Establishing Well Functioning National Trade Facilitation Bodies (NTFBs)
In the OIC Member States
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WTO Members must comply with the WTO treaties. Thus, the inclusion of trade facilitation – and
specifically NTFBs – on the WTO agenda was very significant.
Genesis of WTO negotiations on Trade Facilitation
At the 1996 Singapore Ministerial Conference Ministers from WTO Members decided to focus on
particular issues as part of the Doha Development Agenda negotiations and to set up a number of
new working groups. These issues became known as the “Singapore issues”. Over time certain issues
were dropped from the agenda because they were perceived as too challenging to tackle, e.g.
investment and competition policy. By 2004, Members decided to focus on trade facilitation rather
than in the other challenging issues.
Culmination of negotiations: The WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA)
As part of the broader “Bali package”, WTO Members concluded negotiations on the WTO’s Trade
Facilitation Agreement at the 9 th Ministerial Conference in Bali in December 2013. Pursuant to the
WTO’s Trade Facilitation Agreement, Members undertook certain obligations. Unlike other WTO
Agreements, the contours of substantive obligations under the TFA vary depending on the particular
circumstances of the respective Members and the extent of the obligations that Members agree to
accept. However, an obligation concerning NTFBs appears to apply to all Members. This obligation is
contained in Article 23.2 of the Trade Facilitation Agreement, which obliges “[e]ach Member [to]
establish and/or maintain a national committee on trade facilitation or designate an existing
mechanism to facilitate both domestic coordination and implementation of the provisions of the
Agreement”.
1.4. Rationale For Establishing National Trade Facilitation Bodies (NTFBs)
Various reasons for the establishment of NTFBs are well documented. These include practical
reasons (i.e., their establishment facilitates trade) and legal reasons (i.e., WTO Members are now
legally obliged to establish NTFBs).
The following list provides an overview of the widely accepted inter-related reasons underlying the
rationale for establishment and maintenance of NTFBs. NTFBs are important:
 As platforms for institutional coordination (between relevant agencies with trade facilitation
roles) and stakeholders' consultation, with public and private participation thus also
increasing confidence between the various actors.
 To enable the planning and implementation of positive trade facilitation reforms. In this
regard, NTFBs may advise government and agencies with trade facilitation mandates on how
to most effectively work towards trade facilitation.
 To foster trade facilitation in general, for example through:
o The identification of issues affecting the cost and efficiency of the relevant countries’
international trade.
o The development of measures aimed at reducing the cost and improving the
efficiency of international trade – e.g., the drafting of proposals and
recommendations for measures aimed at the simplification, harmonization and