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Topics handled by WTO committees and agreements
Issues covered by the WTO’s committees and agreements

Trade facilitation

After several years of exploratory work, WTO Members formally agreed to launch negotiations on trade facilitation in July 2004, on the basis of modalities contained in Annex D of the so-called “July package”. Under this mandate, Members are directed to clarify and improve GATT Article V (Freedom of Transit), Article VIII (Fees and Formalities connected with Importation and Exportation), and Article X (Publication and Administration of Trade Regulations). The negotiations also aim to enhance technical assistance and capacity building in this area and to improve effective cooperation between customs and other appropriate authorities on trade facilitation and customs compliance issues. > More

> Trade facilitation negotiations
> Negotiations documents

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> Consult the guide to downloading files.

N.B. You should download these documents rather than calling them into view through the browser since the formatting may change (eg. paragraph numbering) when viewed through the browser.


News  back to top

 

Introduction  back to top

Brief information on trade facilitation
links to the trade facilitation section of the WTO Guide “Understanding the WTO”.

  

The mandate  back to top

Hong Kong Ministerial Declaration
  
  

The July 2004 package (WT/L/579):
The mandate for these negotiations is set out in Annex D of that decision (“Modalities for Negotiations on Trade Facilitation”).
> Explanation
> Text of Annex D

 

> Doha Ministerial Declaration, November 14, 2001, item 27

  

Singapore Ministerial Declaration December 13, 1996 (see item 22) (WT/MIN(96)/DEC)
> Browse text
> download

  

Negotiations on Trade Facilitation  back to top

> The Launching of negotiations on trade facilitation
  

> Negotiation documents: all documents pertaining to the negotiations (legal framework, WTO Member proposals, minutes of meetings, etc.)

> Current Chairperson

  

Technical Assistance and Capacity Building in the Context of the Negotiations  back to top

    

Documents on Trade Facilitation    back to top

Search Documents Online
Documents on Trade Facilitation bear the document code TN/TF/* for documents under the Negotiating Group on Trade Facilitation, G/C/W/* and G/L/* for documents under the Council for Trade in Goods (where * takes additional values).
These links open a new window: allow a moment for the results to appear.

> help with downloading these documents

  • Reports by the Chairman to the Trade Negotiations Committee (Document code TN/TF/* or G/L/* and keyword “report and Trade Facilitation”)    > search
  • Minutes of the meetings of the Negotiating Group on Trade Facilitation (searches for document code TN/TF/M/*)    > search
  • Working documents on Trade Facilitation (Document code TN/TF/W/* or G/C/W/* and keyword “Trade Facilitation”)
        > search
  • Working documents on Technical Assistance on Trade Facilitation (Document code TN/TF/W/* or G/C/W/* and keyword “Technical Assistance”)     > search
  • Self Assessment Guide — Negotiating Group on Trade Facilitation (searches for document code TN/TF/W/143/*)    > search
  • Compilation of Proposals made by Members — Negotiating Group on Trade Facilitation (searches for document code TN/TF/W/43/*)    > search

You can perform more sophisticated searches from the Documents Online search facility by defining multiple search criteria such as document symbol (i.e. code number), notification number, requirement subject, trade coverage, full text search or document date.

  

Trade Facilitation Pre-Negotiation Work in the WTO  back to top

Overview
2004   2003   2002   2001   2000   1999   1998

  

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