What role for the private sector in trade facilitation implementation? (en)

The role of the private sector in the implementation of the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) Trade Facilitation Agreement will be the focus of the 2015 edition of the Global Facilitation Partnership for Transportation and Trade (GFP) meeting. Organized by the International Trade Centre (ITC) in partnership with the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe and the World Bank, the event will bring together representatives of the private sector, WTO member states and international organizations to discuss how best support trade facilitation implementation.

The GFP meeting will be held at Palais des Nations, Geneva, on 22 April, and will be divided into three thematic sessions.

The first session, ’Governments’ Priorities: Strategies for Fostering Private Sector Participation in the TFA Implementation Process’ will look at how governments are planning to implement the TFA. It will focus on how the private sector is consulted and how an effective participation of the private sector can be facilitated to implement the Agreement.

The second, ’Priorities, Perspectives, and Expectations from the Private Sector on TFA Implementation’ will assess how on the perspectives of the private sector – including large corporates as well as small and medium-sized enterprises – on view TFA implementation. The session will also look at the potential benefits from a private sector perspective, and how the sector can contribute to national and international initiatives to implement the agreement.

The third session, ’International Organizations’ Co-ordination and Partnership for Supporting TFA Implementation’, will provide an opportunity to share information and experiences on how the TFA can be implemented with public-private partnerships in mind, as how national trade facilitation committees can better support this process.

ITC is pleased to invite all interested stakeholders are welcome to join the GFP meeting at the Palais des Nations on 22 April from 9:00.