Building Effective Public Private Sector Partnerships in National Trade Facilitation Committees

Abstract

National Trade Facilitation Committees (NTFCs) oversee a country’s policies, initiatives, and reforms on trade, and occasionally in transport. Any standing member of the United Nations can form an NTFC to enforce the rules and regulations set forth by the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA)—the international agreement on trade law which mandated the formation of NTFCs and to which they all abide.

NTFCs provide an open forum to discuss national strategic trade priorities, streamline policies in accordance with international standards, and provide directives on trade facilitation issues that affect public agencies and private businesses.

NTFC members have traditionally been comprised of public sector agencies; case studies have shown that participation from and collaboration with the private sector have become key to the sustainability of NTFCs. This paper examines the benefits of private sector membership in NTFC, and proposes transparent, innovative, and collaborative mechanisms to engage with the public sector.