on the same agenda item, I understand how this helps organize 
thoughts and move things forward. In the case of this Committee , we spen t five to seven years 
continuously improv ing our agenda. We changed it in the four -year review, and we worked hard to 
have a clear agenda about where an item comes up, where you are to speak. The agenda is currently  
populated by notifications,  and it would be  duplicative work to re-insert them in th e eAgenda . I 
support  an annotated agenda if  that is of interest to other Members because it provides some context 
for the agenda item. But eAgenda  itself works best when you have multiple collaborators . 
My perception is that  the US  would be the sole contri butor to the eAgenda . Therefore,  I am not 
convinced that the eAgenda  is a great idea. From our experience, it did not work in another 
committee where we piloted it. It was not a success. We could in the future contemplate doing a 
pilot on it, but I do  not think that we should rush to do a pilot soon. I f we could come back to it as 
an idea, get additional  information elsewhere, debate how it would be used . I would do all that 
before I would be prepared to take a decision to say yes to eAgenda  or piloting it.   
7.31.  The second item that drew my attention  is 1 (c). T he way we are currently doing it is that the 
Secretariat provides capacity building sessions on notifications on an ad hoc  basis, in response  to 
request s from Members . The Trade Facilitation Agreement Facility has been integral in a lot of the 
work on noti fications. I question what is to be gained by holding an annual workshop on notifications, 
because you would have to hold it, whether you need it or not  now it has become a rule of the 
Committee . I would be happy to engage in debates if anyone felt that th ey do not get the support 
to do notifications and where there  is a gap we need to fill. Otherwise, we are putting in place a 
process that is not going to advance our work. These are two preliminary comments,  and we will be 
prepared to enter  a more fulsome  discussion about the other topics here.  
7.32.  The Chair indicated he saw  value in having an informal session to give the opportunity for 
Members to put all their interests on the table and take stock of the different views . All suggestions 
were welcome.  
7.33.  The delegate of Thailand  indicated the following:  
7.34.  Since this is the first time I am taking the floor, I would like to join others congratulating you 
on your Chairmanship, and thank you for the guidance in this meeting. Turning to the substance, I 
would li ke to thank the Secretariat for the comprehensive report JOB/TF/234 , compiling Members 
comment s, which is very useful for our consideration . In principle , we agree with the way forward 
to improve the functioning of the Committee as suggested in the paper, in parti cular the use of the 
digital tools. We see value added to the use of eAgenda  for the Committee and strongly believe that 
this will facilitate the Committee 's activity and would also  be helpful for Members, especially small 
delegations, to keep them informe d of the relevant information. We may have to customize the 
format of the eAgenda so that it best fit s our Committee. Consequently,  we welcome the more 
detailed discussion at the informal meeting and please count on  our support in this matter.  
7.35.  The delegate  of Canada  indicated the following:  
7.36.  Thank you for adding value to the document we have been looking at, I really appreciate the 
comments you have made. As someone who has participated in a large number of these discussions 
over the last number of months, including in the CTG and in the Marke t Access Committee, I think 
you fairly represented the kinds of things that are being considered in other instances . I think a lot 
of this is potentially very beneficial. There  is also a number of cross -cutting issues where the 
Committee could probably see  value , but we  will get there.  
7.37.  I wanted to respond  to the US comments , without  prejudg ing the conversation  we will have 
in the informal Committee meeting scheduled at the end of July . On the eAgenda , I am not sure 
what the experience was and  in which comm ittee it not adopted , but in my use of it , looking at it 
through the lens as a trade facilitation  delegate , I think there  is great  value in it . This is not in the 
sense of  the difficulties of adding content  to the agenda, if that  is what the US  was referring to, but G/TFA/M/ 26 
 
- 28 - 
 
  more in terms of the value for delegates having a real time view of the agenda as it  is built from the 
time when the Secretariat first issues the dra ft airgram to the date on which the agenda close s.  
7.38.  I almost see this as a natural e volution of that first improvement of having  a draft airgram. 
This is n ow an additional tool we can use as delegates to see the agenda develop and specifically, 
and this one of the more important features  of it, it makes it so easy for us to get access to the 
documents that are issued by the Secretariat , that are shared by Members who are going to be 
making presentations. We can click directly there  and get that information.  
7.39.  Similarly, it also provides a tool for us to upload our statements , voluntarily . This gives access 
to everyone who wants to read what was said, and it helps in  reporting back to capital . It also helps 
the Secretariat  to upload Chair statements to the eAgenda . Once again, without prejudging the 
discussions at the upcoming informal meeti ng, I am saying this for the benefit of others who perhaps 
have not had the opportunity to see what an eAgenda looks like . It really is an essential tool for 
ease of access to information. It does not  seem like a burden in terms of what I want to do here i n 
this Committee . 
7.40.  Moving to the issue of capacity building around notifications, I believe this is a topic that 
deserves more  discussion . Perhaps the US  has a point in the context of  some of the ongoing 
notifications, but I do recall in a different context , that the Market Access Committee has done a 
number  of notification workshops . Not every year , but every two or three years, depending on the 
quantitative restrictions notification, which is biannual . They hold these workshops , and similar to  
what happens  in the October meeting here, they  bring in capital -based delegates who are 
responsible for making that notification and help them fill out the forms, help them understand , to 
give them guidance on what they need to do, show them examples  of other notifications . Hopefully 
we can have a broader discussion. Maybe there are specific notifications within our ambit that would 
lend themselves  for that kind of capacity building . These are  those two things to share in advance 
of our July meeting.  
7.41.  The d elegate of the European Union  indicated the following:  
7.42.  There are several documents relating to this issue , some of which will be mentioned here 
today , some are quite recent and others , such as the LDC submission, have been around longer.  
7.43.  The European Uni on is supportive of this bottom -up process, whereby each Committee 
considers possible improvements  to its operations while preserving its specificities. To ensure that 
the CTG and the various subsidiary bodies work in the same spirit and consistently, we encourage 
two-way communication in the coming months between the CTG and the subsidiary bodies with the 
role there for respective Chairpersons.  
7.44.  Process -wise, we suggest Chair t hat you collect the suggestions from Members. We would like 
to support your efforts and  the informal consultations you have announced, as well as the dedicated 
discussion to consider possible improvements in this Committee.  
7.45.  I take note of the proposal for  an informal meeting just before the end of July  2023. Like my 
Canadian colleague, without wishing to prejudge the discussions there, let me ask how and when 
you intend to take forward any consensual items arising at that meeting.  
7.46.  The Chair indicated the f ollowing:   
7.47.  My reference for the informal meeting is July is the  exercise carried out in the Council on 
Trade in Goods . Perhaps  all the delegations have some experience with this exercise  that took place 
at an informal meeting , as was mentioned by Australia . In the specific case of the e Agenda , it was 
analysed at an informal meeting and subsequently we had a written procedure  whereby the 
suggestion was adopted by the Council, and that is  my reference point. I am in your hands, but that 
is the background reference for the work we would be doing.  
7.48.  The Committee took note  of the statements made.  G/TFA/M/ 26 
 
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  ii. WTO response to the Pandemic ( G/L/1475 ; G/TFA/W/89 ) 
7.49.  The Chair recalle d that the second element of CTG -related MC12 implementation matters was 
the report on the Trade Facilitation Committee's response to the Pandemic (WTO document 
G/L/1475; G/TFA/W/89 ). The  main action of the Committee had been  the compendium of trade 
facilitatin g measures implemented by WTO Members and observers in response to COVID -19, as 
presented to the TF Committee  in WTO document G/TFA/W/40 . The intention of the Committee was 
that the document would be a repository of best practices.  
7.50.  The delegate of Canada  indicated the following : 
7.51.  I understand that the CTG is preparing a document that will summarize the actions that were 
taken by the CTG subsidiary bodies in response to the COVID -19 pandemic. This would report on 
Committee work such as compilation of documents that have been prepare d, discussions that took 
place, submissions by Members and other documents that were produced in relation to the 
pandemic. For the Trade Facilitation Committee, I would see that the main references are the Trade 
Facilitation Committee's compendium of COVID -19 measures, G/TFA/W/40/Rev.4 , as well as  the 
preceding  Chair 's report to the CTG, G/TFA/W/89 . 
7.52.  However, the compendium document is quite detailed and dense. As Canada suggested at 
our last formal meeting , we see it useful if the Com mittee could summarize the information received 
from Members into an easier reference document to provide a general overview of the kinds of 
measures Members took. This would also allow us to support that CTG report -drafting process. 
Drawing from the categ ories in the compendium , we could ask the Secretariat to summarize the 
actions taken under publication and availability of information, release and clearance of goods, 
formalities connected with importation , exportation and transit, and other reported trad e facilitation 
related measures. By my reading there are a number of commonalities among the actions reported 
by Members, so similar to our upcoming work on good practices and building blocks for NTFCs  a first 
draft report from the Secretariat will be a go od place to start for consideration at the next informal 
meeting.  
7.53.  The Chair indicated that based on interventions, the Committee should analyse this topic in 
further detail. His aim was that the TF Committee could finalize its inputs to the report of the CTG 
at its October meeting. Therefore, it was his intention to  also include this item in the upcoming 
informal discussions.  
7.54.  The Committee took note  of the statements made.  
7.55.  That concluded  agenda i tem 7. 
8  THE TRADE FACILITATION AGREEMENT FACILITY – ITEMS RELATED TO THE 
FRAMEWORK ( G/TFA/3 ) 
8.1.  The next item on the agenda was the Trade Facilitation Agreement Facility (TFAF) and items 
related to the TFAF Framework.  
8.2.  The TFAF representative  provided the following update :  
8.3.  I am pleased to provide an update on the TFAF work that has been carried out since the last 
committee meaning in March.  Since it only has been two months from the last meeting when we 
circulated a written report,  we will make an oral report this time but we will prepare a written update 
for the meeting in October.  
8.4.  The annual report for 2022 was circulated on 2 June as document G/TFA/TFAF/4 . It is available 
on the TF AF website in English and French, and the Spanish version will be posted as soon as the 
translation is finished. All annual reports and work p lans can be found on the TFAF website  under  
the menu tab called "Facility ".  
8.5.  Under the framework for the management and operation of the TFAF, we must work jointly 
with a representative group of interested Members to prepare the work plan for the upcoming 
calendar year. Last year , this representative group was made up of 15 people from 12 Members and G/TFA/M/ 26 
 
- 30 - 
 
  we met with them four times. The first step was to identify the priorities, and then to identify the 
activities that would meet the priorities. We greatly appreciate the excellent cooperation from this 
group,  and we hope that most of th e Members will continue to work with us for the 2024 workplan. 
However, several of the members of this Committee have left Geneva or will soon leave Geneva, so 
we would welcome additional volunteers to take part in this process . We would like to invite any  
interested Members to inform the WTO Secretariat, if they are willing to participate in this 
representative group for the 2024 work plan, by sending an email to the TFAF@wto.org  or conta ct 
any members of the team. These discussions will need to start by early autumn, so a draft work 
plan can be presented to the TF Committee in the October meeting, and the work plan must be 
finalized and published by the end of the November deadline.  
8.6.  We wo uld also like to invite any Member that already has suggestions for the priorities or the 
activities that they would like to see in the 2024 workplan . You could share these ideas when the 
floor is open today or send your ideas by e -mail to T FAF so they can  be considered by this work plan 
representative group .  
8.7.  Turning to the Grant Programme , a project preparation grant was approved for an LDC member 
for 29 provisions of the TFA. A n expert consultant has been identified to conduct the grant and the 
work is expected to begin very soon and to be completed by t he end of this year. This is the very 
first project preparation grant request from an LDC.  
8.8.  We have promoted the Grant Programme  at the transit  workshop this week and as a result , it 
already  has received an expression of interest from a developing Member for four TFA provisions . 
This expression of interest has already been circulated to the development partners to request 
implementation support. If implementation support is not found through this expression of interest 
process, the  Member will be invited to apply for a project preparation grant.  
8.9.  I would like to encourage Members to take advantage of this gran t expression of interest 
match -making p rocess, especially for provisions with upcoming implementation deadlines . You just 
need to complete the expression of interest section on the online grant application form and  provide 
the information on the TFA provisions for which you are seeking implementation support . TFAF will 
then circulate this information to the development partners.  
8.10.  If any development partners can help, TFAF will then put the Member  and the development 
partner in direct contact with each other to continue the discussions . This might be especially useful 
for the workshop participants  that are having issues finding donors support because they do not 
know which development partners to approach , so we can ta ke that first step for you . Full details on 
the expression of interest and the grant program me can be found on the facility website b ut of 
course, any of the TF AF team would be happy to meet with you and answer any questions or even 
assist you to complete the form , and information on successfully matched expressions of interest 
and approved grants is also on the web site on the grant tracker.  
8.11.  Now, looking at activities, several activities were organized , funded,  or participated in by TFAF 
during  this period . In response to an activity request from El Salvador,  TFAF participated in a national 
workshop for officials from the NT FC, implementing agencies , and the private sector . This workshop 
aimed to enhance the capacity of government officials and operationalize and correctly implement 
provisions of the TFA, as well as the SPS and TBT agreements . The workshop focused on 
transparency provision s, electronic tools, notification requirements and a comparison of these three 
WTO agreements, and it include d several practical sessions in which participants complete d 
notification and other practical exercises.  
8.12.  Regarding  an activity request submitted by the World Bank  Group , TFAF participated in a 
regional conference on NT FC maturity and capacity building for the Balkans and other neighbo uring 
economies  held in Serbia. T his work shop aimed to enhance the operation of the national trade 
consultation committees through a program me that included issues such as coordination, planning, 
monitoring and evaluation , and drafting a communication strategy.  
8.13.  TFAF coordinated with the Association of Latin American Integration  (ALADI) , to organize the 
third meeting of the national trade -consultation committees from 17 WTO Members from Latin 
America . This event was in the 202 3 work plan, and it was a follow -up to the first and second 
meetings that were also join t TFAF-ALADI  events . The program me included sessions such as 
digitalization, risk management of express shipments, monitoring of implementation, private sector G/TFA/M/ 26 
 
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  involvem ent and a very interesting session on donor engagement that was led by our esteem ed 
Chair. 
8.14.  Finally, TFAF worked closely with the Landlocked Developing Countries ( LLDC) group in the 
organization of the transit workshop that was held this week on Tuesday  and Wednesday  to help the 
LLDC transit members and observers to prepare for this morning's dedicated session . TFAF  funded 
the participation of 28 capital -based officials from 10 transit and 18  landlocked developing countries 
as well as experts from the regional organizations . The workshop discussions were based on a survey 
the participants completed in advance of the workshop, and I would like to note that we included 
additional questions in this survey to collect information for our colleagues in the Development 
Division, for the study on the  effectiveness  of joint quarters that w as request ed by the LLDC group. 
I would just like to take this opportunity to thank colleagues  in the Botswana mission for the excellent 
cooperation in organizing the workshop .  
8.15.  I would also like to thank the participants for their hard work and dedication and especially 
the four participants that volunteered to present the findings at the dedicate d session this morning.  
They had only one day to present highlights from a workshop that just ended on Wednesday and 
the expertise and guidance from the facilitators from the Annex  Ds, UNOHRLLS , COMESA , EAC, and 
the WTO Development Division helped the workshop participants to achieve excellent  results in a 
very short amount of time . A special thank you to UNCTAD and colleagues in the Development 
Division for their input in the development of the survey and the program me. I would also like to 
thank  the TFAF team and interpreters and  other WTO departments that w orked  very hard in 
organizing this event .  
8.16.  The results you heard in the presentations this morning were just highlights of some of the 
solutions that were identified in the workshop, so we will continue to coordinate with the LLDC group 
to see how we can make the full results widely available to Members . Looking ahead, as set out in 
the 2023 workplan, TFAF will fund the participation of capital -based officials for the October meeting 
of the TF Committee . Additional workshop  sessions will be organized on the margins of the meeting, 
and these sessions will focus on the priorities identified by the workplan committee . Importantly, 
there  will be a donor round table that TF AF will organize in cooperation with the United States. 
Invitation letters for capital -based  officials will be sent out through the missions in July or  early 
August so please keep an eye out they will be  sent by email from the TFAF address  so you can 
forward it quickly on to the capital . We found out this week t hat a couple of participants could not 
make it because some countries need almost two months advance notice to apply for their visas, so 
the reason that we sending this so early is to make sure everybody has time to get their visas 
process ed.  
8.17.  Now back to the evaluation , at the end of last year , KPMG  completed the independent 
evaluation tha t included recommendations for the way forward for TFAF. We worked with the 
members of the TF AF workplan committee to determine which  of the recommendations would be 
appropriate and how the recommendations could be im plemented. TFAF  is already implementing  
some of the recommendations, such as enhancing efforts to promote the expression of interest as a 
match -making tool, but some of the recommendations would require meetings and consultations 
with Members to exp lore changes and how TFAF works.  
8.18.  The delegate  of Mozambique, on behalf of the LDC Group , indicated the following:  
8.19.  The LDC Group complements the Secretariat on the 2022 annual report on TFAF. The LDC 
group has benefited from TFAF regarding our work on notification and implementation. We also 
welcome the donor contribution to TFAF for that period  and w e hope that contribution s are 
maintained . In 2022 , expenditure was rather low compared with the contribution s and this is  
reflect ed in section 7 of the report.  At the same time, LDC needs for support and assistance in 
implementation , and in particular category  C provisions , require finan cial support . We hope that the 
limitation s on what T FAF can do will not  decrease  the use of funds in a manner expected to f ill gaps 
in financial support . We would like more information on the plan ned expenses for this year and the 
next year.  
8.20.  In relation  to the 2024 workplan, the LDC Group contribute d to TFAF work plan for 2023.  We 
need more time to provide our priorities for 2024 . However, needless to say , very little has change d. 
We remain interested in plans to prioritize LDCs , with concrete elements for LDCs. The L DC Group 
contribute d to the first four -year review of the T FA. The report on the review highlighted the lack of G/TFA/M/ 26 
 
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  both donor notification s under TFA Articles 16.2(e) and 16.1 (e) and active participati on to ensure 
that LDC category C needs are met . We appreciate the template provided for LDCs to notify . 
However, it appears that the burden is now entirely on LDC s. The donor aspect of that obligation 
must improve, especially in the light of the poor results reported in the first four -year review of  the 
TFA. LDCs also struggle  to build capacity to notify, which reflects the difficulties we face in the 
capital, with support from some of the Annex D agencies and some donors  have provided support . 
However, serious gaps remain. W e believe that the work and financial support of TF AF should be 
reviewed to ensure that resource s can prioritize support to LDCs.  
8.21.  The delegate of the United States  indicated the followi ng: 
8.22.  We thank the TFAF for its report to this Committee and for all the good work that  the TFAF 
secretariat has  undertaken . We look forward to continuing our work with TFAF together with other 
donors, bilateral and multilateral donors.  We look forward to be ing a part of the planning committee 
as that unfolds for the development of the 2024 work plan.  
8.23.  That conclude d agenda item 8.  
9  REPORT BY THE UNITED STATES AND THE LLDC GROUP ON THE INFORMAL TRANSIT 
SESSION  
9.1.  This item refers back to agenda item 2  "Dedicated Session on Transit Issues of Landlocked 
Country Members ( G/TFA/2 , para. 9.3(viii))" which was conducted in informal mode.  
9.2.  The delegate of the United States  indicated the following:  
9.3.  The United States wants to thank everyone that participated in the informal session on Disaster 
Preparedness: A View from the Border of Land -Locked Developing Countries, including the Chair and 
WTO Secretariat for facil itating the session.  
9.4.  We would like to thank the speakers from Cambodia, Zambia, Nepal, IMPACCT , UNICEF , and 
the International Medical Corps  for sharing their experiences and challenges moving humanitarian 
aid and relief supplies across international borders , especially addressing the unique transit 
challenges faced by LLDCs.  
9.5.  A summary of the common themes we heard is as follows: (i) Have a plan - whether it is having 
a disaster management plan,  standard operating procedures, laws or regulations, have a plan in 
place before a disaster strikes; (ii) Communicate - the role of the National Trade Facilitation 
Committee is paramount in supporting border agency cooperation and communicating information  
internally and externally with neighbours and with NGOs; (iii) Find regional synergies - NGOs now 
preposition goods based on cycles, whether is cyclone season, hurricane season, different rates 
when infections go up or floods come, and Zambia provided gre at examples of executing timely 
responses and working with neighbours to preposition relief goods; (iv) Infrastructure - transit 
infrastructure is critical to the timely movement of goods, such as. roads cold chain, warehouse 
storage and access to climate -controlled warehouses and zones. Those are additional challenges, 
but we also think there are opportunities for growth in those areas.  
9.6.  The delegate of Botswana, Coordinator of the LLDC Group,  indicated the following:  
9.7.  The WTO group of landlocked developing  country Members , in cooperation with the TFAF, 
organized a workshop on 13 to 14 June 2023 to bring together landlocked developing and transit 
country Members to identify key transit issues and possible solutions to prepare for the second WTO 
Trade Facilitation Committee dedicated session on transit under the theme " Overcoming Challenges 
in Trade and Transit Operations".  The workshop was attended by capital -based officials from 26 
landlocked developing and transit country Members and included speakers and p resentations from 
the WTO Secretariat and expert facilitators from UNCTAD , the World Bank Group , COMESA , EAC, 
OECD , WCO, and UNOHRLLS .  
9.8.  The specific topics covered during the workshop  included transit  coordination, corridors, 
guarantees, tracking and formalities . During the dedicated session held this morning, the 
participants of the workshop on transit issues presented the outcomes, key findings,  and solutions G/TFA/M/ 26 
 
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  for transit  issues, discussed during the workshops . Many thanks to the Chairperson of the Trade 
Facilitation Committee, Mr . Carlos Gue vara, for delivering the welcome remarks, the Ambassador of 
Kazakhstan, H.E. Madam A itzhanova, for moderat ing the session , and the Ambassador of Paraguay 
for his closing remarks . A more detailed report on the workshop will be shared at a later date . 
9.9.  On transit  coordination, participants identi fied varying procedures and formalities with 
neighbo ur Members, limited collaboration across borders and capacity development as key issues . 
Other issues identified  were the lack of dedicated transit coordinators and a trans-coordination  
network , solutions for addressing these issues included simplification, standardization and 
harmonization of procedures and working hours, establishing cross -border working groups for 
enhanced cooperation between neighbours and the creation of a transit coordinator in customs and 
all National Trade Facilitation Committees . The absence of regional or international guidelines on 
guarantees, including the lack of harmonization between neighbo urs, calculation and timely release 
of guaran tees were identified as key issues on the topic of guarantees . Proposed solutions for 
addressing these issues included, joint advocacy with the private sector , develop ing specific regional 
regulations and guarantees necessary for transit operations  along t he lines developed by COMESA , 
digitalization and automation of customs procedures concerning guarantees to include  cross-border 
connectivity and harmonize the methods of calculating g uarantees . Key issues relating to tracking 
and sealing included internal road checkpoints; the vulnerability of conventional seals to tampering  
and high costs. I n order to overcome these challenges, the implementation of technology -based 
solutions, capacit y building and effective management were recommended.  
9.10.  By utilizing technology, such as electronic tracking systems, the need for checkpoints and 
convoys can be eliminated, resulting in more efficient transit . Furthermore, it was suggested to  
explore the re moval of fees associated with freedom of transit under Article 11 of the TFA to 
streamline logistics operations . However, caution was advised  regarding the use of regional, 
affordable bonds a solution . At the border corridors, predominant issue s included t he interoperability 
and interconnectivity of transit data which identified the needs to have consistent assistance to share 
data across corridors . Various formalities and procedures in countries in the corridor route were 
inadequate with no mutual recognition of controls resulting in the delays in increasing cost of trading . 
Introducing international standards such as authorized economic operators , mutual recognition for 
customs and SPS , and digit alization of information are vital.  
9.11.  The challenges po sed by complex burdensome and excessive border formalities included 
unnecessary inspections at the border, lack of risk management in transit, lack of transparency on 
formalities for multimodal transport , other than road, coordination controls , and special  formalities 
in respect of special cargo, such as live animal s, over dimensioned  cargo, is lacking . Solutions  to 
mitigate these burdensome formalities included enhanced coordination, cooperation, harmonization 
and simplification of inspections and document ation, whereby encouraging the implementation of a 
one-stop-border facility , the use of non -intrusive  inspection equipment , coupled with the utilization 
of digital and automated means leading to less time in transit and trade more facilitative . 
The recomme ndations from the workshop stressed the need for finding implementation support for 
LLDCs, including enhanced donor coordination through NTFCs  and the TFAF, developing and using 
monitoring tools and conduct ing training for those tools and developing a nati onally coordinated 
approach to ensure prioritization of implementation of TFA commitment s. Another important point 
that came out of the workshop was to enhance the sustainability of the implementation support that 
was provided by the donors . 
9.12.  Further experience sharing was also envisaged as a way to take transi t issues  forward in the 
Trade Facilitation Committee . This included experience  sharing on  specific issues such as t ransit  
coordination cooperation, corridors , and formalities and on cross -cutting issues such as rules of 
origin and sanitary and phytosanitary measures applicable to goods in transit. O n technical 
assistance, the recommendations included, conduct ing needs assessments for M embers 
implementing the TFA, especially categor y C measu res and encouraging the submission of technical 
assistance requests to the TFAF by Members through th eir permanent mission s. 
9.13.  Further, on donor support, the workshop recommendations included encouraging donors to 
support monitoring and evaluating tools and provide more information on support provided on transit 
issues. F inally, other recommendations included establishing sub -committees on transit as part of 
NTFCs , conducting dedicated sessions and transit at the national and regional levels,  encouraging 
capital-based officials  to share experiences through their missions, as well as leveraging and learning 
from experiences of Members that have successfully implemented transit reforms .  G/TFA/M/ 26 
 
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  9.14.  Following the presentation by participants on key findings and recommendati ons coming out 
of the workshop, we heard presenters from several regional and international organizations, provide 
an overview of th eir support program mes for LLDC Members . The session included presentations by 
UNOHRLLS and the Vienna Programme of Action  by COMESA  on guarantee s, the EAC on tracking , 
the World Bank on transit corridors,  by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Mongolia on transit 
coordination, the WCO on formalities , and UNCTAD  on coordination . We are thankful to these 
organizations for participating in the workshop and for their continued support to the LLDCs as they 
tackle the transit issues. Follow-up work is necessary to explore how the Trade Facilitation 
Committee can best support the uptake of the recommendations made today . Findings from the 
workshop are available upon the request at the TFAF website . Our aim is for the outcome of this 
session to make a valuable contribution to the upcoming  Third United Nations Confer ence on 
Landlocked Developing Countries , which is set to take place from 18 to 22 June 2024 in Kigali , 
Rwanda . The Conference aims to formulate and adopt a renewed framework for international support 
to address the speci al needs of L LDCs and to strengthen partnership between L LDCs and transit  
countries and their development partners . The Conference will adopt a  decade long  Programme of 
Action for LLDCs  and it is key that solutions to transit and trade facilitation  are an integral part of 
this program me of action . Botswana feels  highly honoured  to be Chair of the Conference and look 
forward to further engage with member countries, international organizations , and partners to 
ensure a successful Conference . We also wish to take this opportunity to thank the Secretariat for 
its assistance with the preparation of the report.  
9.15.  The Chair indicated the following:  
9.16.  I would like to thank both the United States and Botswana as Coordinator  of the LLDC Group 
for their reports, and for organizing  such interesting and informative program mes for the transit 
session.  
9.17.  The recent  discussion s provided the Committee with detaile d information about  the challenges 
faced by land locked countries . More importantly , they have identified potential means of address ing 
the challenges. I encourage the landlocked countries to continue their work and to report back at 
each Committee meeting on the developments . There are two remaining dedicated sessions ahead 
of the next TFA review and we can continue to build on the discussions already held and on concrete 
steps identified to the two concrete outcomes by 2026.  
9.18.  The delegate of the United King dom indicated the following:  
9.19.  Coming back to the reflections on the discussion on disaster preparedness , we want to note 
our thanks to the US for spotlighting this issue and the speakers  who participated in the session . 
There was an excellent  range of presentations,  and t he US  has already done a very good job of 
summarizing the main points . It was interesting to hear about t he challenges of facilitating trade in 
relief goods and humanitarian goods when the crisis has not quite triggered a nati onal emergency . 
The session also  highlighted the importance of the support  to implement Article 7.8 of the TFA on 
expedited  shipments , giving some of  us some inspiration to come back and share those experiences 
to keep this conversation going.  
9.20.  That conclud ed agenda item 9.  
10  OTHER BUSINESS  
10.1.  The Chair indicated the following:  
10.2.  I would like to confirm that the dates of our October 2023 meeting will be  3 to 5 October. 
The Dedicated Session on Technical Assistance and Capacity Building Support will take place on 
5 October. With the aim of being better prepared for our October meeting, I would like to encourage 
Members to collect as much information as possible about technical assistance and capacity building 
needs and challenges. If Members could provide any inform ation before the meeting, this will help 
us to address these issues in the most practical and useful way possible.  
10.3.  As you heard several times during the meeting, it is my intention to hold an informal meeting 
to discuss a number of items – specifically, t he MC12 Implementation issues on the functioning of G/TFA/M/ 26 
 
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  the Committee and the WTO response to the Pandemic; the draft NTFC paper, and a look at re -
shaping the experience -sharing sessions. I intend to convene this meeting for the morning of 26  July. 
10.4.  I would als o like to let you know of the dates for 2024. Taking into consideration the Ministerial 
Conference next year, the first meeting of the CTF in 2024 will take place on 16 and 17 April. 
This meeting will include the dedicated session on transit issues. The se cond meeting will take place 
on 8 and 9 July , and finally, the third meeting of the year will take place from 15 to 17 October. 
Once again, the October meeting will include the Dedicated Session on Technical Assistance and 
Capacity Building Support which w ill take place on 17 October.  
10.5.  Before I close the meeting, I would like to recall that this Organization follows various cycles 
and that the arrival of summer is an opportunity to welcome new delegates and to say goodbye to  
others , I would like to welcome all the new delegates and I would like you to know that the 
Secretariat and myself are here at your service for any consultations you may need on the work of 
this Committee. I would also like to wish farewell  to colleagues ending their mandate here in Gene va.  
10.6.  The Committee agreed  to invite the Annex D organizations, as well as the Global Alliance on 
Trade Facilitation, to the next Committee meeting.  
10.7.  That concluded  agenda item 10.  
10.8.  The meeting was adjourned . 
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  ANNEX 11 
PRESENTATION BY THE SECRETARIAT – UPDATE ON RATIFICATIONS AND NOTIFICATIONS  
 
 
 
 
 
1 In English only.  
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  ANNEX 2 
DEDICATED SESSION OF TRANSIT ISSUES  OF LANDLOCKED COUNTRY MEMBERS  
Disaster Preparedness:  A View from the Border of Land -Locked Developing Countries  
Programme  
16 June 2023  
In March 2023, the WTO Secretariat organized a panel discussion to share experiences and highlight 
the challenges WTO Members, aid agencies, and non -governmental organizations face in moving 
humanitarian aid and relief supplies across international borders during times of disaster, whatever 
form it may take. The intent of this panel discussion is to identify future work the TFC could 
undertake to streaml ine and expedite humanitarian shipments.   
 
This follow -up panel discussion examine d the specific challenges LLDCs, aid agencies, and 
non-governmental organizations face in moving humanitarian aid and relief supplies across 
international borders during time s of disaster.   
 
The panel discussion is part of the WTO Trade Facilitation Committee Dedicated Session of Transit 
Issues of Landlocked Country Members.  
 
 
  AGENDA ITEM  
Welcome remarks and introduction of panel lists  
 
Ms. Christina Kopitopoulos , Deputy Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for WTO and 
Multilateral Affairs (Moderator)  
 
Panel discussion on Disaster Preparedness among LLDCs to identify future work the TFC could 
undertake to streamline and expedite humanitarian shipments.  
 
Panellists 
 
• Ms. Lydia MATAPO , Deputy Permanent Representative to the WTO, Zambia  
• Mr. Gobinda Bahadur KARKEE , Joint Secretary, Ministry of Industry, Commerce 
and Supplies, Nepal  
• Mr. Samnang CHEA , Head of International Affairs  at the General Department of 
Custo ms and Excise of Cambodia, and a member of Cambodia's National Trade 
Facilitation Committee Secretariat  
• Ms. Virginie BOHL , Working Group on Customs and Humanitarian Relief 
(IMPACCT)  
• Mr. Jean -Cedric MEEUS , Chief Global Transport, United Nations International 
Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) Supply Division  
• Mr. Sebastien CAZENAVE , Senior Director, Global Logistics & Supply Chain, 
International Medical Corps  
 
Key findings and solutions for the issues dis cussed  
 
Audience Q&A  
 
Closing:  Wrap up and next steps  
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  ANNEX 3 
DEDICATED SESSION ON TRANSIT FOR THE LANDLOCKED DEVELOPING COUNTRIES  
"Overcoming Challenges in Trade and Transit Operations"  
Programme  
16 June 2023 
 
 
 
__________  AGENDA ITEM  
Welcome remarks  
 
• Mr Carlos S. Guevara  (Ecuador), Trade Facilitation Committee Chairperson  
• H.E Ms Zhanar Aitzhanova, Ambassador of Kazakhstan  
 
Presentation of the outcomes of the Workshop on Transit for Landlocked Developing and Transit 
WTO Members that was held on June 13-14 
 
• Key findings and solutions for the priority issues identified : 
- Ms Khetsiwe Khumbuzile Marina Makhanya, Eswatini, Mr Gildas Kevin Assambou, 
Gabon and Mr Ashfaq Ahmad, Pakistan  
 
• Recommendations for Taking Transit Issues Forward in the Trade Facilita tion Committee :  
-  Ms Constance Zhanje, Zimbabwe  
 
Presentations by International Organizations on an overview of their support programmes for 
LLDCs and sharing of experience by an LLDC transit Member  
 
• Vienna Programme of Action  - Ms. Gladys Mutangadura, UNOHRLLS  
• Guarantees  - Mr. Berhane Giday Kassa, COMESA  and Mr. Charles Chaitezvi, COMESA  
• Tracking  - Mr. Evariste Munyampundu, EAC 
• Transit Corridors  - Mr. William Gain, World Bank  
• Transit  Coordination  - Ms. Ariunaa Adiya, Department of Foreign Trade and Economic 
Cooperation - Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mongolia  
• Formalities  - Mr. Phuntsho Dorji, WCO 
• Coordination  - Mr. Poul Hansen, UNCTAD  
Closing  
 
• H.E Mr Raul Cano Ricciardi, Ambassador of Paraguay