TFAF WORK PLAN 2025

1  Work plan overview

1.1.  In line with the Framework for the Management and Operation of the Trade Facilitation Agreement Facilitation (_G/TFA/3), this document sets out the work plan for the Facility for the year 2025.

1.2.  Preparation of the plan was carried out with the Representative group of Members that consisted of representatives of Brazil, China, Ecuador, EU, Guatemala, Togo and US.

2  activities

2.1.  In 2025, the following activities will be organized in line with the mode of delivery specified in the TFAF Framework:

TACB activities

Output 1: Strengthening Members' capacity (domestic and regional level) to plan, manage and implement TFA projects.

Output 2: Increase Members' awareness of assistance and capacity building options for implementing the TFA.

2.2.  The TFAF technical assistance and capacity building (TACB) activities respond to requests from developing and LDC Members which relate to the following outcomes: i) identifying implementation assistance, ii) ratification of the Agreement, iii) notifications under the Agreement, and iv) strengthening the operation of National Trade Facilitation Committees (NTFC). In 2025, the TFAF will prioritize outcomes i) and iv).

2.3.  The activities are divided into a general track and a Member-focus track. The general track activities benefit all developing and LDC Members as they address common needs and are delivered through regional or Geneva-based activities. The Member-focus track addresses stand-alone capacity building needs at domestic level.

2.4.  In 2025, the following TACB activities will be delivered:

TFAF Technical Assistance Lab

2.5.  Developing and LDC Members often have limited internal capacity and guidance to conceptualize their TACB requests. They lack information and knowledge on implementation approaches and successes. The TFAF Technical Assistance Labs aim to offer a solution to this problem through collaborative Member-to-Member learning. The Labs will bring together Members with TACB implementation experiences with those that need to design and request such interventions. They will also provide methodological support for the project design. Proceedings and inventory of approaches shared in the Labs may help officials in developing their TFA implementation project requests.

2.6.  In 2025, the TFAF will organize two thematic Labs. The thematic areas are to be defined by Members' needs. Potential thematic areas are Article 1.1, 1.2, and 1.3 Publication of information and enquiry points, and Article 10.3 International Standards. Many Members reached out to TFAF to identify development partners to address their capacity needs in a sustainable manner.

Information sessions for GVA based delegations

2.7.  The permanent missions to the WTO have an important function for the implementation of the TFA. They relay information between capitals, NTFCs and the WTO Committee, assist their capitals in their communication with development partners based in Geneva, and monitor implementation progress. An active engagement and flow of information between TFAF, partners and the permanent missions of developing and LDC Members will increase the capacity of Members to engage with development partners.

2.8.  In 2025, the TFAF, jointly with partners, will organize a dialogue for GVA-based missions to discuss the mobilization of assistance and capacity building for the implementation of the TFA. It will allow for a discussion of challenges and solutions and invite partners providing assistance to present their resources and procedures.

Workshop on digital skills of NTFCs

2.9.  Recognizing the increasing integration of digital technologies in trade facilitation, Members of the NTFC need to be at the forefront of the digital transformation to foster coordination, economies of scale and innovation. They require digital skills that enable them to understand the potential of digitalization applied to processes and services, to navigate in an informed manner through the proliferation of digital tools and solutions, to evaluate the impact and costs, and coordinate and manage implementation effectively. NTFCs with better understanding of digitalization in its legal, policy and technological dimensions will increase aid effectiveness in digitalization projects.

2.10.  In 2025, TFAF will organize at least two regional workshops on this topic. These workshops will build on lessons learned from the ALADI workshop that will be conducted jointly with STDF in November 2024. They shall cover issues such as international standards for e-business and cross‑border data exchanges, use cases for application of digital technologies for trade facilitation, and IT project management skills. The workshop's findings will be compiled into a non‑IT practitioner guide on digital trade facilitation.

Member-track: NTFC workshops to manage development cooperation procedure

2.11.  Members' ability to engage with development partners depends on their capacity to understand and manage development cooperation mechanisms and to strategically plan TACB interventions. Experience has shown that many NTFCs in developing and LDC Members lack these capacities. Building these capacities will enable them to better integrate into the domestic development coordination governance and to engage with development partners on the basis of tangible and actionable requests.

2.12.  In 2025, the TFAF will develop a stand-alone training approach and content on the management of development mechanisms for NTFCs. This training will be designed for hybrid delivery, online combined with in-person sessions, and aims to build practical guidance on where to collect information, how to develop clear vision, TACB plans, and monitoring systems. After the training participants, shall be able to draft a TACB mobilization plan, and coordinate with relevant domestic stakeholders in mainstreaming TFA needs into development plans and interventions. Developing and LDC Members can request to benefit from this training starting in April 2025.

Grant Programme

Output 3: Members' TACB needs are matched with TFAF funding when standard assistance is not available.

2.13.  The TFAF supports Members in securing access to assistance and capacity building which can be provided through development partners. When no assistance is available, Members can apply for TFAF grant funding. This can be used to support Members in the project conception and proposal phase or to support targeted, short-term projects.

2.14.  The TFAF Project Preparation Grants enable Members to conceptualise the intervention and seek adequate TACB responses. These grants can be very effective, when potential partners are involved from the beginning. In 2025, the TFAF aims to increase collaboration with potential funding partners in the PPG process.

2.15.  The TFAF Project Implementation Grants are a complementary resource mechanism to enable Members to fill assistance gaps. With these grants, TFAF supports short-term targeted TACB projects to implement the TFA. They are not designed to cover longer-term systemic assistance needs. Where possible, TFAF grants will be implemented by partners. This is driven by cost effectiveness and increases efficiency of the interventions and strengthens harmonisation of donor efforts. It allows to leverage partners' presence on the ground and relationship built with members and their respective technical expertise.

2.16.  In 2025, the TFAF will continue to work with Members to receive tangible applications. In doing so it will strengthen collaboration with partners at project level. Conversations with Members have shown three use cases for the effective use of TFAF grants: i) to augment and sustain impact from previous partner interventions, ii) to align TF interventions by partners to specific TFA needs at output level, iii) to fill assistance gaps in clearly demarcated technical areas.

2.17.  Due to limited funds of the TFAF Trust Fund the number of grant approvals cannot exceed the  total budget of USD 900,000.

Engagement with development partners

Output 4: Strengthening processes for coordination between development partners for the implementation of the TFA.

2.18.  The TFAF operates in an environment which consists of multiple development partners which act in accordance with their comparative advantage. The Framework of the Facility stipulates that it will engage with Annex D and Development partners to share information and allow for coordination and non-duplication of efforts on trade facilitation.

2.19.  In 2025, the TFAF will strengthen, diversify and expand the network of partners to broaden its technical expertise and implementation capacity. It will seek to establish arrangements with partners for the joint delivery of grants in line with their technical expertise.

2.20.  The TFAF will jointly with partners conduct an NTFC survey. This survey aims to shed light on the qualitative performance of NTFCs with regards to mobilization of TACB, monitoring and evaluation of TACB and projects, and cross-government coordination, private sector participation, and strategic planning. The TFAF and partners will jointly design the survey methodology, compile and analyse the responses and draft case studies, where appropriate. The survey findings will be presented to the CTF to guide TFAF and partners in designing their TACB interventions.

2.21.  The TFAF will participate in TFA-related events organized by partners, where these events are in line with the TFAF mandate.

3  Monitoring and evaluation

3.1.  The TFAF activities will be monitored throughout the year using the updated logframe in Annex to this workplan. The TFAF Secretariat will report on progress made in its annual report. The TFAF Secretariat will collect data for the baseline assessment in December 2024.

4  Risks

4.1.  The TFAF faces a risk to the timely execution of the grant programme due to administrative processes and rules within the WTO. The negotiations and design of the partnership agreements and modalities for collaboration is particularly time consuming as no standard templates can be applied.

4.2.  The TFAF also faces constraints on its funding. To address this risk the TFAF has prioritized expenditures and scaled down the proposed activities. Additional activities and opportunities of scaling up of the activities are identified but can only be undertaken if additional funds become available.