RD/COMTD/AFT/8* 
9 November 2023  
 Page: 1/3 
Committee on Trade and Development  
(Aid for Trade)  Original: English  
 
  
UNOFFICIAL ROOM DOCUMENT1 
COMMITTEE ON TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT – 59TH SESSION ON AID FOR TRADE  
STATEMENT BY THE TRADE FACILITATION AGREEMENT FACILITY  
14 November 2023  
 
 
Comité du commerce et du développement (Aide pour le commerce)  
 
DOCUMENT DE S ÉANCE NON OFFICIEL1 
COMMITTEE ON TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT – 59TH SESSION ON AID FOR TRADE  
STATEMENT BY THE TRADE FACILITATION AGREEMENT FACILITY  
14 November 2023  
 
 
Comité de Comercio y Desarrollo (Ayuda para el Comercio)  
 
DOCUMENTO DE SALA NO OF ICIAL1 
COMMITTEE ON TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT – 59TH SESSION ON AID FOR TRADE  
STATEMENT BY THE TRADE FACILITATION AGREEMENT FACILITY  
14 November 2023  
 
_______________  
  
 
* In Original language only/En langue originale seulement/En el idioma original solamente.  
1 Documents issued in the RD series are not official WTO documents. They usually appear in their 
language of submission and will not be translated systematically into the working languages of the WTO. They 
are intended for use in WTO meeting rooms and are a ttributed an unofficial symbol for archiving purposes only.  
Les documents de la série RD ne sont pas des documents officiels de l 'OMC. Ils ne paraissent 
généralement que dans la langue dans laquelle ils ont été communiqués et ne seront pas systématiquement 
traduits dans les langues de travail de l'OMC. Ils sont destinés aux salles de réunion de l'OMC et une cote non 
officielle leur est attribuée à des fins d'archivage.  
Los documentos de la serie RD no son documentos oficiales de la OMC. Por lo general se distribuyen en 
el idioma en que han sido presentados y no se traduce n sistemáticamente a los idiomas de trabajo de la 
Organización. Se distribuyen para su uso en las salas de reunión de la OMC y se les asigna una signatura no 
oficial a efecto s de archivo únicamente.  RD/COMTD/AFT/8  
 
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  REPORT TFAF TO CTD, 59TH SESSION ON AFT UNDER AGENDA ITEM II MAINSTREAMING.  
 
1  OVERVIEW OF TFAF  
1.1  WTO Members launched the Trade Facilitation Agreement Facility (TFAF or Facility) on 22 July 
2014 to address concerns pertaining to the adequacy and accessibility of donor support to fully 
implement the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement. It is operated by t he WTO Secretariat and funded 
by WTO Members on a voluntary basis. Its primary goal, defined in G/TFA/3  from 5 April  2022 is to 
support the WTO Committee on Trade Facilitation's work in relation to assisting developing and LDC 
Members in implementing the Agreement.  
1.2  The TFAF has four pillars of activities: i) the Grant Programme; ii) Technical Assistance and 
Capaci ty Building; iii) Engagement with Annex D and Development partners, and iv) Maintain the 
TFAF website. TFAF' activities are monitored by WTO Members through regular and annual reports 
to the Committee on Trade Facilitation. The Committee through a represen tative group of Members 
prepares the annual work plan.   
1.3  Work undertaken by TFAF since 2014 has been conducted in three phases:  
• Phase I until the entry into force of the TFA. TFAF assisted members through needs assessments 
and national activities to prepare the category A, B, C list of provisions, and to assist Members 
with the ratification process.  
• Phase II between the entry into  force and the deadline for notification of categories A, B; and C 
(August 2022) for LDC Members. TFAF assisted members through national and regional activities 
to prepare their notifications including the identification of Technical Assistance and Capacit y 
Building needs and definitive timelines for implementation. During this phase, TFAF also assisted 
Members in identifying TACB support through its grant programme and matchmaking activities 
in Geneva and through its website.  
• Phase III after all Member hav e provided their category and TCAB notifications until the TFA is 
fully implemented by all WTO Members. TFAF assists Members in identifying TACB support 
through its grant programme and matchmaking activities in Geneva. It may also support project 
implement ation needs where no other development partner steps forward. Furthermore, TFAF 
promotes coherence and the identification of best practices for trade facilitation related TACB 
amongst its partners through regular coordination meetings and knowledge work.  
1.4  TFAF work to date has been delivered mainly 
through regional TACB and matchmaking activities 
(see chart right). It is expected that the Projects 
and National TACB will increase in the current 
Phase III.  
2  IMPLEMENTATION PROGRESS OF TFA  
2.1  The WTO Tr ade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) 
entered into force on 22 February 2017. A total of 
156 WTO Members ratified the Agreement as of 
today, representing 95.1% of the total WTO 
membership. In terms of implementation progress, 
the notification deadlines for deve loping country 
Members and LDCs were by and large met:  
2.2  One hundred and twenty developing and LDC Members (96%) have presented their Category 
ABC designations. Over 95% of developing and LDC Members have presented notifications of 
definitive dates for the implementation of their Category B and C designations, and details on their 
technical assistance and capacity building (TACB) needs required to implement their Category C 
designations.  
RD/COMTD/AFT/8  
 
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  2.3.  A full and up -to-date analysis of all ratifications and notif ications can be found on the TFA 
Database2. For more details on the TFAF efforts to support the notifications process, recent annual 
reports3 contain analysis and case studies.  
2.4  The implementation rate of the WTO TFA measured by the definitive dates notified, is currently 
77% globally with developed Members implementing at a rate of 100%, developing Members 
implementing at a rate of 80%, and LDC Members implementing at a rate of 44.4%.  
2.5  Measured by the definitive implementation dates notified, by 2029 Members expect to have 
implemented over 95% of the Agreement, while 4.4% remains undefined due to outstanding 
notifications. This establishes a horizon for current implementation efforts.  
2.6  In the next five years therefore, the TFAF work will focus  on assisting Members identifying 
implementation partners and seeking to fill implementation capacity gaps within the notified 
definitive dates for the category C commitments.  
3  TRENDS  
3.1  Donors and development partners have made trade facilitation related TACB available through 
regional and national programmes and projects. On an annual basis, they notify the Committee on 
TF their past and future support. Developing country and LDC Members however point out continued 
challenges accessin g the available assistance, for WTO TFA -related implementation needs. 
Difficulties include programming cycle and procedures, the prioritization of areas of intervention and 
objectives by donors, and the lack of domestic coordination in the Members' countri es. Members 
expressed concerns that the notified definitive dates for the implementation of category C may not 
be met due to additional time needed to identify, agree and finalise TACB interventions.  
3.2  As a way forward, strengthening the role of the Nat ional Trade Facilitation Committees for 
engaging with donors and development partners has been encouraged as well as recognizing the 
need to prepare implementation plans, combining national resources and efforts with long -term 
support and small -scale short -term activities.  
3.3  Of the remaining implementation gaps it can be observed that many Members are now moving 
to a more mature TFA implementation. Members that have successfully reached a basic level of 
implementation capacity, are now seeking to deepen  and stabilise the reforms to leverage a higher 
impact. Members also start addressing more complex areas of the TFA requiring effective 
cross-government coordination, mainstreaming of simplified procedures within Customs and other 
agencies, and more truste d relationship with the private sector.  
 
 
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2 Notifications Matrix | TFAD - Trade Facilitation Agreement Database (tfadatabase.org)  
3 Annual Reports & Workplans | TFAF (tfafacility.org)