Recommendation No.4

National Trade Facilitation Bodies

Author/Source: UNECE through its Centre for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business (UN/CEFACT)

Year of adopting/publication: 1974 (first version), 2015 (latest version).
Document reference: ECE/TRADE/425

Link to the document on the internet: UN/CEFACT Recommendation N.4

Purpose: This Recommendation, first published in 1974, has been revised in light of the changing context
for Trade Facilitation and the adoption of the Agreement on Trade Facilitation of the World Trade Organization. The revised Recommendation suggests that governments establish national trade facilitation bodies (NTFB) as an indispensable component of trade policy formation which embraces the views and opinions of all stakeholders in pursuing agreement, cooperation and collaboration.

Summary:The revised UN/CEFACT Recommendation No. 4 integrates Guidelines (in Annex) that provide a detailed description of the steps for establishing the NTFB, as well as a model terms of reference for an NTFB which
countries use or customize based on their national context. It also provides a non-exhaustive list of those stakeholders that should be represented in a NTFB, including: importers, exporters, freight forwarders, carriers, customs, other government agencies, banks, insurance companies and others.

UN/CEFACT Recommendation No. 4 is complemented by UN/CEFACT Recommendation No. 40 on “Consultative Approaches, Best Practices in Trade and Government Consultation on Trade Facilitation Matters”, which provides suggested complementary and alternative forms and approaches to consultation and offers a qualitative methodology to improve the very core of the consultative process.

Pages that cite the Rec. No. 4:

Consultation Cooperation
Single Window Implementation
Trade Facilitation bodies