Advancing the digitalization of trade with partnerships: National Trade Facilitation Committees as a platform for policy modernization

A country’s international logistics performance is dependent on the extent and modernity of its trade facilitation reform (World Bank, 2018). An institutional obligation for members of the World Trade Organization (WTO), National Trade Facilitation Committees serve as multi-agency platforms for stakeholder engagement. These partnerships generate consensus via ‘national roadmaps’ to customize a country’s approach to update its domestic interface with global markets through implementation of the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement (UNCTAD, 2017).

This article explores how the context for crafting trade policy is changing, particularly when considering the digitalization of trade, and what it could imply for the role of NTFCs in fostering modernization.