On May 16, 2017 members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) met for the inaugural meeting of the Committee on Trade Facilitation. This committee will manage the implementation of the WTO’s recently passed Trade Facilitation Agreement (FTA).

The TFA entered into force on February 22, 2017 after meeting the two-thirds WTO member ratification requirement. The committee will meet to discuss matters related to TFA procedures and the progress of its objectives. They will also develop a standard for distributing pertinent information and best practices among the committee.

The notice also advises, “Since its entry into force, six additional WTO members — Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Armenia, Fiji, Costa Rica and Sierra Leone — have submitted their instruments of TFA acceptance to the WTO.”

The notice can be accessed at:

https://www.wto.org/english/news_e/news17_e/fac_16may17_e.htm