The Trade Facilitation Support Program (TFSP) was launched in June 2014 to support countries seeking assistance to improve their cross-border trade environments and better align their trade practices with the World Trade Organization Trade Facilitation Agreement (WTO TFA).
TFSP’s funding helps countries—particularly developing countries—achieve full and effective implementation of the WTO TFA measures and related trade facilitation reforms. TFSP funding helps client countries:
The TFSP currently supports 58 countries across all regions, 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 helps countries to monitor and report on progress.
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.
The World Bank Group works very closely with the WTO, and other partners and donors in supporting developing countries in improving border processes and procedures.
July 19, 2024: How a new trade information portal is empowering Timor-Leste’s entrepreneurs
June 28, 2024: Developing countries need more support to navigate growing turbulence in global trade
October 30, 2023: How a digital platform for ports speeds delivery of goods to your local shopping mall
October 25, 2023: Fiji is digitalizing trade processes, helping firms expand in new markets and hire more workers
July 5, 2023: Toppling the barriers to Indian women’s participation in trade
June 30, 2023: Timor-Leste moves toward WTO membership with new biosecurity legislation
June 7, 2023: Tajikistan: Empowering women in cross-border trade
May 3, 2023: Timor-Leste sets its sights on regional and global trade integration
May 10, 2023: Digital certification makes cocoa traders in Côte d'Ivoire more competitive
April 28, 2023: Helping Lao businesses trade — the Authorized Economic Operator Program
April 28, 2023: Helping Lao businesses trade — the Authorized Economic Operator Program
April 1, 2023: Bananas and Blight – An Illustration In The Complexity of Global Trade
March 8, 2023: Transforming Economic Opportunities for Women Through Trade
January 30, 2023: How Innovation is Revolutionizing Global Trade
June 28, 2024: Pacific Regional Trade Facilitation Strategy and Roadmap
March 4, 2024: Unlocking Trade for Women: Trade Facilitation and Gender Surveys
December 11, 2023: Guideline on risk management systems for food safety organizations
November 1, 2023: Port Community Systems: Lessons From Global Experience
August 14, 2024: Streamlining Trade, Boosting Access to Markets
April 11, 2024: Empowering Trade, Empowering Timor-Leste
October 19, 2023: How is Fiji getting one step closer to automated trade?
October 31, 2022: Single Window: A Path to Paperless Trade
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
June 1, 2023: What Caribbean Rum Cake Teaches us About Trade
May 1, 2023: A (Digital) Window to the World of Trade
April 1, 2023: Bananas & Blight
March 1, 2023: Invisible Women
February 15, 2023: The Climate Conundrum
January 30, 2023: Around the World of Trade
January 15, 2023: Trade Tips Podcast: What You Can Expect
July 20, 2024: World Bank’s Sweden-funded program to unlock trade through economic growth in MENA region
June 25, 2024: Pacific Regional Trade Facilitation Strategy launched in Geneva
April 11, 2024: Launch of the Timor-Leste Trade Information Portal: Livestream
April 9, 2024: Timor-Leste Launches Information Portal to Boost Trade, Expand Market Access
December 4, 2023: Shaping the future of the digital economy: The role of trade facilitation and digitization
May 16, 2023: Western Balkan Economies Seek Faster, Safer Trade Together
May 16, 2023: Trade Facilitation Regional Maturity and Capacity Building Conference taking place in Belgrade Serbia
April 23, 2023: Peru: Government announces new measures to improve the competitiveness of exporting companies (Spanish)
March 30, 2023: Timor-Leste: World Bank and MTCI sign MOU to provide trade information portal to support import and export activities
March 23, 2023: Export of plant products from May 2023 – Cote D’Ivoire will officially issue ephyto certificates (French)
March 21, 2023: Bosnia: Final workshop held on the creation of a roadmap for the establishment of a national single window for cross-border trade (Bosnian)
March 20, 2023: Kosovo: Introducing the National Single Window Guide (Albanian)
March 15, 2023: Timor-Leste: New Biosecurity Laws Passed
March 9, 2023: Western Balkans: Towards a New Generation of Regional Cooperation through Digitalization (Macedonian)
February 8, 2023: Kick off meeting for Time Release Study in Uzbekistan