Establishing Well Functioning National Trade Facilitation Bodies (NTFBs)
In the OIC Member States
26
2. NTFBs: A WORLDWIDE OVERVIEW
2.1. Introduction
NTFBs vary from country to country in terms of: membership, institutional structure,
responsibilities, functions, sources of funding, etc. This section aims to draw out some of the
differences that exist between NTFBs and to highlight the main features of NTFBs that are considered
“top performers” (i.e. Sweden, Japan, South Korea and Singapore).40
2.1.1. Types of National Trade Facilitation Bodies
While the essence and overall goals of NTFBs are shared, differences in the form of NTFBs result
from the diversity of needs depending on particular country circumstances and the different
perspectives on trade facilitation that exist.
The main types of NTFBs established worldwide include the following:
 PRO Committees are independent entities that are often of a public nature, receiving
funding from the public sector. PRO Committees’ structure and roles are outlined in the
UNECE Recommendation No. 4. They address the facilitation of procedures across all modes
of transport, identify bottlenecks to trade, and promote solutions.
 National Trade and Transport Facilitation Committees (NTTFC) have a broader scope
than that of the PRO Committees. UNCEFACT Recommendation No. 4 was revised in 1999 to
encompass NTTFCs. In many countries, they receive support/technical assistance from UN
Regional Commissions, UNCTAD and the World Bank. NTTFCs act as consultative inter-
institutional bodies with the purposes of promoting facilitation, studying international trade
and transport regulations, preparing recommendations and creating transparency on major
trade and transport issues.
 National Trade Facilitation Committees are coordination mechanisms that seek to
streamline trade procedures and implement trade facilitation measures at national levels.41
 WTO Negotiations on Trade Facilitation Support Groups are intrinsically related to the
WTO TFA and were created to support negotiators based in Geneva or delegates from capital
during the negotiations on trade facilitation as part of the Doha Development Agenda.
2.1.2. Overview: Data on NTFBs in the world
UNCTAD has gathered data on more than 80 countries and found the following distribution of
NTFB types:42
40 These countries have been chosen because they are ranked at the top in the Trading Across Borders (TAB) index from the Doing
Business 2015 report by the World Bank.
41 Moreover, some countries also participate in regional trade facilitation committees, such as EUROPRO (for all European Pro-
committees); SECIPRO (for the PRO Committees in Southeast Europe), and the Trade Facilitation Committee for the European Free
Trade Association (EFTA).
42 Belastegui, A.Sánchez, Trade Facilitation Bodies in the World: Ad Hoc Expert Meeting on Trade Facilitation Committees 4 July
2014, Geneva, p. 3-5.