Trade Facilitation Agreement Facility attracting “strong support”

The Director-General said:

“The Trade Facilitation Agreement Facility has gotten off to an excellent start and is beginning to fulfil its mission which is to help members to get the support they need in this area — and, where necessary, to provide funds.

“I am delighted that the UK has recently committed just over 700,000 Francs and that Norway has pledged funding of 5 million francs over the next two years. This is in addition to the 100,000 francs which has been generously donated by Austria, and funds which we are carrying forward from previous years of approximately 1 million Swiss Francs. I look forward to announcing further donations as soon as they have been finalized.

“This support is a real boost to the Facility, and to all of our efforts to deliver on the promises that were made in Bali — particularly where they benefit our developing and least-developed members.” 

It is expected that the Facility's funding will significantly exceed the amount which was available in recent years through the two WTO trade facilitation technical assistance programmes. However, while funding is a crucial element of the Facility, the Director-General also pointed out that its core purpose is to help members to access the support that they need. In most cases this will mean connecting members with bilateral donors or with projects run by other international organisations. He said that success in making these connections would be the key test of the Facility's effectiveness. The Director-General continued:

“It is very encouraging that no request for help from members has so far gone unmet. Nevertheless I have asked the WTO Secretariat to redouble its efforts to reach out to developing and least-developed members to discuss their short and long-term needs, and to ensure that they are being met. I am very optimistic about the future of the Facility and the support that it can help members to access.”

The Facility was developed together with the Coordinators of the Africa, LDC and ACP Groups and in consultation with donors. It was designed to do four things:

• First, to support LDCs and developing countries to assess their specific needs and identify possible development partners to help them meet those needs. 

• Second, to ensure the best possible conditions for the flow of information between donors and recipients by creating an information-sharing platform for the demand and supply of TFA-related technical assistance.

• Third, to help Members to access the help they need, so that they can receive the necessary donor funding to implement their projects (and if this process proves difficult then, under the Facility, members can formally request the Director-General to act as a facilitator in securing funds for project implementation).

• Fourth, to provide funds for the exceptional cases where countries have made thorough attempts to find assistance but have failed to receive the support they need.