G/TFA/W/91  
 
10 March 2023  
(23-1811) Page: 1/4 
Committee on Trade Facilitation  Original: English  
 
PROPOSAL ON THE SIX PRINCIPLES OF SHARED PRACTICE OF SUCCESSFUL  
NATIONAL TRADE FACILITATION COMMITTEES ( NTFCS ) 
COMMUNICATION FROM THE UNITED STATES  
The following communication, dated 10 March 2023, is being circulated at the request of the 
delegation of the United States.  
 
_______________  
 
 
Further to the U.S. notification of experience sharing entitled the Structure and Role of the 
U.S. National Trade Facilitation Committee (G/TFA/W/5 ), and the Four -Year Review of the Trade 
Facilitation Agreement, the United States shares the following communication.  
 
1  INTRODUCTION  
1.1.  Since the entry into f orce of the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA), Members of the Committee 
on Trade Facilitation have shared their experiences about key elements essential for a well -
functioning National Trade Facilitation Committees (NTFC) capable of implementing the TFA. Each 
Member is required to establish or maintain an NTFC consistent with Article 23.2 of the TFA:  
Each Member shall establish and/or maintain a national committee on trade facilitation or 
designate an existing mechanism to facilitate both domestic coordina tion and implementation 
of the provisions of this Agreement.  
 
1.2.  Since 2017, Members and international organizations have submitted over 25 presentations 
and papers about NTFCs. While the experiences put forward in these presentations and papers are 
specific to each NTFC and reflect their different structures, prioritie s, and needs, the United  States 
has identified key cross -cutting principles shared by most successful NTFCs.1 
2  KEY ELEMENTS OF SUCCESSFUL NTFCS  
2.1.  Three cross -cutting principles for NTFCs were highlighted almost universally among the 
experience sharing:  
• High-level political support for the NTFC, with a clear structure to the committee : Some 
Members created their NTFC by, and had the structures of their NTFC set forth in, 
Presidential Proclamations, legislative actions, or government orders. Some Members 
empha sized the importance of the NTFC being led by a high -level official in an effort to 
impart  authority to the NFTC 's decision -making processes. In most cases, successful 
NTFCs had clear structures established at high political levels.  
• Wide participation and  representation by border authorities and other government 
ministries : Some NTFCs name the agencies and organizations required to participate in 
the committee structure, while others use pre -existing mechanisms. Some NTFCs are 
led by a department of commer ce or a ministry of trade, while others are led by customs 
administrations. Some NTFCs include port infrastructure authorities, customs brokers, 
 
1 The United States provides an analysis of these interventions and presentations in the annex to this 
communication.  G/TFA/W/91  
 
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  and supply chain and logistics sector personnel. Regardless of the particular leadership 
structure, most succes sful NTFCs incorporate participation from a wide range of 
authorities with regulatory authority for goods crossing the border. Such wide -ranging 
participation, especially of border authorities, contributes to clear NTFC priority -setting, 
better border agen cy coordination, and better outcomes.   
3  PRIVATE -SECTOR PARTICIPATION  
3.1.  All Members emphasized the importance of the participation and role of the private -sector in 
the creation and functioning of the NTFC. Effective NTFCs were presented as being dynamic and 
responsive to both private -sector and public -sector needs and interests. Some Members invited the 
private -sector to be part of the NTFC itself; some made private -sector individuals the vice -chair of 
the NTFC; some had private -sector advisories or advisory boards; and some provided public notice 
about NTFC meetings and sought public comments. Across the board, private -sector involvement 
has been key to NTFC success.   
4  OTHER IMPORTANT ELEMENTS  
4.1.  Although not cited as consistently, the following principles can a lso play an important role in 
the development and success of an NTFC:  
• Communication Flow : Bi-directional information sharing between government officials 
and the private -sector is a critical aspect of the functioning of an NTFC. Communication 
and prioritiz ation of goals, needs, and experiences provide a forum for creating solutions 
and plans of action. The flow of information also needs to flow up and down among the 
NTFC participants. This communication flow allows decision -making to follow a 
predictable pa th; decisions to be effectively delegated; and issues to be effectively 
elevated for resolution.  
• Clear Goals/Priorities : Many Members shared that NTFCs actually fulfilled a number of 
different roles and had multiple functions. Some Members used their NTFC to monitor 
and ensure consistency in positions and priorities on cross -cutting issues and projects, 
such as supporting bilateral, regional, plurilateral, and multilateral forums. Some 
Members used the NTFC as the basis to set up working groups to gather in formation 
and expertise throughout the border areas and supply chain. Others used the NTFC to 
ensure domestic coordination and implementation of trade facilitation initiatives from 
legislation to implementation, including the automation of documents and pr ocesses. 
Whatever the mandate of the NTFC, experience sharing showed an NTFC works better 
when its scope and objectives are clear.  
• Tracking, monitoring, and responsibility : There should be a mechanism and 
methodology to track and monitor the progress of N TFC decision -making, the 
implementation status of NTFC decisions, and the effectiveness of those decisions. 
Setting out clear lines of responsibility and identifying a lead for the implementation of 
decisions can be very effective in helping to coordinate NTFC members, maintain 
motivation, and encourage feedback to the NTFC as a whole. That feedback is necessary 
to be able to quantify the results of NTFC decisions and report to the wider public on 
NTFC accomplishments.  
4.2.  Finally, some Members noted that the f requency of meetings should not remain static, but 
instead reflect the current phase of work. In other words, meetings should reflect the urgency of 
current and upcoming work, but should not be regimented during lulls or create unnecessary 
bureaucracy.  
5  CONCLUSION  
5.1.  NTFC practices and function should be dynamic and responsive to both the public -sector and 
private -sector. The NTFC should be seen as a place for collaboration and coordination leading to 
decision -making that results in concrete results. There shou ld be clear structure, hierarchy, and an 
understanding of roles and responsibilities. Information should be shared in all directions and 
decision -making supported and delegated as appropriate. There should be accountability, G/TFA/W/91  
 
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  monitoring, and evaluations of decisions, as they are implemented and afterwards. The NTFC can 
fulfill a number of requirements and roles and should be viewed and used as a multi -faceted tool for 
Members.  
 
5.2.  Reflecting on the over 25 experience -sharing papers and presentations, and the in numerable 
interventions made by delegations sharing their experiences, the Committee should 
[adopt][endorse] these six principles as shared practices of successful NTFCs:  
1. High-level political support for the NTFC, with a clear committee structure . 
2. Wide participation and representation by border authorities and other government 
ministries . 
3. Private -sector participation . 
4. Communication flow . 
5. Clear goals and priorities . 
6. Tracking, monitoring, and responsibility . 
5.3.  We look forward to hearing from other Members on the principles outlined in this 
communication, and look forward to the Committee [taking a decision/acting on] the 
[adoption][endorsement] of the Six Principles of Shared Practice of Successful NTFCs.  
  
  G/TFA/W/91  
 
- 4 - ANNEX I: MATRIX OF MEMBERS ' EXPERIENCE -SHARING ON NFTC BEST PRACTICES  
 Six Principles of Shared Practice of Successful NTFCs  
 High -level political 
support, with clear 
Committee 
structure  Wide participation 
and representation 
by border authorities 
and other gov 't 
ministries  Private -sector 
participation  Communication 
Flow  Tracking, 
monitoring, and 
responsibility  Clear Goals/  
Priorities  
United States  ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 
India ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 
Angola  ✓ ✓ ✓   ✓ 
Kyrgyz Republic  ✓ ✓ ✓    
Honduras  ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓  
Norway  ✓ ✓ ✓  ✓ ✓ 
Sri Lanka  ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓  ✓ 
Costa Rica, Mexico, 
Paraguay, Uruguay  ✓ ✓ ✓   ✓ 
Ecuador  
(Video)  ✓ ✓ ✓    
Chile ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓  ✓ 
Paraguay   ✓ ✓   ✓ 
Egypt  ✓ ✓ ✓    
Montenegro  ✓ ✓ ✓  ✓ ✓ 
Thailand  ✓ ✓ ✓  ✓ ✓ 
Pakistan  ✓ ✓ ✓   ✓ 
Togo  ✓ ✓ ✓    
Dominican Republic  ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 
Brazil  ✓ ✓ ✓   ✓ 
Türkiye ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓   
 
 
 __________