The General Authority of Customs has concluded a regional workshop on the Trade Facilitation Agreement, held with participation of experts from the World Customs Organization and the Regional Office for Capacity Building, and representatives of the customs of Arab countries.
The workshop aimed at enhancing the expertise of the 29 participants on the World Trade Organization (WTO) Trade Facilitation Agreement and the Mercator Program, especially after the agreement came into force with the ratification of two thirds of the WTO members last February.
The workshop introduced the latest developments regarding the agreement, especially as the senior and middle administrations are responsible for developing and implementing customs policies and drafting customs procedures related to the implementation of development projects.
The workshop discussed several main axes aimed at strengthening the current national plans to implement the terms of the agreement and exchanging views, experiences and expectations of members in North Africa, the Middle East and the Near East on ways to move towards coordinated and effective implementation and technical cooperation in various fields of work.
According to the World Trade Organization (WTO), the Trade Facilitation Agreement would boost global exports by up to $1,000 billion a year. Once implemented, the agreement would be the most important reform of global trade in more than 15 years, a major step to make world trade cheaper, easier and faster.