Establishing Well Functioning National Trade Facilitation Bodies (NTFBs)
In the OIC Member States
111
In order to clearly set out what the NTFB will do and how it will do it on a sustainable basis, terms of
reference should be defined in a comprehensive and inclusive way so as to ensure trust within the
group of stakeholders/members. Terms of reference should be agreed by all stakeholders, reflect
their common understanding, and be drafted in a way that achieves a balance between the precision
and concreteness required for the operation of an NTFB and flexibility that an NTFB requires. Ideally,
the terms of reference should include provisions on objectives, purposes, activities, structure, etc.
 Work Plan
Having a defined plan for how work will be undertaken and results achieved is important for the
working structure of the NTFB. The work plan should be appropriate; i.e., it is important that the
work plan reflect the actual needs of all stakeholders including the private sector stakeholders.
 Having a permanent location for holding its meetings
Regular meetings are crucial for NTFBs to function successfully. While meetings may take various
forms (e.g. focus group, brainstorming meetings, etc.), a permanent location for the regular meetings
of the NTFB’s members is important for providing certainty to the members and avoid costs of
holding meetings at external places (i.e. such as hotels, conference lodgings, etc). Like many other
elements, this will have budgetary implications.
 Permanent Secretariat
In order to ensure the functioning of an NTFB, the NTFB needs appropriate members and strategic
direction/a board (both discussed previously). For operational purposes, an NTFB also requires a
secretariat that will carry out the day-to-day running of the NTFB (including possibly an executive
secretary/manager).
Best practice suggests that this secretariat should be permanent and that attention should be paid to
ensuring that it receives appropriate funding and has sufficient human resources.171
 Frequency of Meetings
Frequency of meetings will need to be established and should reflect the NTFB’s structure and the
commitment/needs of the members. For example, technical committees will meet at least four times
a year to solve major issues.
The regularity and frequency of meetings is also an issue that straddles phase two and, as such, is
discussed in more detail below.
 Legal Framework
Deciding whether the NTFB will be established by decree or another instrument will formalize its
terms of reference and provide legal value to all the above-mentioned elements. This formalization,
or institutionalization, can also act as a useful signal as to the commitment of the political groupings
to the functioning of the NTFB and thus encourage participation and ex ante prevent conflicts of
interest.
171 UNCTAD, National Trade Facilitation Bodies in the World (New York and Geneva, 2014), p. 37.