The Trade Facilitation Support Program (TFSP) was launched in June 2014 to assist developing countries in aligning their trade practices with the World Trade Organization Trade Facilitation Agreement (WTO TFA).
The program is designed to provide practical and demand-driven assistance, and supports client countries with:
Since inception, the program has provided TFA implementation support to almost 50 countries, most of which are least developed countries. The largest share of countries receiving support are in Sub-Saharan Africa. Support is also provided to fragile and conflict-affected countries.
The World Bank Group has helped countries significantly improve their alignment with the WTO TFA. The TFA Tracking Tool monitors progress towards meeting the TFSP’s objective of helping countries improve alignment with the WTO TFA, as well as for countries to monitor and report on their own progress. As of the end of June 2022, the overall WTO TFA alignment scores of TFSP supported countries had risen from 41% to 51%.
Recognizing the important roles of both the public and private sectors in trade facilitation, the World Bank Group implements the TFSP by drawing on the unique expertise of both the World Bank and the International Finance Corporation (IFC).
The program is funded by nine donor partners: Australia, Canada, the European Commission, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
We work closely with global and regional partners in delivering joint initiatives and activities to ensure a coordinated rollout of technical assistance.
September 21, 2022: Supporting Safe Trade to Improve Nepal's Export Position
June 22, 2022: New Clearance Procedures Save Time at North Macedonia Border
August 5, 2021: Digital Trade Can Help North Macedonia Build Back Better Post-COVID-19
July 9, 2021: Montenegro Cuts Import Clearance Time: 8 Hours to 30 Minutes
February 25, 2021: Trade Facilitation Challenges for Women Traders in the Pacific Islands and Timor-Leste
August 28, 2020: Keeping Business Flowing in Serbia Amid COVID-19
April 23, 2020: In Ethiopia, Electronic Single Window Cuts Costs and Time to Trade
November 20, 2019: Simplifying trade energizes businesses in Kosovo
July 18, 2019: Sierra Leone: Trade facilitation improvements are starting to bear fruit
May 16, 2019: Jamaica: Pioneering trade facilitation improvements in the Caribbean
March 28, 2019: Getting the balance right: Minimizing food safety risks and facilitating trade in North Macedonia
June 11, 2018: A New Way of Managing Risk for Customs in Montenegro: 80% Reduction in the Inspection of Excise Goods
June 22, 2022: Lao PDR Trade Portal: Ten years old and growing strong
June 1, 2022: Time release studies: Making trade faster and more predictable in Europe and Central Asia
May 3, 2022: Helping women entrepreneurs break into global markets by overcoming challenges at the border
November 08,2021: Managing organizational performance in Customs during a crisis period
November 4, 2019: Ending the invisibility of women traders
November 02, 2021: Trade facilitation: Critical to COVID-19 recovery
August 21, 2019: ePhyto: Promoting safe and efficient trade
June 18, 2019: Tracking the performance of trade facilitation reforms: What difference does a day make?
June 3, 2019: What’s it like for women to trade across borders?
January 30, 2019: Leave your hammocks at home: How a customs union between Guatemala and Honduras cut trade times from 10 hours to 15 minutes
July 24, 2018: Bringing Sri Lanka's traders one step closer to the global market
June 5, 2018: Can Blockchain Revolutionize Trade?
April 2, 2018: Customs Union between Guatemala and Honduras, from 10 hours to 15 minutes!
July 12, 2017: Lowering Trade Costs through Transparency: the Importance of Trade Information Portals
July 13, 2017: WTO TFA implementation: Learning from early results
July 10, 2017: Five actions that matter to the future of Aid for Trade
October 5, 2017: Coordination, Collaboration and Connectivity for Better Border Management
October 9, 2017: Trade facilitation reform in Sri Lanka can drive a change in culture
February 22, 2017: Now that the Trade Facilitation Agreement has entered into force...
June 24, 2015: Supporting the implementation of the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement
March 8, 2022: Understanding trade facilitation barriers for women
February 25, 2021: Trade Facilitation Challenges for Women Traders in the Pacific Islands and Timor-Leste
Regional | Fiji | Papua New Guinea | Samoa | Timor-Leste | Vanuatu
November 10, 2020: Risk Prioritization in Phytosanitary Management: A Step-by-Step Guide
January 15, 2020: Fiji: Trade Facilitation Challenges for Women Traders and Freight Forwarders
July 2019: Aid for Trade at a Glance 2019 — The Critical Role of Trade Facilitation in Supporting Economic Diversification and Structural Reforms (World Bank Group: Chapter 6)
April 24, 2019: Reducing Bottlenecks and Facilitating Trade in Zambia
February 25, 2021: Unlocking Trade for Women in the Pacific
June 22, 2020: Managing Risk and Facilitating Trade During the COVID-19
June 27, 2019: 360 Video: Making trade faster, cheaper and easier in Sierra Leone
February 6, 2019: 360 Video: Trading Across Borders in Guatemala and Honduras
November 9, 2017: The Trade Facilitation Support Program: Hear from our partners
July 17, 2017: The Trade Facilitation Agreement: Increasing Trade, Boosting Investment
July 17, 2017: Driving Jobs & Global Income Through Trade Facilitation
November 17, 2016: Facilitating Trade Across Borders
November 11, 2022: Expediting trade in the region, key to development (Spanish)
June 26, 2022: Lesotho: Launch of National Single Window for Trade
April 1, 2022: Kosovo: Customs reduces clearance times
March 30, 2022: Roadmap for Electronic Single Windows in Montenegro and Kosovo
March 26, 2022: Pakistan: Launch of the Trade Information Portal | Portal
March 8, 2022: Gender equality and inclusion in trade
February 22, 2022: Supply chain resilience highlighted at fifth anniversary of Trade Facilitation Agreement
February 1, 2022: Global Forum for National Trade Facilitation Committees
November 26, 2021: Milestone review of Trade Facilitation Agreement
November 9, 2021: Boosting trade competitiveness in the Pacific
December 23, 2020: Vietnam Launches First-Ever Free Trade Agreement Portal
December 11, 2020: A Single Source for All Cross-Border Trade Information in Mongolia Portal
November 9, 2020: Lesotho Re-launches Trade Information Portal: New, Simplified and User-Friendly
September 30, 2020: Eswatini Launches Trade Information Portal: “Export-Import Made Easier”
September 16, 2020: Montenegro certifies first AEO
May 20, 2020: Zambia Launches Trade Information Portal
October 17, 2019: Kosovo Launches AEO with Support of the World Bank Group
September 18, 2019: Developing Country Participation Critical to ISO's Future
July 3, 2019: Aid for Trade Review opens with call to preserve trading system as driver for development
May 16, 2019: Shaw Launches New Trade Information Portal
April 1, 2019: Zambia: Donor partners witness trade improvements
September 11, 2018: IFC Helps Mongolia Government Facilitate Trade by Enhancing Risk Management of Border Agencies
September 2, 2018: Serbia, Macedonia Leaders Hail 'One-Stop Shop' Border Project
August 16, 2018: Agencies Explore Workable Single Window System Customized for Fiji
April 11, 2018: 26 Years Independent Customs Administration of the Republic of Macedonia
February 23, 2018: New book launched at STDF Policy Committee: “Driving safe trade solutions worldwide”
July 7, 2017: Seeking for Potential Bilateral Cooperation between the IPPC and the WB
December 17, 2015: Azevêdo welcomes efforts to help implement Trade Facilitation Agreement
