The WTO TFA entered into force on February 22, 2017, and is designed to enhance the processes and procedures for cross-border trade through expediting the movement, release and clearance of goods, including goods in transit. For further details on the provisions of the agreement, visit: https://www.tfafacility.org/trade-facilitation-agreement-facility

Section I of the Agreement contains 12 Articles (or 36 technical measures) on the procedures and requirements to expedite the movement, release and clearance of goods, including goods in transit. In addition, Section III of the Agreement includes Article 23.2, which requires all WTO Members to establish a national trade facilitation committee (NTFC). These add to a total of 13 articles or 37 measures that are evaluated by this tool.

The visuals in this tool are based on findings from the gap assessments supported by WBG based on request for assistance by client countries. Data for the TFA tracking tool is derived by the WBG team through stakeholder interviews; first-hand observations in the field; and, a high-level review of regulations and legislation. Stakeholder interviews include key operational officials in customs, quarantine, health, bureau of standards, trade, and other relevant government agencies as well as the private sector.

The main objective of the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) Country Tracking Tool is to examine alignment from both a legal perspective (de jure) and an implementation of policies to facilitate trade perspective (de facto). In the first instance, the tool is designed to help countries evaluate, benchmark, and report on their level of alignment with the WTO TFA.

While the TFA does not always impose an obligation on Member States to implement certain measures and, in many cases, allows a significant degree of flexibility, the focus of the tool is not on compliance in a narrow sense but on full and effective implementation. As an example, while TFA Article 7.4 states that “each member shall, to the extent possible, adopt or maintain a risk management system for customs control,” for the purposes of the tool, risk management should be adopted for customs control and other technical controls in order for a country to be considered fully aligned with the measure.

In assessing country alignment with the TFA, the tool takes a whole-of-government. This means that all relevant agencies should, in principle, be aligned in order for a country to receive full credit. However, in order to keep the assessment manageable, four agencies have been selected as representative of the state of alignment of the government as a whole. Where a technical measure involves implementation by multiple authorities, the Tracking Tool requires the technical measure to be assessed separately from the perspective of each of the following four border authorities that exercise border control functions:

1. agency responsible for administration of the customs laws
2. agency responsible for product standards/conformity assessment controls
3. agency responsible for plant phytosanitary controls / plant health / plant quarantine / biosecurity)
4. agency responsible for food safety controls OR agency responsible for animal health / veterinary controls

These four authorities were selected as the border authorities most commonly responsible in implementation of TFA measures.

The tool does not assign more weight to a particular set of measures than to others

In the Tracking Tool, the TFA provisions are divided into 37 technical measures. For each of these measures, the tool breaks down the elements needed in order for a country to be considered fully aligned. Performance on each measure is scored according to three equally weighted dimensions of (i) legal/policy, (ii) implementing procedures, and (iii) operational check in the determination of a country’s overall score. In assessing country alignment, the Tracking Tool takes a whole-of-government approach for the 37 technical measures of the TFA.

Data for the TFA tracking tool is derived by the WBG team through stakeholder interviews; first-hand observations in the field; and, a high-level review of regulations and legislation. Stakeholder interviews include key operational officials in customs, quarantine, health, bureau of standards, trade, and other relevant government agencies as well as the private sector.

Please contact Trade Facilitation Support Program (TFSP) at TFSP@worldbankgroup.org.

The TFA Country Tracking Tool is built for TFA change agents and features multi-user, secure, and controlled accessibility.
Apart from the public homepage, the on-line tool is strictly limited to vetted users. Registration procedures and profile management follow strict data access requirements.

The platform displays technical and detailed reference data that is easy to use for key TFA stakeholders. Accessibility, under strict conditions, is provided to the World Bank Group and client countries (i.e., WBG staff and experts, client countries’ National Committees on Trade Facilitation, and national representatives of border agencies). It offers a user-centric experience by managing the different user profiles in a secured environment and offering customized features and functions to collect and analyze data.

For further information, please contact Trade Facilitation Support Program (TFSP) at TFSP@worldbankgroup.org.

Please contact Trade Facilitation Support Program (TFSP) at TFSP@worldbankgroup.org.