Regional organizations will play a key role in advancing trade facilitation and in implementing measures that may result from a multilateral agreement on trade facilitation.

Trade facilitation

Trade and transport facilitation and development Trade facilitation and regional integration Private sector expectations from the WTO negotiations on trade facilitation Implementation of trade facilitation measures Conclusions and the way forward

guiding principles that should be taken into account when designing a new WTO Agreement on trade facilitation.

The Framework Agreement on WTO Doha round of negotiations included trade facilitation in trade negotiations, which would examine issues covered in Articles V, VIII and X of the 1994 GATT Agreement.

Priority three International trade and trade facilitation

Trade facilitation and logistics

(iv) World Trade Organization (WTO) WTO Trade Facilitation

The outlines of a new WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement are already clear, but some technical differences remain on specific provisions.

A new WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement would benefit all by increasing developing countries capacity to trade, strengthening the WTO s development mandate, and boosting global economic growth.

Trade facilitation and regional integration

Implementation of trade facilitation measures

Trade facilitation was also important.

Trade and transport facilitation and development

Trade and transport facilitation and development

Mr. David Wakeford, Trade Facilitation Alliance

Trade facilitation as an engine for development

Status of WTO negotiations on trade facilitation

Introduction to implementation issues in trade facilitation

One of those issues was trade facilitation.

In particular, we believe that an international agreement on trade facilitation is the right step, as it would reduce export and import costs and restore momentum to global trade liberalization.

Emphasis will be placed on trade facilitation to clarify and expand on the relevant aspects of articles V, VIII and X of the 1994 General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade.

The secretariat was also providing technical assistance to LDCs on identifying needs and priorities for trade facilitation and establishing trade facilitation platforms.

Mr. Omar E. Odarda, Trade Facilitation Alliance, Switzerland

Efficient transport and trade facilitation to improve participation

Topic Trade facilitation as an engine for development

The single window concept is a particularly important trade facilitation measure, as it provides a platform on which to build further trade facilitation programs.

(e) Establishment of a regional network in support of the above stated activities, using existing groups for trade facilitation and liberalization and national trade facilitation bodies, establishing a virtual community of users of innovative trade facilitation and information exchange tools

Trade facilitation offers a development dividend for all countries.

Some experts highlighted the need for trade facilitation measures.

Capacity building in trade facilitation was of critical importance.

The Framework Agreement sets out five core areas that include, in addition to agriculture, market access on non agricultural products, services, development issues and trade facilitation.

Efficient transport and trade facilitation to improve participation by developing countries in international trade

The implementation of trade facilitation measures needs to rely on local knowledge, build on regional trade and transport facilitation networks, and make use of existing tools.

South South and intra regional trade in particular would benefit from multilateral trade facilitation agreements.

Theme Efficient transport and trade facilitation to improve participation by developing countries in international trade

Expert Meeting on Trade Facilitation as an Engine for Development

Private sector expectations from the WTO negotiations on trade facilitation

(ii) Mr. Douglas Cruikshark, USAID Trade Facilitation and Investment Project

A number of UNCTAD member countries have introduced trade and transport facilitation committees with a view to improving coordination between different agencies when implementing trade and transport facilitation measures.

Developing countries stand to gain the most from improving trade facilitation.

Trade facilitation was one of the most requested topics for 2005.

This event addressed the basic issues of trade facilitation and the progress made by the WTO Negotiating Group on Trade Facilitation (NGTF), taking into account the perspective of landlocked developing countries.

UNCTAD coordinated its activities in the field of trade and transport facilitation with other international organizations through the Global Facilitation Partnership (GFP).

However, trade facilitation issues too have received increased attention in recent years.