WTO members gathered on 16 May for the inaugural meeting of the Committee on Trade Facilitation, the body responsible for overseeing implementation of the WTO’s historic Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA).
Concluded at the WTO’s 2013 Bali Ministerial Conference, the TFA entered into force on 22 February 2017 following its ratification by two-thirds of the WTO membership. In line with the Agreement, the Committee on Trade Facilitation was established in order to provide WTO members a forum to consult on matters related to the operation of the TFA and the advancement of its objectives.
At the inaugural meeting, members elected Ambassador Daniel Blockert (Sweden) as chair of the committee.
“Having the committee now in session marks an important milestone in our longstanding efforts to foster the facilitation of trade around the globe,” Ambassador Blockert said. “We have finally reached the stage where our collective engagement over the past years is bearing fruit. In doing so, we are testimony of what can be achieved – even under challenging circumstances – when working in coalitions of a common cause.”
This was excerpted from a 16 May 2017 news item by the World Trade Organization.