To acknowledge early achievements and to share learning amongst WTO countries, the World Bank Group and the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement Facility (TFAF) launched a specialist SmartLessons Competition. SmartLessons are short papers which provide first-hand accounts of lessons learned in development operations.
WTO member countries were invited to share their experiences and lessons learned (both successes and challenges) in implementing trade facilitation reforms to align with the measures outlined in the WTO TFA. We received a total of 13 submissions from member countries on a variety of topics. A panel of judges both from the World Bank Group and the WTO evaluated the SmartLessons and shortlisted six finalists: Botswana, Jamaica, Malawi, Montenegro, Rwanda, and Zambia.
The finalists were invited to present their respective case studies in an informal TED-style session at the World Trade Organization’s Sixth Global Review of Aid for Trade. Jamaica and Zambia were announced as joint winners.
Links to SmartLessons
Opening Doors to Transparency in Cross-Border Trade: Lessons from the Malawi Trade Portal
Integrating Risk-Based Principles into Border Inspections and Clearance in Zambia
Establishing a National Trade Facilitation Committee: Lessons Learned from Montenegro
Making Cross-Border Trade Easier: Lessons from Botswana
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