Establishing Well Functioning National Trade Facilitation Bodies (NTFBs)
In the OIC Member States
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 Regular frequency in the meetings
The regularity and frequency of meetings has been proven to impact the sustainability of an NTFB.
Establishing fixed dates/times for meetings promotes the participation of members because they can
plan in advance their attendance/participation. The promotion of participation also has a positive
impact on the motivation levels among members. Moreover, frequent/regular meetings are very
important in terms of allowing for the monitoring and follow up of the NTFB’s activities.
4.4.2.3. The third phase: in order to have a sustainable NTFB, these elements are
recommended
 Follow up reports with goals achieved (traffic light approach)
In addition to the surveillance and monitoring mechanism, the NTFB staff should also have the
opportunity to regularly report on its work and the operational functioning of the NTFB. This would
provide an opportunity to highlight what is and is not working, what has been achieved and what
challenges have been faced, as well as proposals for steps to improve the functioning of the NTFB and
to take corrective actions so that obstacles to the implementation of decisions and policies can be
overcome.
 Surveillance and Compliance Mechanism of agreements reached in NTFBs
meetings
In order to ensure that an NTFB is sustainable and well-functioning over time, it is essential to
present concrete results and/or to monitor the results that it achieve. These types of mechanisms are
distinct from the follow up conducted through regular meetings. While such surveillance and
compliance mechanisms are not often used in a systemic way, they are perceived as highly valuable
to give life to evaluation and monitoring techniques developed in response to the adapted to the
needs of trade facilitation bodies.
 Implementation of agreements reached in the NTFBs meetings through
alternative dispute settlement mechanisms
Incorporating alternative means of dispute settlement such as: negotiation, mediation, good offices
or even, arbitration, provides certainty to the stakeholders that the agreements taken in the NTFB
that haven’t been implemented, they will be overtime.
 Development of a webpage
Webpages are particularly important to raise awareness about work being done by NTFBs and to
keep stakeholders (including the general public) informed. Webpages can strengthen the NTFB’s role
as a platform for dialogue with the private sector, as well as its role for coordination.
High levels of computer illiteracy among trade facilitation body members in the poorest countries,
and/or the lack of internet access in many agencies, can be major challenges in this regard and
should be taken into account depending on the circumstances (e.g., by allocating additional training
and resources). This is why is only recommended at the third stage because requires financial
resources, and time.
 Involvement of Private Sector in every field activity