Implementation Guidance

The WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement and the WCO Mercator Programme Approach to Implementation
The “WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement and the WCO Mercator Programme Approach to Implementation” provides an overview of the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA), the history behind it, the key steps required for accession to and compliance with the TFA, including sequencing of implementation, provision of technical assistance/capacity building (TA/CB) and monitoring, bringing forth the lessons learnt under the WCO’s TA/CB activities and national best practices shared by Members, as well as TFA-related recommendations stemming from WCO working bodies. It also pulls together relevant open-source information. The INTRODUCTION may serve as support and a potential capacity building tool for both Members and experts in providing support in TFA implementation.”    

Implementation Guidance for Section I  
To support the harmonized implementation of the TFA by using core WCO instruments and tools, the WCO released an Implementation Guidance for Section I. For each TFA Article, it contains the following categories of information: Overview; Text of the TFA Article; relevant RKC Standards and RKC Guidelines; other relevant WCO tools; Member practices; and performance indicators. Select an article below to view more information  

National Committees on Trade Facilitation (NCTF)
This NCTF Guidance aims to advise Members on the requirements of Article 23.2 of the TFA, and to provide basic guidance on an efficient structure of an NCTF based on Members' good practices and experiences. Click here for Guidance. This guidance on the establishment and maintenance of NCTFS supplements many WCO tools that already support the implementation of the TFA and related cooperation of all stakeholders - including (but not limited to) the TFA Implemen¬tation Guidance including its new Introduction around organizational approaches; chapters on stakeholder engagement in the WCO Capacity Building Development Compendium; the CBM and Single Window Compendiums; the WCO Data Model (offering standardized data for Customs, border agencies and the private sector); and the Time Release Study approach (as a means to identify bottlenecks of cooperation of Customs, other border agencies and the private sector in border procedures).