The International Trade Centre (ITC) has been providing technical assistance and capacity-building (TACB) to implement the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) and trade facilitation reforms through a comprehensive approach, helping countries enhance their customs and border systems to promote smoother, more efficient trade. To date, ITC has supported over 80 countries in 5 continents. 

ITC’s support is centred around customs and border reforms, building on the provisions of the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA). In this context, ITC works with Customs administrations and border regulatory agencies (BRAs) to implement advanced trade facilitation reforms and solutions, including bespoke digital tools. In supporting beneficiary countries to implement the TFA, ITC has engineered and operationalized innovative paperless and digital trade solutions at the national, bilateral, and regional levels, notably in areas such as risk management, pre-arrival processing, advance rulings and Trade Portals, supporting transparency and access to information in line with the requirements of Articles 1.1 and 1.2 of the TFA. For these core trade facilitation measures, ITC provides end-to-end technical assistance, covering the full reform cycle – from the design and review of legal and regulatory acts to the development of standard operating procedures (SOPs), the deployment of digital platforms, capacity-building, training and piloting prior to full rollout. This approach ensures that reforms are legally sound, operationally viable and sustainably implemented. ITC also supports the establishment or strengthening of National Trade Facilitation Committees (NTFCs), which serve as coordination platforms for the implementation of TFA obligations. An important aspect of ITC’s work is the systematic incorporation of private sector perspectives into trade facilitation reforms. ITC further promotes peer-to-peer learning on trade facilitation, fostering knowledge exchange among countries and across regions. Trade facilitation for regional integration is another focus area, where ITC supports the harmonization of trade facilitation reforms, as well as border frameworks and practices across borders, to promote intra-regional trade. Finally, ITC advocates and promotes inclusive trade facilitation, ensuring that reforms benefit marginalized groups, including women traders and small-scale cross-border traders (SSCBTs).

TFA specific TACB resources

ITC is delivering its technical assistance on TFA implementation in the context of multi-annual trade-related projects implemented in specific countries and regions. The beneficiary Members and portfolio of services provides is pre-determined under the framework of these country specific or regional-specific programmes. Currently ITC is implementing 22 projects across Latin America, Africa, Eastern Europe, Central Asia, South Asia and Southeast Asia. projects for six 6 bilateral donors and two UN agencies.

Brief description of any upcoming assistance and activities

ITC is introducing several new developments in its trade facilitation technical assistance and capacity-building efforts, aimed at addressing modern challenges in global trade. These developments include integrated risk management, where ITC works with customs administrations and non-customs border agencies to harmonize risk management frameworks and practices; digital trade and transport facilitation reforms along multimodal trade corridors; cross-border and inter-regional data exchanges and interoperability of data, documents, and systems; and expanded trade facilitation support for e-commerce. 

• Within its digital portfolio of services, ITC has developed the Trade and Logistics Performance Gateway, a first-of-its-kind digital platform designed to support the automated, near real-time measurement and visualization of border release times, alongside a broader set of trade and logistics performance indicators. The Gateway was launched for the first time in Jordan in September 2025, marking a significant milestone in ITC’s efforts to promote data-driven trade facilitation reforms.
• ITC is also advancing the CART.IS initiative, launched in the Kyrgyz Republic, to support government agencies in mapping over 150 interagency information exchanges and identifying digital gaps to streamline trade procedures and coordinate digital ecosystems for cross-border trade. The CART.IS methodology helps assess and rationalize the existing landscape of government-to-business and government-to-government systems, laying the groundwork for coordinated digitalization and interoperability improvements across borders.
• In addition, ITC has supported the rollout of an electronic Queue Management System (eQMS) in the Kyrgyz Republic, launched in September 2025, to improve border traffic management and reduce congestion at key crossing points. The eQMS contributes to shorter waiting times, improved predictability for transport operators and more efficient cross-border movement of goods.
• Finally, ITC is progressively integrating Green Customs principles into its trade facilitation programmes through targeted sensitization, advocacy, and advisory services. This includes supporting organizational practices for sustainability within customs administrations, while promoting the alignment of customs and border procedures with circular economy objectives and the effective implementation of relevant Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs). ITC’s support focuses on facilitating compliant trade in secondary materials, recyclable goods, and environmentally sustainable products, alongside strengthening customs controls and institutional capacities related to MEAs.