The “overall” track deals with broader interests of the WCO Membership, including awareness-raising at global, regional and national levels, as well as updating and developing trade facilitation standards and tools. In addition to the long-standing RKC standards, another 50 WCO instruments and tools support implementation of the TFA and have been collated into the Implementation Guidance for Section I of the TFA.
The Mercator Programme aims to achieve more effective cooperation amongst all stakeholders, especially in terms of raising the level of political will to take joint actions to progress the trade facilitation agenda, bringing together all relevant government agencies and encouraging, for instance, efficient coordinated border management, including meaningful trade partnerships. Under the “overall track”, the WCO is strengthening its cooperation with the WTO as well, as cooperation with other standard-setting organizations of relevance to other border agencies and is taking part in the WTO Trade Facilitation Committee. The WCO also works closely with other so-called Annex D organizations which support implementation of the TFA.